Configuring forms workflow

Overview

forms workflow lets users design, manage, and optimize human-centric processes. Using forms workflow, users can also manage automated business-process applications that connect systems and people.

On each forms workflow page in administration console, you can perform a different set of tasks, as outlined in this table.

Page

Tasks

See

Server Settings

  • Configure email settings

  • Configure task notifications for users

  • Configure administrator notifications

  • Configure configuration settings for Business Activity Monitoring

Configuring Server Settings

forms workflow

  • View active processes

  • View and work with process instances, operations, and tasks

  • Suspend, terminate, and retry process instances, subprocesses, and operations

Managing Processes

Process Search

  • Search for processes

Searching for process instances

Task Search

  • Search for tasks by user or task ID

Working with tasks

Stalled Operations Errors

  • View all stalled operations and their errors

  • Retry or terminate stalled operations

Working with stalled operations and branches

Stalled Branch Errors

  • View all stalled branches and their errors

  • Retry stalled branches

Working with stalled operations and branches

Business Calendars

  • Create business calendars that define business and non-business days

Configuring Business Calendars

Shared Queue

About administration and process terminology

To administer forms workflow effectively, you should understand the following terms and the hierarchy of the elements:

  • Process categories organize processes into logical groups.

  • Processes represent the business processes that are automated. At least one process should exist for each business process implemented.

  • A process diagram is the visual representation of the business process that is being automated.

  • A process instance is a process that has been initiated by a user (such as completing and submitting a form) or an automated step. There may be multiple instances of a process.

  • An operation is one step of a process diagram, which is represented in Workbench by an icon in the process diagram.

  • A task is an action that has been assigned to a user. When the task is run and the operation is executed, the User service assigns a task to a user.

For more information about these terms, see Workbench Help .

Configuring Server Settings

The Server Settings page provides access to various settings for forms workflow:

Configuring email settings

You can specify an email account for the forms server, through which it sends email messages to AEM forms users and administrators. These email messages are used to notify and remind users of tasks that they must complete, notify the user of tasks that have reached a deadline, and notify the administrator of any process errors that occur.

To enable the sending of email messages between AEM forms and users, configure the outgoing email settings on the Email Settings page. Outgoing email must use an SMTP server.

To enable AEM forms to receive and handle incoming email messages from users, create an email endpoint for the Complete Task service. (See Create an Email endpoint for the Complete Task service ).

If your processes are designed and implemented without requiring email, you do not have to configure any of the options on the Email Settings page.

Configure outgoing email settings

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Server Settings > Email Settings.

  2. Select Enable Outgoing Messages.

  3. In the SMTP Server box, type the email server name or IP address. All notification email messages from forms workflow are sent from this email server.

  4. In the User Name and Password boxes, type the login name and password to be used when the SMTP server requires authentication. Leave them blank if anonymous login is allowed.

  5. In the Email Address box, type the email address to use as the return address for email messages that forms workflow sends.

  6. Click Save.

Note: If you enter incorrect information, you can click Cancel to go back to the previously displayed page.

Configuring email templates to use HTML Workspace

Note: The Flex Worksapce is deprecated for AEM forms release.

By default, the emails sent out by AEM forms contain links to (Deprecated for AEM forms on JEE) Flex Workspace. You can configure AEM forms to send out emails with links to HTML Workspace. To know more about the benefits of HTML Workspace over (Deprecated for AEM forms on JEE) Flex Workspace, see this article.

  1. In administration console, click Home > Services > forms workflow > Server Settings > Task Notifications.

  2. Open task assignment template.

  3. Set the template in the task notifications to the following: 
    http://@@notification-host@@:8080/lc/libs/ws/index.html?taskId=@@taskid@@

Configuring notifications for users and groups

On the Task Notification page, you can configure templates that forms workflow will use to generate the email notifications that are sent to users and groups. You can customize and format the notifications using forms workflow variables.

You configure the following types of notifications for users and groups:

  • reminders

  • task assignments

  • deadlines

To generate email notifications for a group, specify an email address for the group in User Management. (See Setting up and organizing users .) When forms workflow sends an email notification to a group, each member within the group who has an email address specified receives the email notification. When a member of the group receives an email notification and wants to claim the task, the member must click the claim link in the email notification, which opens the task details page in Workspace. From there, the member can either claim or claim and open the work item.

Note: The Flex Worksapce is deprecated for AEM forms release.

Configure reminders for users or groups

You can send reminder notifications to the assigned user or group when a deadline to complete a task is approaching. The rules for determining exactly when a reminder notification is sent are determined by the process developer.

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Server Settings > Task Notifications.

  2. Under Notification Type, click Reminder (for users) or Group - Reminder (for groups).

  3. Select Enable Reminder or Enable Group - Reminder.

  4. (User notifications only) To include an attachment of the form and its data with the reminder email message, select Include Form Data.

  5. In the Subject box, type the text for the subject line of the email message. This field is prepopulated with default text. For details about customizing this field, see Customizing the content of notifications .

