Basic Workflow: Deployment Question

I have a (what I think) is a real simple workflow that is designed to be kicked off by users hitting the submit button in the UI on a particular branch.

All it does it submit the files to staging and then kick off a deployment automatically.

The problem is that the submit window "hangs" while the files are deploying still displaying the data entry fields and the run job button, it doesn't even switch to the page with the animated graphic indicating that something is happening.

In some cases we could be deploying large files that could take up to 15 minutes for the delopment to complete.

Is there a way to have the submit window close once the deployment has started and just have the task stay in the task list until the deployment is completed?

I must be missing something...

WFT File: (cobbled together from a few of the 5.5.2 example files)

<workflow name="JPI Submit Workflow"
owner="__TAG__('iw_user');"
creator="__TAG__('iw_user');"
description="__INSERT__($submit_cmt);">

<cgitask owner="__TAG__('iw_user');"
name="Check for conflicts"
start="t"
immediate="t">
<areavpath v="__TAG__('iw_workarea');"/>
<successors>
<successorset description="Submit changes">
<succ v="Submit changes"/>
</successorset>
</successors>
<command v="iwconflictcheck.cgi"/>
<timeout v="+000001">
<succ v="Submit changes"/>
</timeout>
__INSERT__(submit_files_xml());

</cgitask>

<submittask owner="__TAG__('iw_user');"
name="Submit changes"
unlock="__TAG__('iw_keeplocks');"
savecomments="t"
start="f"
overrideconflicts="__TAG__('iw_override');"
override="__TAG__('iw_override');">
<areavpath v="__TAG__('iw_workarea');"/>
<successorset>
<succ v="Deployment"/>
</successorset>

<variables>
<variable key="submit_cmt" value="__INSERT__($submit_cmt);"/>
__INSERT__($info_tag);
</variables>
</submittask>


<externaltask name="Deployment"
owner="__TAG__('iw_user');"
description="Initiating Deployment of files.">
<areavpath v="__TAG__('iw_workarea');"/>
<successors>
<successorset description="onDeploySuccess">
<succ v="End"/>
</successorset>
<successorset description="onDeployError">
<succ v="ErrorInDeployment"/>
</successorset>
</successors>

<command v="__INSERT__($deploy_command);"/>

<activation>
<or>
<pred v="Submit changes" />
<pred v="ErrorInDeployment" />
</or>
</activation>
</externaltask>



<usertask name="ErrorInDeployment"
owner="__TAG__('iw_user');"
description="Error in deploying files.">
<areavpath v="__TAG__('iw_workarea');"/>
<successors>
<successorset description="Retry">
<succ v="Deployment"/>
</successorset>
</successors>
<activation>
<pred v="Deployment"/>
</activation>
</usertask>


<endtask name="End">
</endtask>

</workflow>

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

Jeremy

Does the deployment still take place? I see there is a cgiTask before the SubmitTask. Does the user fill in details in the CGITask? Is that the window you mean just hangs there?

cnelson

The deployment takes place, just the submit window stays up until it finishes (which can be quite a long time)

I put this together by looking at default_submit.wft and author_submit_with_deploy.wft (I think that's the name, don't have my IW server accessable right this minute)

Migrateduser

What is the "Submit window"? Is it the standard wft UI or your initial cgitask UI? I don't understand the timeout you have on your cgitask either - what's the point of that? And what's the point of even having a cgitask as the first task in your workflow? Why can't you just use the TAG_info variables to get the input that you need?

Dave Smith
Sr. Software Engineer
Nike, Inc.
(503) 671-4238
DavidH.Smith@nike.com

cnelson

The submit window is the window that pops up right when you click the submit button from the standard IW interface.

I took this straight out of the default submit workflow in 5.5.2 wanna know why the CGI task is there? Ask IW, I'm just trying to lean by example as the docs don't give you much in that area.

I'm perfectly willing to scratch this whole workflow. All it needs to do, is push the files to staging and kick off a deploy.
What's the best way to do this?

Edited by cnelson on 02/05/03 08:16 AM (server time).

Migrateduser

Well unless someone wants to write or give you one of their workflows, you should really either take the workflow training that Interwoven puts on or try using Workflow Builder (good luck), or sit down with the docs and try and figure it out for yourself (if you're a ****). Even if someone writes this workflow for you or gives you one of theirs, you'll still have to customize it for your needs. Workflow is not a trivial thing to understand. I would recommend taking the training if at all possible or at the very least, try going through the Workflow Builder tutorial.

Dave Smith
Sr. Software Engineer
Nike, Inc.
(503) 671-4238
DavidH.Smith@nike.com

Migrateduser

I just saw this post from several days ago and I don't know if you were able to resolve the problem. If not... try adding a dummy task with a short timeout between the submit task and the deploy task. Hopefully then the job instantiation window will close when the dummy task starts, and the timeout will kickoff the deployment. Try a 1 minute timeout "+000001", and if that works try a 0 minute timeout "+000000".

Brinko Kobrin
Interwoven Staff Engineer