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To create a process flow:

1. Connect to the repository from which you want to work.
2. Expand the project you want to work with.
3. Click the Processes folder and choose New from the File menu, or right-click the Processes folder and select New Process.

   The iWay Process Configuration dialog box opens, as shown in the following image.

   

4. In the Name field, type a descriptive name for the process flow.
5. In the Description field, type a brief description of the process flow. This is optional.
6. Click Finish.

   The new process flow appears under the Processes folder, the workspace displays a Start object, and the Properties pane appears on the right displaying the properties of the Start object. The following image is an example of this display for a new process flow named Order.

   

You are ready to add objects to the process flow.

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Once you have created a process flow, you can continue to modify its design by adding objects according to your requirements. Every process flow requires at least one End object to terminate the flow. This section describes how to include an object in your process flow. For details about each object available to you in iWay Designer, see Defining Objects in a Process Flow.

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To add an object to the process flow:

1. From the Object toolbar, click the object icon you want to add and either drag it to the workspace or click a blank area of the workspace.

   Note: You can also right-click a blank area of the workspace, point to New Object, and choose the object you wish to add from the drop-down list.

   The New (type) Object dialog box for the selected object opens. The following image shows an example of this dialog box for a new File object.

   

   See Defining Objects in a Process Flow for details on defining the objects that are available in Designer.

2. In the Name field, type a name for the object or accept the default.
3. In the Description field, type a brief description of the object or accept the default.

   Depending on the object you are adding, this dialog box also includes the following options:

   • Deactivate - suppresses the function of any Execution or Debug object. This can be useful for debugging or if a service external to the flow is unavailable. A deactivated object is drawn with a red slash through it and can be re‑activated through the object’s right‑click menu or Properties dialog box.
   • Design mode - allows you to add an object to a process flow without fully defining its parameters, enabling rapid object placement during a joint application development (JAD) session or if all the object details are not yet known. When you check the Design mode option, the Next button is changed to Finish since further configuring is unnecessary at this time. When the Design Mode menu item is active, Design mode is the default setting for all newly created objects. Objects created in Design mode are drawn in black and white rather than their normal color scheme.

   Warning: If you set a configured object to Design mode, its configuration parameters will be lost.

   Note: The run-time behavior of a deactivated object and a Design mode object are identical, but a deactivated object is fully configured.

4. Click Next.

   Depending on the object you choose, there are one or more dialog boxes that present the parameter options for the object.

5. When you are done defining the object, click Finish.

The new object appears in the workspace. You can drag it to any position in the workspace.

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The relationship between two or more objects in a process flow is represented by a color-coded line with an arrow that directs the flow of the XML input document. You define the relationships between objects as you build your process flow. If necessary, you can change the line properties, just as you can the object properties, of an existing process flow.

This section explains how to create a relationship between objects and how to edit existing relationships.

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To build a relationship between objects:

1. Select the object that will originate the document, then hold the Shift key to select the object that will receive the document.
2. Right-click the object that will receive the document and select Build Relation from the drop-down list.

   The Line Configuration dialog box opens. The bottom of the dialog box shows the two objects joined by a color-coded line with an arrow indicating the direction of the document flow. The following image is an example of this dialog box showing two objects, Transform and NewFile, with an OnCompletion relationship.

   

3. Select the event for these objects from the Event drop-down list.

   The default (stock) events that appear depend on the objects you are working with. For instance, the first relationship you build between a Start object and another object allows only the OnCompletion event for that relationship. The lines in the workspace that represent the relationship between two objects are color coded for quick identification. The following list describes the available events and the corresponding color.

   OnCompletion (blue line) - indicates there are no conditions; always follow the path.

   OnError (red line) - follow the path if there is a JAVA exception.

   OnSuccess (green line) - follow the path if there is a normal completion.

   OnCustom (brown line) - allows you to customize the path condition.

   OnFailure (red line) - follow the path if a coded error occurs, for example, an agent that is coded to issue an error when it is unable to connect to a server.

   If you select OnCustom, a list of Case of options becomes available allowing you to customize the event for a particular condition, such as true or false. The following image shows this dialog box for the line configuration between a Decision Switch object and an End object, and contains an Event drop-down list and a table with three columns; Case, Type, and Description.

   

4. Click OK.

A line appears between the two objects to indicate a relationship is established.

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If you want to change the properties of an existing relationship:

1. Right-click the line that represents the relationship you want to edit.
2. Select Line Properties from the drop-down list.

   The Line Properties dialog box opens, as shown in the following image. This dialog box provides an Event drop-down list, Case of and Description fields, and a representation of the two objects joined by a line.

   

3. Change the property, as needed.
4. Click OK.

The new line properties are now in place.

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To save a process flow, highlight the process flow node and select Save from the File menu, or right-click the process flow node and select Save from the drop-down list.

The Results tab of the Message Log pane displays a status message. An example of a message display is shown in the following image.