  6. In the Notification Template box, type the text for the body of the email message. This field is prepopulated with default text. For details about customizing this field, see Customizing the content of notifications .

  7. In the Message Format list, select the format that the email message is sent in, either HTML or Text. The default format is HTML.

  8. In the Email Encoding list, select the encoding format to use for the email message. The default is UTF-8, which most users outside of Japan will use. Users in Japan may select ISO2022-JP.

  9. Click Save.

Configure task assignment notifications for users or groups

You can send task assignment notifications to a user or group when they are assigned a task.

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Server Settings > Task Notifications.

  2. Under Notification Type, click Task Assignment for users or Group - Task Assignment for groups.

  3. Select Enable Task Assignment for users or Enable Group - Task Assignment for groups.

  4. (User notifications only) To include an attachment of the form and its data with the task assignment email message, select Include Form Data.

  5. In the Subject box, type the text for the subject line of the email message. This field is prepopulated with default text. For details about customizing this field, see Customizing the content of notifications .

  6. In the Notification Template box, type the text for the body of the email message. This field is prepopulated with default text. For details about customizing this field, see Customizing the content of notifications .

  7. In the Message Format list, select the format that the email message is sent in, either HTML or Text. The default format is HTML.

  8. In the Email Encoding list, select the encoding format to use for the email message. The default is UTF-8, which most users outside of Japan will use. Users in Japan may select ISO2022-JP.

  9. Click Save.

Configure deadline notifications for users or groups

You can send deadline notifications to users and groups when the deadline to act upon an assigned task has passed. A deadline notification is usually informational because the user can no longer act upon the assigned task.

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Server Settings > Task Notifications.

  2. Under Notification Type, click Deadline (for users) or Group - Deadline (for groups).

  3. Select Enable Deadline or Enable Group - Deadline.

  4. In the Subject box, type the text for the subject line of the email message. This field is prepopulated with default text. For details about customizing this field, see Customizing the content of notifications .

  5. In the Notification Template box, type the text for the body of the email message. This field is prepopulated with default text. For details about customizing this field, see Customizing the content of notifications .

  6. In the Message Format list, select the format that the email message is sent in, either HTML or Text. The default format is HTML.

  7. In the Email Encoding list, select the encoding format to use for the email message. The default is UTF-8, which most users outside of Japan will use. Users in Japan may select ISO2022-JP.

  8. Click Save.

Hide the DO NOT DELETE tag for all emails

You can configure email to hide to the DO NOT DELETE tracking tag in all emails send in a human-centric process. For details, see How to hide the 'DO-NOT-DELETE' tag with CSS

Configuring notifications for administrators

You can configure templates that forms workflow will use to generate the email notifications that are sent to administrators.

You configure the following types of notifications for administrators:

  • stalled branch

  • stalled operation

Configure stalled branch notifications

If a branch stalls (stops proceeding either deliberately or because of an error), you can have an email notification sent to an administrator or another user, who can then investigate the problem.

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Server Settings > Administrator Notifications.

  2. Under Notification Type, click Stalled Branch.

  3. Select Enable Stalled Branch.

  4. In the Email Address box, type the addresses of the users to notify when a branch stalls. Use the format user@domain.com and separate each address with a comma. Typically, this email address is for an administrator.

  5. In the Subject box, type the text for the subject line of the email message. This field is prepopulated with default text. For details about customizing this field, see Customizing the content of notifications .

  6. In the Notification Template box, type the text for the body of the email message. This field is prepopulated with default text. For details about customizing this field, see Customizing the content of notifications .

  7. In the Message Format list, select the format that the email message is sent in, either HTML or Text. The default format is HTML.

  8. In the Email Encoding list, select the encoding format to use for the email message. The default is UTF-8, which most users outside Japan use. Users in Japan may select ISO2022-JP.

  9. Click Save.

Configure stalled operation notifications

If an operation stalls (stops proceeding either deliberately or because of an error), you can have an email notification sent to an administrator or another user, who can investigate the problem.

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Server Settings > Administrator Notifications.

  2. Under Notification Type, click Stalled Operation.

  3. Select Enable Stalled Operation.

  4. In the Email Addresses box, type the addresses of the users to notify when an operation stalls. Use the format user@domain.com and separate each address with a comma. Typically, this email address is for an administrator.

  5. In the Subject box, type the text for the subject line of the email message. This field is prepopulated with default text. For details about customizing this field, see Customizing the content of notifications

  6. In the Notification Template box, type the text for the body of the email message. This field is prepopulated with default text. For details about customizing this field, see Customizing the content of notifications .

  7. Click Save.

Customizing the content of notifications

The Task Notifications and Administrator Notifications pages provide several features that enable you to customize notification messages:

  • rich text editor

  • variable picker

  • URL generation

Rich text editor

The Notification Template area is a rich text editor that enables you to generate HTML for the email notification messages. It provides font and paragraph formatting options, which are found below the Notification Template box. The options include font type, size, style, and color, as well as paragraph alignment and bullets.

