Invoking a short-lived process using the Invocation API

You can invoke a short-lived process using the Java Invocation API. When you invoke a short-lived process using the Invocation API, you pass required parameter values by using a java.util.HashMap object. For each parameter to pass to a service, invoke the java.util.HashMap object’s put method and specify the name-value pair that is required by the service in order to perform the specified operation. Specify the exact name of the parameters that belong to the short-lived process.

Hinweis: For information about invoking a long-lived process, see Invoking Human-Centric Long-Lived Processes.

The discussion here is about using Invocation API to invoke the following LiveCycle short-lived process named MyApplication/EncryptDocument.

Hinweis: This process is not based on an existing LiveCycle process. To follow along with the code example, create a process named MyApplication/EncryptDocument using Workbench. (See Using Workbench.)

When this process is invoked, it performs the following actions:

  1. Obtains the unsecured PDF document that is passed to the process. This action is based on the SetValue operation. The input parameter for this process is a document process variable named inDoc.

  2. Encrypts the PDF document with a password. This action is based on the PasswordEncryptPDF operation. The password encrypted PDF document is returned in a process variable named outDoc.

Invoke the MyApplication/EncryptDocument short-lived process using the Java invocation API

Invoke the MyApplication/EncryptDocument short-lived process using the Java invocation API:

  1. Include client JAR files, such as the adobe-livecycle-client.jar, in your Java project’s class path. (See Including LiveCycle Java library files.)

  2. Create a ServiceClientFactory object that contains connection properties. (See Setting connection properties.)

  3. Create a ServiceClient object by using its constructor and passing the ServiceClientFactory object. A ServiceClient object lets you invoke a service operation. It handles tasks such as locating, dispatching, and routing invocation requests.

  4. Create a java.util.HashMap object by using its constructor.

  5. Invoke the java.util.HashMap object’s put method for each input parameter to pass to the long-lived process. Because the MyApplication/EncryptDocument short-lived process requires one input parameter of type Document, you only have to invoke the put method once, as shown in the following example.

    //Create a Map object to store the parameter value for inDoc 
    Map params = new HashMap(); 
    InputStream inFile = new FileInputStream("C:\\Adobe\Loan.pdf"); 
    Document inDoc = new Document(inFile); 
    params.put("inDoc", inDoc); 
  6. Create an InvocationRequest object by invoking the ServiceClientFactory object’s createInvocationRequest method and passing the following values:

    • A string value that specifies the name of the long-lived process to invoke. To invoke the MyApplication/EncryptDocument process, specify MyApplication/EncryptDocument.

    • A string value that represents the process operation name. Typically the name of a short-lived process operation is invoke.

    • The java.util.HashMap object that contains the parameter values that the service operation requires.

    • A Boolean value that specifies true, which creates a synchronous request (this value is applicable to invoke a short-lived process).

  7. Send the invocation request to the service by invoking the ServiceClient object’s invoke method and passing the InvocationRequest object. The invoke method returns an InvocationReponse object.

    Hinweis: A long-lived process can be invoked by passing the value false as the fourth parameter of the createInvocationRequest method. Passing the value false creates an asynchronous request.
  8. Retrieve the process’s return value by invoking the InvocationReponse object’s getOutputParameter method and passing a string value that specifies the name of the output parameter. In this situation, specify outDoc (outDoc is the name of the output parameter for the MyApplication/EncryptDocument process). Cast the return value to Document, as shown in the following example.

    InvocationResponse response = myServiceClient.invoke(request); 
    Document encryptDoc = (Document) response.getOutputParameter("outDoc");
  9. Create a java.io.File object and ensure that the file extension is .pdf.

  10. Invoke the com.adobe.idp.Document object’s copyToFile method to copy the contents of the com.adobe.idp.Document object to the file. Ensure that you use the com.adobe.idp.Document object that was returned by the getOutputParameter method.