bw2:building_a_workflow

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Building a Workflow

A workflow is constructed by sequentially connecting the various Bizweaver tools. This is done in the Workflow Design pane. For this discussion, this area will be called the “design pane.”

Start the process with an empty design pane. Click the file option in the menu bar, then a new workflow. You can also use the shortcut Ctrl-N anywhere in the Bizweaver main application.

General Workflow Rules

  • Each workflow step must have a unique name.
    • The application will assign a default name “Untitled”, but we recommend that you change the name to something that helps you understand the step's purpose.

Basic Information

  • See the General Workflow Rules above.
  • It is not necessary to have the workflow-enabled initially. The workflow can be executed in test mode during the development process. However, it will need to be enabled to use the “Run now” or scheduled options.
  • Enter any Notes about the workflow. This information can be updated at any time.
  • Click the “Save” button at the bottom of the workflow designer

Build a New Workflow

Workflows are constructed using drag-and-drop functionality. Click and hold the left mouse button on the tool icon you want to place on the design pane. Drag the icon to the point where you want it and release the mouse button to “drop” it in place. This same process is used to re-order icons in a workflow on the canvas.

  • Begin by dragging a Start point onto the canvas.
  • Drag the next tool onto the design pane.
    • A connector line is automatically added to show the link between the two steps.
  • Continue adding tools as needed.
  • The workflow should always contain a Stop/Endpoint.

New in Bizweaver version 2.4 Use the horizontal and vertical scroll bars on the design area to expose more work areas as needed.

Saving Workflows

Save the workflow as you work. Information on saving a workflow is found here

Workflow Design Pane

This area is the “design area” where a workflow is constructed. See the following sections of this document for more information.

Bizweaver version 2.5 and above, the ability to click and drag within the design pane grid was added.

Adding Steps to an Existing Workflow

Adding additional steps to a workflow follows the same process as described above, with one additional action.

  • Right-click on the workflow step that will precede the new one.
  • Select the “Create Link From” option.
    • The step name changes to bold.
  • Drag the new tool onto the design pane.
    • The “linking” line now connects the selected starting point to the new step.

Manually Linking Workflow Steps

  • Hover over the new step, and you will see a blue “dot” icon in the lower right corner.

  • Left-click on the icon, and a marker icon is displayed.
  • Drag the marker to the next step in the workflow and drop it anywhere on the step.
  • The “linking” line now connects the new step to the next step.

Removing Workflow Steps

  • Right-click on the workflow step to be removed.
  • Select the “Remove” option.
  • Confirm that the step is to be removed in the dialog presented.
  • Reset the workflow links as needed using the “Manually Linking Workflow Steps” process described above.

In Bizweaver version 2.3 (build 2.3.3), a new feature is added to assist with step-to-step links. Right-click on the small, blue link icon found at the lower right corner of a step.

Two options are displayed: Links Info and Reset Links

“Links Info” shows the source (incoming) step(s) into the current step and the target (outgoing) step from the current step. This can help diagnose errors where links seem to be in place but are not functioning.

“Reset Links” will clear any links coming into the current step. Again, this can be helpful if “ghost” link lines are appearing in the design area. Keep in mind that if you use this function, you will need to recreate the links.

Alternate View of Workflow Steps

On some occasions, it is necessary to view the workflow steps in a hierarchical view rather than the design (canvas) view. This is done on the “List View” tab. This tab is found on the top of the design area.

Click the “List View” tab to switch the view. You can switch between the two views at any time. However, you can only make changes to the workflow on the design canvas.

Here is a simple workflow on the design canvas.

Here is the same workflow in the ListView tab.

In this view, the workflow steps are presented in the sequence in which they will be executed.

bw2/building_a_workflow.1612746501.txt.gz · Last modified: 2021/02/07 20:08 by akoehler