URL generation

For Task Notifications only, forms workflow includes two predefined URL configurations that you can drag from the Url Generation list into the Notification Template box and then customize:

  • OpenTask is available for the Reminder and Task Assignment notification types. This URL provides a link to the task in Workspace, allowing the user to access the task quickly from the email notification. When you drag the OpenTask URL to the Notification Template box, the URL is in the following format:

    http://@@notification-host@@:<PORT>/workpace/Main.html?taskId=@@taskid@@

  • ClaimTask is available for the Group - Reminder and Group - Task Assignment notification types. This URL provides a link to the task details page in Workspace, where the user can either claim or claim and open the work item. When you drag the ClaimTask URL to the Notification Template box, the URL is in the following format:

    http://@@notification-host@@:<PORT>/workpace/Main.html?taskId=@@taskid@@

Note: The Flex Worksapce is deprecated for AEM forms release.

If your solution is deployed in a clustered environment, replace @@notification-host@@ with the cluster address.

< PORT > is the port number of the HTTP listener for the application server. The default HTTP listener port for the supported application servers are as follows:

JBoss:
8080

Oracle WebLogic Server:
7001

IBM WebSphere:
9080

To make these URLs function correctly, replace < PORT > with the port number that is appropriate for your environment.

Note: If you are using a custom web application other than Forms to provide users with access to the tasks, you must instead use a URL format that is appropriate for your custom application.

Variable picker

The Variable Picker list provides useful variables that you can drag-and-drop into the Subject or Notification Template boxes. When you drop a variable in the Subject or Notification Template boxes, it changes to the actual forms workflow variable name with two @ symbols on either side of it, for example, @@taskid@@ .

For reminders, task assignments, and deadlines for users and groups, you can use the following variables in the Subject and Notification Template boxes:

@@description@@
The contents of the Description property, as defined in the user step (start point, Assign Task operation, or Assign Multiple Tasks operation) of the process in Workbench.

@@instructions@@
The contents of the Task Instructions property, as defined in the user step of the process in Workbench.

@@notification-host@@
The host name of the AEM forms application server .

@@process-name@@
The name of the process.

@@operation-name@@
The name of the step.

@@taskid@@
The unique identifier for the current task.

@@actions@@
Produces a numbered list of valid routes (for example, Approve, Reject) that the recipient can click.

In addition, for group reminders, group task assignments and group deadlines, you can also use:

@@group-name@@
The name of the group that is assigned the work item.
Note: If a variable has no value, nothing is returned.

For stalled branches, you can use the following variables in the Subject and Notification Template boxes:

@@branch-id@@
The branch identifier.

@@process-id@@
The process instance identifier.

@@notification-host@@
The host name of the AEM forms application server .

For stalled operations, you can use the following variables in the Subject and Notification Template boxes:

@@action-id@@
The operation identifier.

@@branch-id@@
The branch identifier.

@@process-id@@
The process instance identifier.

@@notification-host@@
The host name of the AEM forms application server .

Using a variable in the Subject box

If you type the following text in the Subject box for Task Assignment notifications:

Please complete task @@taskid@@

The user receives an email message with the following subject if they are assigned task 376:

Please complete task 376

Using variables in the Notification Template box

If you type the following text in the Notification Template box for Stalled Branch notifications:

Branch @@branch-id@@ has stalled! You have received this notification from @@notification-host@@.

The administrator receives an email message that contains the following content if the branch number is 4868 and the server name is ServerXYZ :

Branch 4868 has stalled! You have received this notification from ServerXYZ.

Configuring Business Activity Monitoring connections

Business Activity Monitoring, an optional module, provides a set of operational dashboards that provide real-time visibility into your operations and key performance indicators.

On the BAM Configuration Settings page, you set the connections to the server that runs BAM so that process-related events can be tracked and transmitted to that server.

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Server Settings > BAM Configuration Settings.

  2. In the BAM Host box, type the name of the server that runs BAM. The default is localhost.

  3. In the BAM Port box, type the port to be used to connect to the server that runs BAM. The default BAM port for JBoss is 8080, WebLogic is 7001, and WebSphere is 9080.

  4. In the Server Host box, type the name or IP address of the host forms server. The default value is localhost.

  5. In the Server Port box, type the port number used by the forms server.

  6. In the User Name and Password boxes, type the appropriate user ID and password to access the BAM Server. The default user name is CognosNowAdmin and the default password is manager.

  7. Click Save.

Managing Processes

The Process List page shows the processes that a user has initiated or that were started automatically.

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > forms workflow. The Process List shows the following information:

    Process Name - Version:
    The name of the process, as defined in Workbench.

    Application:
    The application that the process belongs to, as defined in Workbench.

    Status:
    Active means that the process is the one activated for the process version. Inactive means that the process is an old version that still has process instances.

