Laserfiche Forms:
How to Cancel All But One Parallel Active User Task
Written By Kyle Knebel
With many business processes, you might have to send a task to a primary and to a backup user. Most of the time, the primary user handles the tasks. The backup does not need to do any work. But what if the primary is out of the office? Can the backup deal with the same tasks? And if the backup does handle the tasks, will the primary see them in their Inbox after they have been processed?
The above scenario is the topic of this month’s Consulting Corner article. Laserfiche Forms provides two Signal Events, a “Signal Throw Event” and a “Signal Catch Event”. They do just what you think they do, they play baseball! No, they don’t but the Signal Throw Event can be used to send a Broadcast signal back to an unfinished or incomplete User task in order to “Cancel” their task. The “Signal Catch Event” receives the Broadcast signal message from the “Signal Throw Event” and will interrupt the activity to which it is attached. In this case, we should be able to interrupt one of the user tasks because the other was completed.
There are five main steps to add to the Process Diagram, assuming you have built the initial and review forms. We won’t concern ourselves with the e-form design in this article, just the process design steps.
A. Split the task by using a Parallel Gateway
B. Setup the User review tasks as normal
C. Add the Signal Throw event for each parallel branch
D. Add the Signal Catch event onto both User tasks
E. Add an End Event for the Signal Catch events
F. Join the Parallel paths together with an Exclusive Gateway
G. Continue the process to its End point.
Split the task by using a Parallel Gateway
1.) In the process designer, add the Parallel Gateway after the Message Start Event (the submission of the form).
2.) Connect the two items with an arrow. You can click once on the Message Start Event , then click, hold and drag the arrow from the first event and connect it to the next event.
3.) Connect the arrow on the Parallel Gateway, selecting one of the grey dots, then release the mouse.
Setup User review tasks
1.) Add two user tasks, one for the primary and one for the backup user. Connect the Parallel Gateway to both tasks.
Add the Signal Throw Event for each parallel branch
1.) Add the Signal Throw Event after each user task and connect the User task to them.
2.) Select the Signal Throw Events and In the details pane, Create a signal by selecting the Broadcast Signal drop-down and pressing the “Create a signal” blue hyperlink.
3.) Assign a name to the signal, for example, “Cancel Task for other user”. Then press the green “create” button.
Add the Signal Catch event onto each User task
1.) Go back to each of the User tasks, then right-click and select “Attach signal event”.
2.) On the details pane, select the signal you created from the “Listen for signal” drop-down. Do this for both User tasks. Make sure that the “Interrupt” option is selected.
Add an End Event for the Signal Catch Events
1.) Between both user tasks, add an End Event
2.) Connect the Signal Cath events to the End event. Click once on the yellow circle, then drag the arrow icon to the End Event. Do this for both Signal Catch events.
Join the Parallel paths together with an Exclusive Gateway
1.) Connect the Signal Throw events to the Exclusive Gateway to allow the process to continue. One of the process branches will continue, even though the other terminated.
Continue building the process to its natural termination (End event).
Here is a diagram example of the competed process.
If you would like assistance in building your own Laserfiche Forms process like this, please reach out to the CDI Consulting department to schedule a meeting. Have a Great Paperless Day!
If you have any questions regarding Laserfiche or wish to speak with a CDI professional team member, contact us at support@cdi.support.