Workflow Diagrams¶

Introduction¶

For modeling or documentation purposes, you can draw workflow diagrams with the Workflow Diagram tool. Here is an example of a workflow diagram created with the tool:

Workflow diagrams use the same Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) conventions as visual workflows, but are standalone diagrams with no connection to your app's events or rules.

The following table summarizes the differences:

Create a workflow diagram¶

You can create a diagram from scratch, or use your operating system's copy and paste commands to copy all or some elements from an existing visual workflow.

To start a workflow diagram, follow these steps:

1. Select App Workbench from the action drawer, or Workbench from the application menu, then click Diagrams in the Quick Actions box.

2. In the Open Diagram dialog, do any of the following:

   • To start a new diagram, click + Diagram. In the New Diagram dialog, enter a name for the diagram, then click Create. Use the tools in the main palette to draw your diagram.

   • To edit a diagram, click Open record.

   • To delete a diagram, click Delete.

   • To rename a diagram, click to edit the Name column text, then press Return.

Tools¶

At the top-left of the canvas is the main tool palette:

When you add or select an element, a pop-up tool palette appears adjacent to it that lets you append to the element, add an annotation, change the element, or delete it.

The following tables show where to find each tool and what they do:

• Main palette:

  Tool	Action
  Hand	Move the entire diagram within the view pane.
  Lasso	Select one or more elements that can then be moved as a unit.
  Space	Adjust element separation without affecting their arrangement.
  Global connect	Connect elements.
  Start event	Add a start event.
  Intermediate/boundary event	Add an intermediate event.
  End event	Add an end event.
  Gateway	Add a gateway event.
  Task	Add a task or activity.
  Expanded sub-process	Add an expanded subprocess.
  Data object reference	Add a data object.
  Data store reference	Add a data store.
  Pool/participant	Add a pool or participant.
  Group	Add a group.

• Pop-up palette:

  Tool	Action
  Global connect	Connect elements.
  Start event	Append a start event.
  Intermediate/boundary event	Append an intermediate event.
  End event	Append an end event.
  Gateway	Append a gateway event.
  Task	Append a task or activity.
  Text annotation	Add a text annotation.
  Add lane above	Add a lane to the top of a pool element.
  Add lane below	Add a lane to the bottom of a pool element
  Divide into two lanes	Divide a pool element into two lanes.
  Divide into three lanes	Divide a pool element into three lanes.
  Change element	Change the element.
  Delete	Delete the element.

At the top right of the canvas are the following:

• Svg: Click to download the diagram as an SVG file.

• Open minimap: Open a miniature view of the diagram with a representation of the window boundary. Click and drag the boundary box to move the window relative to the diagram.