    Creation Date:
    The date and time the process was deployed.

  2. Click a process name to view its process instances on the Process Instance page.

Working with process instances

If you access the Process Instance page from the Process List page, all the process instances of the process you selected are listed. If you access the Process Instance page after performing a search, only the found process instances are listed.

For each process instance, the list shows the following information:

Process ID:
The identifier that forms workflow assigns when the process is instantiated (that is, when a user or an automated step initiates a process). You can use this identifier to track the process instance through its life cycle.

Process Name - Version:
The name of the process, as defined in Workbench.

Status:
Indicates whether the process instance is running normally, changing state, or has stopped. (See About process instance statuses .)

Creation Date:
The date and time the process instance was created.

Update Date:
The date and time the status of the process instance was last changed.

You can do the following tasks on the Process Instance page:

  • Select a process instance to view details about it, such as its operations and subprocesses. When you select a process instance, the Process Instance Details page appears.

  • Suspend, unsuspend, or terminate process instances.

  • Search for a process instance. To begin a search, click Search.

About process instance statuses

A process instance, including subprocesses, can have the following statuses:

COMPLETE:
All the branches and operations in the process instance have completed. COMPLETE is the final status of a process instance.

COMPLETING:
The status of the process instance is about to change to COMPLETE.

INITIATED:
The process instance has been created but is not yet running. INITIATED is the first status of a process instance.

RUNNING:
The process instance is running normally. An automated step may be underway, or the process instance may be receiving user input or waiting for user interaction.

SUSPENDED:
The process instance has been suspended by an administrator or by a step in the process. No further operations will occur until the status is changed.

SUSPENDING:
The status is about to change to SUSPENDED. If an operation has been designed to ignore suspend requests and has not yet completed, that operation must complete before the process instance is suspended.

TERMINATED:
The process instance has been terminated by an administrator.

TERMINATING:
The status is about to change to TERMINATED. If an operation has been designed to ignore terminate requests and has not yet completed, that operation must complete before the process instance is terminated.

UNSUSPENDING:
The status is about to change to RUNNING after having been SUSPENDED.
Note: When a request is made to change the status of a process instance (such as to suspend or terminate), the request enters the command queue for forms workflow. Depending on the size of the queue and overall processing speed, the displayed status may not change until the page is reloaded one or more times.

Suspend or unsuspend process instances

If you need to troubleshoot a problem or if you know that a process instance will encounter a problem at a later step due to some external condition, you can suspend the process instance temporarily.

You can suspend process instances that have a status of RUNNING.

After you suspend a process instance, its status changes to SUSPENDING, then SUSPENDED, and the process pauses at its current operation. The process instance remains in this status until the status is changed to UNSUSPENDED.

Only process instances that have a status of SUSPENDED can be changed to UNSUSPENDED.

When you unsuspend a process instance, its status changes to RUNNING, and it continues with the operation where it had been suspended.

When you suspend a process instance that has invoked other processes (child processes) using their invoke operation, the child processes are also suspended.

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > forms workflow.

  2. On the Process Instance page, select the process and click Suspend or Unsuspend.

Terminate a process instances

If an operation of a process instance has stalled or encountered some other error condition, or if you need to force a process instance to stop running, you can terminate the process instance.

You can terminate process instances that have any status.

When you terminate a process instance, its status changes to TERMINATING, then TERMINATED, and the process stops at its current operation. No further operations are run, and all associated operations and tasks are terminated.

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > forms workflow.

  2. On the Process Instance page, select the process and click Terminate.

Working with process instance details

The Process Instance Detail page shows the history of a process instance.

The Summary area shows basic information about the process instance.

On the Operations tab, each operation for the process instance is shown in order of completion from first to last with the following information:

Operation Name:
The name of the operation, as defined in Workbench.

Status:
Indicates whether the operation is running normally or has stopped. (See About process instance statuses .)

Branch Name:
The name of the branch, as defined in Workbench.

Start Date:
The date and time the operation started.

Completed Date:
The date and time the operation completed.

A subprocess is a process instance that is started by another process and runs independently of that other process. Subprocesses are displayed only if they were designed as part of the process in Workbench. On the Subprocesses tab, each subprocess is shown with the following information:

Process ID:
This positive integer that forms workflow assigns when the process is instantiated (that is, when a user or an automated step initiates the process). You can use this identifier to track the process instance through its lifecycle.

Process Name - Version:
The name of the process, as defined in Designer.

Status:
Indicates whether the process instance is running normally, changing state, or stopped. (See About process instance statuses .)

Creation Date:
The date and time the subprocess was created.

Update Date:
The date and time the status of the subprocess was last changed.

You can do the following tasks on the Process Instance Detail page:

  • Select an operation to view details about it. When you select an operation, the Operation Detail page appears.

  • Select a subprocess to view details about it. When you select a subprocess, the Process Instance Detail page appears.

  • Terminate or retry operations or subprocesses, depending on their status.

