Developing a custom Process application involves customizing the user interface and the way work is done for one or more steps in a workflow, how the application accesses data and other resources, how data is updated, and how the application interfaces with the Process Engine and related services.
A custom Process application can be created as any of the following applications:
A Step Processor is an application that performs the operations associated with a step in a workflow. There are two types of Step Processors:
This applet or application processes the information and resources a workflow participant needs to complete a step in a workflow. When a workflow participant opens a work item, the Step Processor displays the instructions, the attachments stored in object or file stores, current field values, response options, or other resources necessary to allow the participant to process the step. When designing or customizing a Step Processor, you must account for all data and information to be provided for this step.
This is a more specialized type of Step Processor. Launch Step Processors begin a workflow, so a typical Launch Step Processor contains all of the information necessary to initialize a workflow. Typically, Launch Step Processors are independent of the condition of workflow progress, so you need consider only what information the Launch Step Processor will introduce into the workflow.
For information about Step Processors from the user and administrative perspective, see Use Java™ step processor.
There are two ways of developing a Step Processor or Launch Step Processor: as an HTML Step Processor or as a Java Step Processor application or applet.
Developing a custom HTML Step Processor involves using the Web Application Toolkit and/or developing your own JavaServer Pages (JSP) and associated components. For information about developing an HTML Step Processor or Launch Step Processor, see Developing Step Processors. For complete information about the Web Application Toolkit, see Web Application Toolkit.
You can build a Java Step or Launch Step Processor for deployment as either a Java application or applet. For a discussion of whether to develop your custom Java Step Processor as an application or an applet, see Developing Custom Java Processors - Applications vs. Applets. For complete information on developing a Java Step Processor or Launch Step Processor, see Developing a Java Step Processor. See also the Java Step Processor UI Toolkit and Building a Step Processor with the Java Step Processor UI Toolkit to extend or customize the sample Java Step Processor supplied for the Process development environment.
A work performer is an application that performs an operation or set of operations associated with a workflow step, but which does not require a user interface. Typical work performer operations include logging into and establishing a Process Engine session, polling a work queue (to find operations related to a workflow step), locking the retrieved object, processing the work (such as, performing updates of data, and saving), and cycling back to queue polling. See Developing Work Performers for more information.
There are two types of work performers:
A User Inbox is typically an HTML page or Java applet that provides the user (workflow participant or Process Tracker) with notifications for work items. In Workplace, the page displayed when you click the Tasks tab is a User Inbox. The notifications in the User Inbox include information and associated attachments provided from a user or work queue.
For overview information about developing a custom User Inbox as either an HTML page or a Java applet, see Developing User Inboxes: an Overview.