Automatic Start of Nested Workflows

how are you invoking this nested workflow? job spec file? wfm? ctl?

in general, if the workflow has all variables set then it will start automatically, if something is missing then it will wait for user action/input.

Hi all,

My issue is that I have a nested workflow that I want to start automatically without having to press the Start Job button on the workflow tab. is that possible and if so how.

Thanks

WFT or WFM?

In WFT <wftfile> Tag has a background attribute, set it to "t". Like this:
<wftfile v="Your WFT" background="t"/>

Do not know how WFM handles that

in general, if the workflow has all variables set then it will start automatically...

That's incorrect for the nested Workflow, in the WFT schema anyway. Default "background" value is false

wfm has no background attr.... who is still using wft?? Smiley Happy

who is still using wft?

Practically any Company that has Workflows created prior to TS 6.7.x

who is still using wft?
Practically any Company that has Workflows created prior to TS 6.7.x

And, IMO, any company that wants to develop "real" workflows quickly - I still think that WFM looks good for demos, but slows a lot of things up when it comes to actual implementation of a fully developed design (including timeout handlers, error handlers, etc.)

And, IMO, any company that wants to develop "real" workflows quickly - I still think that WFM looks good for demos, but slows a lot of things up when it comes to actual implementation of a fully developed design (including timeout handlers, error handlers, etc.)

I agree (especially when you have templates handy from past projects).... but i think WFM with cssdk are becoming very reliable and convenient to developer workflows with (especially with livesite)... but it does take so much more coding and time when you have a lot of custom external tasks.

Brittany

Im using a WFM

namithapai

there is a attribute called "immediate". Set that as "true" It will work if you don't have any configurable variables that need to be entered. Else you will get the field for adding these values.

there is a attribute called "immediate". Set that as "true" It will work if you don't have any configurable variables that need to be entered. Else you will get the field for adding these values.

In WFM "immediate" is the attribute of CGI Task (that is true for WFT as well) and MetaData Tasks, not nested Workflow

Migrateduser

Have you ever tried or it's your personal fantasy? In WFM "immediate" is the attribute of CGI Task (that is tue for WFT as well) and MetaData Tasks

Boris....how can I catch up to you if you keep posting? Smiley Surprised

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fi_sampledata.rptdesign

Boris....how can I catch up to you if you keep posting? )

Sorry Dave Smiley Happy

I would not have bothered (not with this post anyway) if I saw Namit's reply to your earlier post

Brittany

In WFM "immediate" is the attribute of CGI Task (that is true for WFT as well) and MetaData Tasks, not nested Workflow

Ok so I can't use this for nested workflows. Is there any other suggestions?

To use nested workflow task in WFM, you have three options:
1) to invoke nested workflow model (.ipm)
2) job spec
3)or workflow template
in all those options, you have to have a complete job specifications in order for the nested workflow to start automatically, otherwise it will wait for user action or input.
i use the job spec file since it is flexible.the parent workflow creates the job specs based on the type of content submitted, so by the time i get to the nested workflow task, i already have a complete job spec. but those are just my requirements

to know what i am talking about try this:
1) make changes to this xml data ( put in your username and update the task workarea)
2) save it as jobspecsample.xml somewhere in your server (/$iw-home/tmp/jobspecsample.xml ).
3) create a simple wfm with nested WFM task
4) set workflow task property to "job spec" with value /$iw-home/tmp/jobspecsample.xml
5) publish and test with simple wfm
it should invoke the sample nested WF and you should see a task "nested workflow user task".... if the sample nested WF didnt start, then try to start it manually and you will find why it didnt start (maybe wrong job spec file path...)

[html]

end job

[/html]

Ok so I can't use this for nested workflows. Is there any other suggestions?

Go back to using a WFT, wftfile and background="t"
Go back to using a WFT, use an externaltask and run iwwft_compile.ipl
Use an externaltask and try to use iwmodelc

Migrateduser

Go back to using a WFT, wftfile and background="t"
Go back to using a WFT, use an externaltask and run iwwft_compile.ipl
Use an externaltask and try to use iwmodelc

Another one: Create a job spec as a string and execute it using:
[size=2]CSWorkflowEngine.createWorkflow(String jobSpec);

It won't be nested, but it works and you can embed whatever variables you want into your job spec.
[/size]

Another one: Create a job spec as a string and execute it using:
[size=2]CSWorkflowEngine.createWorkflow(String jobSpec);

It won't be nested, but it works and you can embed whatever variables you want into your job spec.
[/size]

True, and if you embed the current task's id, you create the chain that allows it to be used as-if it were [officially] nested.

Note - the same thing applies for iwjobc and iwwft_compile.ipl and possibly (though I'm not sure) iwmodelc.

hmm there is also CSWorkflowEngine.createNestedWorkflow(java.lang.String workflowSpecification, int parentTaskId).... i guess those were just added recently.


Instantiate a nested workflow from an XML workflow job specification
Parameters:
workflowSpecification - A valid XML workflow job specification
parentTaskId - The ID of the parent task for this nested job 
Returns:
id of the created workflow

GOMATHY

I tried using the CSWorkflowEngine.createNestedWorkflow in my URLExternalTask for executing the nested workflow many times as discussed above.

But It is giving the below error

non-static method createNestedWorkflow(java.lang.String,int) cannot be referenced from a static context.

Is there any other means we can execute a nested workflow.

non-static method createNestedWorkflow(java.lang.String,int) cannot be referenced from a static context.

Did you try to google that error?
That is a java issue and you would get an instant answer on google vs posting it on here.

GOMATHY

The error was because we need to use the object for the class that implements the CSWorkfFlowEngine INTERFACE and invoke the method.

Has anybody worked using the IMPLEMENTING CLASS of the CSWorkFlowEngine.The implementing class is CSWorkFlowEngineImpl.
But the implementing class does not have a default contructor raher has the one as CSWorkFlowEngineImpl(RunTimeContext context).

Anybody knows how to get the context.Please can you help me.

tex_avery27

Any External Task or URL Task implemented in java (using the CSSDK) passes a CSClient in the "execute" function (in this case we'll call the CSClient "client"). In order to get a CSWorkflowEngine simply use:


CSWorkflowEngine engine = client.getWorkflowEngine();

If we were to look at the execute function as a whole, it would look something like this:


public void execute(CSClient client, CSExternalTask task, Hashtable arg2) throws CSException {
        client.getWorkflowEngine();
        // processing code goes here
        task.chooseTransition("Transition Name", "Transition Comment");
}

jlove

I'm trying to follow the job spec example in this thread, but the nested workflow isn't starting automatically. I can manually start it and it runs fine, but it won't automatically start. Is there an additional step that I'm missing?

I have created a WFM (using the workflow modeler) and it has a nested workflow in it. I have set up that nested task to use a job spec file with the following path: /opt/Interwoven/TeamSite/tmp/jobspecsample.xml

The parent workflow just stops at the nested workflow step, and I have to manually tell it to start. Aren't nested workflows supposed to run automatically when using a job spec?