About operation statuses

An operation (a step in a process) can have the following statuses:

COMPLETE:
The operation completed.

RUNNING:
The operation is running normally. It may be receiving user input or waiting for user interaction, or an automated step may be underway.

STALLED:
A problem occurred while the operation was being processed. Check for the error or exception in the Stalled Operations page.

TERMINATED:
The operation was terminated by an administrator.

Terminate operations or subprocesses

If an operation or subprocess has stalled or encountered some other error condition, or if you need to force an operation or subprocess to stop running, you can terminate it.

You can terminate an operation that is RUNNING.

When you terminate an operation, its status changes to TERMINATED. The operation does not complete and the process instance stops running.

You can terminate a subprocess that has any status.

When you terminate a subprocess, its status changes to TERMINATING, then TERMINATED, and the process instance stops at its current operations. No further operations are run in the subprocess, although the parent process instance continues to run.

You cannot terminate processes that have gateway elements in the process diagram. If you attempt to terminate these types of processes, the operations within the gateway elements are not affected. To terminate operations that are within a gateway element, you must terminate the operations directly.

  1. On the Process Instance Details page, click the Operations tab or the Subprocesses tab.

  2. Select the operation or subprocess and click Terminate.

Retry an operation

You can retry operation that has a status of STALLED.

When you retry an operation, forms workflow is sent a request to restart the operation. If the request is successful, the status changes to RUNNING. If the operation cannot be restarted, it remains STALLED, and you may need to terminate it.

  1. On the Process Instance Details page, click the Operations tab.

  2. Select the operation and click Retry.

Working with operations

The Operation Details page shows a summary of one operation in a process and its current user assignments.

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > forms workflow.

  2. Click a process name to display its process instances. Click a process instance to display the Process Instance Details page, then select an operation to display the Operation Detail page.

    For each task, the list shows the following information:

    Process Name - Version:
    The name of the process, as defined in Workbench.

    Application:
    The application that the process belongs to, as defined in Workbench.

    Status:
    Active means that the process is the one activated for the process version. Inactive means that the process is an old version that still has process instances.

    Creation Date:
    The date and time the process was deployed.

Working with stalled operations and branches

The Stalled Operations page and the Stalled Branches page show the processes that have stalled. A process can stall when an error occurs during or after the execution of an operation or because of a deliberate stall operation in the process:

  • Operations can stall due to an unforeseen error. However, a Stall Branch operation in a process deliberately stops a process from running further and requires the administrator to intervene.

  • Branches can stall between operations during a rule evaluation.

When a process stalls, no further operations are run until the problem is fixed and the operation or branch restarted.

For each stalled item, the list shows the following information:

Operation Name or Branch Name:
The name of the operation or branch.

Status:
Always STALLED for stalled items.

Error:
A short description of the problem.

Process ID:
The positive integer that forms workflow assigns when the process is instantiated (that is, when a user or an automated step initiates a process). You can use this identifier to track the process instance through its life cycle.

Process Name - Version:
The name of the process assigned in Workbench.

Stalled Date:
The date and time the operation or branch stalled.

You can do the following tasks on the Stalled Operations or Stalled Branches page:

  • Select an error to view details about it. When you select an error, the Error Details page appears.

  • Terminate or retry stalled operations or retry stalled branches.

For information on error messages, see AEM forms Error Code Reference .

Terminating or retrying stalled operations or branches

On the Stalled Operations page, you can terminate the displayed process instances.

When you terminate a process instance, it stops running and no further operations take place. You typically terminate a process only if it becomes blocked or unusable due to an error and cannot be fixed and restarted.

On the Stalled Operations page or the Stalled Branches page, you can retry the operation or branch.

When you retry an operation, forms workflow is sent a request to restart the operation. If the error that caused the process to stall has been fixed and the retry request is successful, the process begins running again from the point it had stalled, and its status changes to RUNNING. If the operation cannot be restarted, it remains STALLED and you may need to terminate it.

Terminate a stalled operation

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Stalled Operations Errors.

  2. On the Stalled Operations page, select the item you want to terminate and click Terminate.

Retry a stalled operation or branch

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow and then click Stalled Operations Errors or Stalled Branch Errors.

  2. On the Stalled Operations or Stalled Branches page, select the item you want to retry and click Retry.

Viewing error details about stalled operations or branches

If you select an error from the list of stalled items on the Stalled Operations or Stalled Branches page, the Error Details page appears, which shows details about the error that can help you troubleshoot the problem.

The box at the bottom of the page contains the error information.

You can also terminate or retry stalled operations, and retry stalled branches, from the Error Details page.

For information on error messages, see AEM forms Error Code Reference .

Process does not stall when escalation user does not exist

Errors occur when the Assign Task operation in the AEM forms User service is configured to escalate the task to another user after a specific period of time, and the escalation user is deleted after the Assign Task operation executes but before the escalation occurs.

