Visual Modeler

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Author: Andrey Glushkov

25 October 2018

The Visual Modeler is a tool that is included in the Business Process Designer. It allows you to create and edit templates for business processes.

Starting Visual Modeler

To start Visual Modeler, use a button or a link titled Business processes in the context of a document for which you want to use a business process.

For example, use the following button with Common Lists:

The Visual Modeler Layout

The visual modeler has the following functional areas:

Context toolbar (1)
Template constructor area (2)
Action bar (3)
Common buttons (4)

The Context Toolbar

The toolbar contains the template control commands:

Template Parameters: opens the business process settings form to set the business process properties and run parameters;
Templates: opens a list of all available business process templates;
Create Template: opens a popup menu in which you can select the type of a new business process:

State-Driven Business Process: creates a continuous business process whose flow depends on the completion status of each child processes;
Sequential Business Process: creates a simple business process to set a document on a processing route.

Export: saves the current business process template to a .bpt file;
Import: loads a business process template from a .bpt file. The imported template replaces the current one.

The Template Constructor Area

The template constructor area is different for sequential and status-driven business process templates.

The following layout is used with status-driven templates:

Because a status-driven scheme is constituted by multiple sequential processes, an individual editor is used to modify each of the subprocesses of a status-driven template.
For a sequential business process, the editor includes a selection of the business process activities:

To add a required activity to the business process, simply drag it from the list to where you want to insert the new item:

Alternatively, you can click the arrow to open a menu with the selection of activities. Once you have selected an activity from the menu, it will be inserted where you clicked:

Click to delete an activity. Click to edit the activity parameters.

If your template uses a lot of activities, use the collapse button to save space:

The Action Bar

The visual modeler action bar contains shortcuts to business process elements. You can drag’n’drop them to your business process template.

Document Processing
	Approve Document	Submits the document, on which a given business process is running, for approval.
	Create New Document	Creates a new document or other element in the context of a given business process.
	Delete Document	Deletes a document on which a given business process is running.
	Lock Document	Makes the business process’s document inaccessible by other processes. Note: the lock is for processes, not users. Any user with sufficient permission can edit the locked document (element).
	Publish Document	This action publishes the business process’s document so it becomes visible to the site users.
	Additional information	Shows a form allowing a user to provide information required by the business process.
	Read the Document	Issues a task to the users specified in the action properties to read the business process’s document. Tracks statistics on the share of those who actually read the document.
	Save history	Creates a copy of the business process’s document in the state the latter is at the time of action execution. The copy name can be assigned automatically using the specified naming settings.
	Modify Document	This action can be used to edit any parameter or contents of the document in unattended mode.
	Unlock Document	Removes the exclusive access mark from the document.
	Revoke Document	Removes the document from the site so it is no longer visible to the site users.
	Create new contact	Adds a new CRM contact.
	Create new company	Creates a new CRM company.
	Create new lead	Creates a new CRM lead.
	Add CRM event	Creates a new event in the CRM.
	Create new deal	Creates a new deal in the CRM.
Constructions
	Set State	This action allows the status of a Business Process to be changes. Note that this is a valid action ONLY in state-driven Business Processes.
	Wait for event	This action suspends the business process until an action occurs on the side of the selected user or system.
	Condition	Changes the direction of the business process flow depending on the specified condition.
	Listening for parallel event	Waits for one of the specified events to occur and then changes the direction of the business process flow depending on which event is fired.
	Parallel Execution	Runs multiple variants of the business process flow simultaneously.
	While loop	Makes the actions inside the loop to repeat until the loop condition changes.
Interactive settings
	User notification	Sends a notification to a user via the internal messenger. If the user is offline, the message will be sent by email.
	E-mail Message	Sends the event notification to the e-mail address specified in the action parameter.
	Social Network Message	Sends a notification to the specified social network user.
	Task	Creates a new task.
	Calendar	Places an event in a specified user’s personal calendar.
	Set State name	This action lets you change the status of a document. Document statuses are visible in the general document list (library), so this function allows a convenient view of the document’s progress while the Business Process is running.
	Absence Chart	Places an event in the Absence Chart.
Other
	PHP Code	Executes the specified PHP instructions.
	Log entry	This action adds an entry in the log of a given record. The log record is convenient to use, for example, when trouble-shooting a business process, since you can save data at any given step.
	Action block	An action block is used to group actions into a single block, which can then be minimized visually to make the workspace more comfortable.
	Pause execution	Suspends the business process for the specified amount of time.
	Set Permissions	Assigns the access permissions to the document.
	Set Variables	Sets the values of the business process template variables.
	Select Employee	This process allows automated selection of an employee so that that employee can be inserted in further steps of the process.
	Terminate business process	This action ends the Business Process.

The Common Buttons

For a sequential business process, the meaning of the buttons is quite straightforward: you can Save the template going back to the templates list; Apply the changes made while staying in the visual modeler or Cancel the changes and revert to the templates list.

However, in case of a status driven business process, only the Back To States button is available which, when clicked, opens the template scheme where you can save your changes: