Designing Workflows in the Editor

The Workflow editor is a canvas that contains graphic tools to insert, connect, move and work with the tasks in the Workflow. As a developer and object designer, you design the logic of your Workflow here by structuring and connecting tasks and by defining task-specific properties. The task-specific properties have an impact on the execution of the Workflow. For more information, see Task Properties in Workflows.

Notes:

• Standard and ForEach Workflows have a START and an END node and, between these nodes, any number of executable objects.

  IF Workflows do not have START and END nodes.

• The title bar of the Workflow editor shows the name, title or alias of the Workflow.

Read the following topics, where you find descriptions of functions that help you work faster:

• Opening and Arranging Multiple Views
• Example: Designing and Monitoring Objects
• Example: Working with Multiple Connections
• Bulk Operations and Drag & Drop in AWI

Tip: Reap the benefits of Broadcom's free educational offering. The Broadcom Software Academy provides a wide range of free online trainings. For information about how to navigate through the Academy and on how to register for courses, see Automic Automation Education and Training. Beyond the product documentation and courses, Broadcom offers a range of educational materials designed to guide you through Automic Automation's features and functions. Our interactive learning center is a dedicated platform offering immersive simulation labs to help you learn by doing. They are dynamic, hands-on exercises that complement the content of our courses. They don't just tell you how to use a feature; they let you experience it directly.Visit the Broadcom's Simulation Labs website to explore the available labs and start practicing: https://simlabs.aod.broadcom.com/simulation/automation?product=Automic.

Overview of the Workflow Editor

This screenshot shows the Workflow editor. Each main element of the editor has a number. The list after the screenshot briefly describes each element:

1. Title Bar displaying the name, title or alias of the Workflow.

2. Button to switch the edit mode on and off. A Workflow is in read only mode in the following situations:

   • You have permissions to view it but not to edit it

     It is being edited by another user

3. Workflow toolbar with buttons to access the most important functions that apply to the Workflow.

   • Save

   • Execute, see Execution Options

   • Executions, see Execution Data

   • Last Report, see Understanding the Reports

   • Analyze Last Execution, see Analyzing Executions with the Automation Assistant

   • Last Monitor, see Monitoring Workflows

   • More > Monitoring > Show in Process Monitoring

   • More > Monitoring > Create Forecast, see Creating Object Forecasts

   • More > Move, see Moving Objects or Folders within a Client

   • More > Duplicate, see Duplicating Objects

   • More > Understanding the Search for Use Function in Automic Automation

   • More > Transfer > Export, see Exporting/Importing Objects

   • More > Transfer > Transport, see Transporting Data

   • More > Add to Favorites, see Adding to Favorites

   • More > Add to User Catalog, see Configuring the User Catalog

4. Navigation pane with tabs to access the pages where you configure the Workflow.

5. Editor toolbar with buttons to access the most important functions that apply to the tasks that are selected:

   • Undo/Redo buttons

     Undo (Ctrl + Z) reverts your last change, Redo (Ctrl + Y) restores your last undone action. Both apply to the Workflow design, that is, you can redo or undo the following operations:

     • Add or remove tasks

     • Copy and paste tasks

     • Replace tasks

     • Connect or disconnect tasks

     • Change the position of tasks

     • Insert or remove columns or rows

   • Function buttons that apply to the task that is selected. The buttons are grayed out if no task is selected.

6. Field for Searching for Tasks in the Workflow Editor.

7. Where:

   • 7a is the Objects button for Adding Tasks to a Workflow.

   • 7b is the Objects panel that opens when clicking on the Objects button

8. Filter button to open a pane where you can use various task properties to search for tasks in the Workflow, see Filtering Tasks in the Workflow Editor.

9. Properties button.

   Select a task and click Properties to open the properties pane on the bottom half of your screen. The tabs in this pane let you configure this task for executing within this Workflow. See Task Properties in Workflows.

10. Move mode button for Moving Tasks in the Workflow and Panning.

11. Selection mode button for Selecting Tasks in the Workflow.

12. Connection mode button for Connecting Tasks in the Workflow.

13. Tool for Zooming in the Workflow Editor/Monitor.

14. Canvas. You design your Workflows here.

    When you create a Workflow, the canvas displays the START and END nodes. You start designing the Workflow by adding objects that you arrange and connect to establish the processing sequence.

15. Selected task. Incoming lines are always yellow, outgoing lines are blue.

16. Popup window that opens when hovering over a task. It displays the configuration details of the task.

17. Mini map, see About the Mini Map.

18. Properties pane, see Task Properties in Workflows.