When this situation occurs, the state of the process and task does not change at the configured escalation time, and the escalation does not occur but the process does not stall. The following message appears in the server log:

"The principal specified for escalation is not valid, for taskID: number , queue specified: number ."

If the escalation user is deleted before the task is generated (before the Assign Task operation executes), the process stalls or the InvalidPrincipal exception event is thrown.

To prevent this problem, when you delete a user, search for tasks belonging to that user and deal with them accordingly. (See Working with tasks .)

Searching for process instances

Use the Process Search page to enter search criteria for finding a process instance. You can access the Process Search page from the forms workflow page or by clicking Search on the Process Instance page.

You can enter basic criteria to perform a general search, specific attributes to perform a detailed search, or a combination of basic criteria and specific attributes to perform a combined search.

Perform a general search

A general search for a process is most appropriate if you know the process ID of the process instance, if you are looking for a group of related process instances, or if only a few process instances are running.

Enter basic criteria to perform a general search. If you enter multiple criteria, the search is performed with an implied AND condition.

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Process Search.

  2. On the Process Search page, under General Search, provide the following criteria:

    • Process ID: The positive integer that identifies each unique process instance.

    • Process Status: Select a status from the list.

    • Application: Select an application from the list. Only deployed applications are shown.

    • Process Name - Version: Select a process name from the menu. Only deployed processes are shown.

  3. Click Search. The Process Instance page appears, listing the found instances.

Perform a detailed search for a process

You can enter specific attributes to perform a detailed search. A detailed search is most appropriate if you have many process instances running and you need to narrow the possible finds by certain criteria.

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Process Search.

  2. On the Process Search page, under Detailed Search, specify your first criteria set:

    • In the Attribute list, select an attribute.

    • In the Filter list, select an operator.

    • In the Value box, type a value appropriate to the attribute you selected.

  3. To add another row, select More Filters. Another set of Attribute, Filter, and Value lists appears, as well as a Condition list.

  4. Under Condition, select AND or OR. Repeat steps 1 – 3 as required to narrow your search further.

  5. To add or remove rows, click More Filters or Fewer Filters. You can have from one to four rows.

  6. Click Search. The Process Instance page appears, listing the found instances.

About process instance statuses

Perform a combined search for a process

To create a search based on both a general search and a detailed search, with an implied AND between the areas, enter your search criteria in both the General Search and Detailed Search areas on the Process Search page.

If the search is too narrow, no instances will be found.

Working with tasks

Use the Task Search page to search for tasks by user name or task ID. The search results are displayed on the Task List page, where you can access a task’s history. You can also reassign a task is one user has too many tasks or if a user has received a task assignment in error.

Note: Performing task searches returns no results for user names that begin with a number sign (#). If possible, avoid creating user names that begin with a number sign.

Search for tasks associated with a user

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Task Search.

  2. In Search By, select User Name. If you know part of the user name that you are searching for, type it in the box. Click Find User.

  3. The Find User page appears. You can refine your search further, by searching by user name or email. When you locate the user that you are looking for, select the radio button beside the name and click OK.

  4. By default, the task search looks for tasks that are currently assigned to the user. To also search for tasks that were previously assigned to the user, select Show Unassigned Task. To also search for tasks that the user has completed, select Show Completed Task.

  5. Click Search. The Task List page appears, listing the search result.

Search for a task when you know its task ID

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Task Search.

  2. In Search By, select Task ID and type the task ID in the box.

  3. Click Search. The Task List page appears, listing the search result.

Working with the task list

The results of a task search are displayed on the Task List page. You can select a task to open the Task History page. From there, you can assign the task to another user.

The tasks are displayed with the following information:

Task ID:
The positive integer that forms workflow assigns when the task is instantiated (initiated by a user). You can use this identifier to track the task through its life cycle. Click a Task ID to view details about the task history or to reassign the task to another user.

Status:
Assigned means that the task is currently assigned to the user. Unassigned means that the task was previously assigned to the user. The status can also be Completed .

Activity:
Shows the form and name for an initial operation or the process operation that generated the task.

Process ID:
This positive integer that is assigned by forms workflow when the process is instantiated (that is, when a user or an automated step initiates a process). You can use this identifier to track the process instance through its life cycle.

Process Name - Version:
The name of the process, as defined in Workbench.

Application:
The name of the application that the process belongs to, as defined in Workbench.

Creation Date:
The date and time the task was created.

Viewing task history and reassigning tasks

The Task History page shows a list of the users and groups that have been assigned to a particular task.

For each task assignment, the list shows the following information:

Name:
The name of the user.

Status:
Assigned means the task is currently assigned to the user. Unassigned means the task was previously assigned to the user.

Worklist ID:
The numeric identifier of the user queue to which the task belongs. A process can be shared among multiple users.

Type:
Indicates how the task was assigned:
Initial:
The user was originally assigned the task.

Forward:
The original task owner assigned the task to another user.

Reject:
A forwarded task was rejected or a task was returned to a worklist without having been completed.

Claim:
The user claimed the task in a shared worklist.

Escalation:
A predetermined time elapsed (as set in the User action in Workbench) without user interaction and another user was assigned the task.

Consult:
The task owner has forwarded this task to another user for consultation who can open the form, save data, modify the attachments and notes, but cannot complete the step. The user must return the task to the task owner who consulted with the user.

Admin Reassignment:
The task was reassigned by an administrator.

Assignment Date:
The date and time the task was assigned to the user.

Assigning a new user to a task

The Assign User page lists the users who can be assigned to a task. You access the Assign User page by clicking Assign New User on the Task History page.

  1. In the Search For box on the Assign User page, type part or all of the required user name or email address.

  2. Under Using, select Name or Email Address and then click Find. The users who match the search are displayed.

  3. Select the user from the list and click OK. The Task History page appears with the new user assignment.

Configuring Out of Office Settings

The Out of Office feature enables users or administrators to specify when a user will be out of the office and unable to complete tasks assigned by AEM forms. While a user is set to Out of Office, their tasks are assigned to one or more designated users. Users can change their Out of Office settings in Workspace (see Workspace Help ) or administrators can change the settings on a user’s behalf in forms workflow.

When creating a process, the Workbench user can specify whether a task can be redirected due to Out of Office settings.

View a user’s Out of Office information

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Out of Office.

  2. In the box near the top of the Out of Office page, you can do one of the following:
    Search By Name
    Select the Search By Name option. Type all or part of the user name and click Find. If you leave the field blank, forms workflow returns a list of all of the users

    Search By Date Range
    Select the Search By Date Range option. Specify the from and to dates along with desired time stamps to narrow the search result. Click Find.

  3. Click a user name to display the user’s Out of Office information below the list of users.

Change a user’s out of office status

  1. Find the user, as described in View a user’s Out of Office information .

  2. Click the name of the user who you want to change.

  3. From the User Name is currently list, select either In the Office or Out of the Office.

  4. Click Save.

Add an Out of Office date range for a user

  1. Find the user, as described in View a user’s Out of Office information .

  2. Click the name of the user who you want to change.

  3. Click Add Date Range.

  4. Enter a Start Time and End Time. You can click the Calendar icon to select a date. If you do not specify an end time, the user will be set as out of office indefinitely.

  5. Click Save.

Assign a user for Out of Office tasks

While a user is out of the office, you can assign one or more users to perform any new tasks for the user. You can set up the following configurations:

  • Assign all new tasks to a designated default user.

  • Do not reassign any tasks. New tasks remain assigned to the user who is out of the office.

  • Assign a default user who will receive most of the user’s tasks, but specify that tasks from certain processes are reassigned to other users or remain assigned to the user who is out of the office.

  • Do not assign a default user, but assign certain tasks from certain processes to specific users.

    1. Find the user, as described in View a user’s Out of Office information .

    2. Click the name of the user who you want to change.

    3. In the Default User For Out of Office Tasks list, select a user from the list. If you do not want to designate a default user to receive reassigned items, select Do Not Assign.

      If the appropriate user name does not appear in the list, click Find User and use the Find User dialog box to search for the user. Select the appropriate user from the list and click Select User. You can also click View User’s Schedule in the Find User dialog box to see the selected user’s out of office schedule.

    4. If there are any processes that should not be sent to the default user, click Add An Exception, then select the process and select another user from the list. You can also select Do Not Assign to have the task remain assigned to the user who is out of the office.

    5. Click Save.

Configuring Business Calendars

Business calendars define business and non-business days (for example, statutory holidays, weekends, and company shutdown days) for your organization. When using business calendars, AEM forms skips non-business days when performing certain date calculations. In Workbench, you can specify whether to use business calendars for user-associated events such as task reminders, deadlines, and escalations or for actions not associated with users, such as Timer Events and the Wait Service.

For example, a task reminder is configured to occur three business days after the task is assigned to a user. The task is assigned on Thursday. However, the following three days are not business days because the Friday is a national holiday and the next two days are weekend days. The reminder is therefore sent on Wednesday of the next week.

Note: When calculating dates and times using business calendars, AEM forms uses the date and time of the server where it is running and does not adjust for the difference between time zones. For example, if a task reminder is scheduled to occur at 10:00 am on a server running in London, but the user receiving the reminder is located in New York City, the user would receive the reminder at 5:00 am local time.

Using the default business calendar

AEM forms provides a default business calendar (named Built-in Calendar ) that designates Saturdays and Sundays as non-working days. If all of the users in your organization have the same non-business days, you can update the default business calendar to suit your organization. When using only the default business calendar, you do not need to enable business calendars in User Management or provide any mappings. When no other business calendars are defined, AEM forms uses the default business calendar.

Setting up multiple business calendars

If some of the users in your organization have different non-business days, you can define multiple business calendars and configure mappings that permit a runtime resolution of a business calendar for a user.

Define multiple business calendars

  1. Decide how you will associate the appropriate business calendar with a user. There are two ways to associate a business calendar with a user:

    Group membership:
    You can assign a business calendar to a user based on the user’s group membership. In this case, each user in the group will use the same business calendar.

    If a user is a member of two different groups, and those groups are mapped to two different business calendars, AEM forms will use the first calendar that it finds in its search results. In this case, consider using business calendar keys to associate users with business calendars.

    Business calendar keys:
    You can assign a business calendar to a user based on a business calendar key, which is a setting specified in User Management. You then map the business calendar key to a business calendar in forms workflow.

    The way that you assign business calendar keys to users depends on whether you are using an enterprise, local, or hybrid domain. For details on setting up domains, see Adding domains .

    If you are using a local or hybrid domain, information about users is stored only in the User Management database. To set the business calendar key for these users, enter a string in the Business Calendar Key field when adding or editing a user in User Management. (See Adding and configuring users .) You then map the business calendar keys (the strings) to business calendars in forms workflow. (See Mapping users and groups to a business calendar .)

    If you are using an enterprise domain, information about users resides in a third-party storage system, such as an LDAP directory, which User Management synchronizes with the User Management database. This allows you to map a business calendar key to a field in the LDAP directory. For example, if each user record in your directory contains a "country" field, and you want to assign business calendars based on the country where the user is located, specify the "country" field name in the Business Calendar Key field when specifying the user settings for the directory. (See Configuring directories .) You can then map the business calendar keys (the values defined for the "country" field in the LDAP directory) to business calendars in forms workflow. (See Mapping users and groups to a business calendar .)

  2. In forms workflow, define a calendar for each set of users who share the same non-business days. (See Create or update a business calendar .)

  3. In forms workflow, map the business calendar keys or group memberships for each calendar. (See Mapping users and groups to a business calendar .)

  4. In Workbench, the process developer chooses whether to use business calendars for reminders, deadlines, and escalations. (See Workbench Help .)

    If the process developer chooses to use business calendars, AEM forms will dynamically select the appropriate business calendar based on the User Management setting and the business calendar mappings defined in Administration Console, or, if no mappings exists, will use the default calendar.

    If the process developer does not use business calendars, the date calculation for the event treats every day as a business day. For example, a task deadline is configured to occur three days after the task is assigned to a user. The task is assigned on Thursday. The task deadline occurs on Sunday, even though it is a weekend.

Create or update a business calendar

If your organization contains different sets of users who have different non-business days, you can define multiple business calendars. You can also change existing calendars, including the default built-in calendar that is provided with AEM forms.

Note: If you do not create a new business calendar, then the default calendar will be used.

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Business Calendars.

  2. To add a new business calendar, click . The text New Calendar appears in the drop-down list. Select the text and type another name for your calendar.

    To edit an existing business calendar, select it from the drop-down list.

  3. Under Default non-business days, select any weekly non-business days, such as weekends.

  4. [Optional] Select Use Business Hours and specify the start and end times for the business days.

    If you select this option, an event that occurs before the specified time range is moved to the beginning of the time range, and an event that occurs after the time range is moved to the start time of the next business day.

    For example, consider a situation where a user is assigned a task at 2:00 am on a Tuesday, and the reminder for that task is set to two business days. Without business hours, the reminder would occur at 2:00 am on Thursday. If business hours are set to 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, the reminder would be pushed to 8:00 am on Thursday. Without business hours, if a reminder event was created at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, the reminder would occur after business hours on Thursday. With business hours set to 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, the reminder would occur at 8:00 am on Friday.

  5. In the calendar on the left, double-click any other non-business days, such as holidays. You cannot select days in the past. The non-business days that you select appear in a list on the right, with the date appearing twice on one line. Select the date on the left to type name or description for the non-business day.

    To remove a non-business day from the list, click beside the day.

  6. [Optional] If this calendar is to be the default calendar, select Default Calendar. The default calendar is used when no other calendar mapping exists for user-associated events or no business calendar is specified for the Timer Event or the Wait Service. You cannot delete the default calendar.

  7. When you have finished defining the non-business days, select Calendar Enabled to make it active, and then click Save.

    If you are updating an existing calendar, the new version takes effect immediately and is used for all business calendar calculations, including for tasks that are already running.

    Note: If you do not enable the calendar, the default calendar will be used.

Mapping users and groups to a business calendar

There are two methods that you can use to associate a business calendar with a user. You can assign business calendars to users based on a business calendar key or based on the directory group that the user belongs to. You use the Mapping tab to specify the method that AEM forms will use, and also to map the business calendar keys and groups to business calendars. For details on associating business calendar keys with users, see Setting up multiple business calendars .

Associate business calendars with users based on business calendar keys

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Business Calendars, and then click the Mapping tab.

  2. In the The System Will Use list, select User Manager Business Calendar Key Resolution.

  3. Select Display User Manager Business Calendar Key. A list displays, containing a unique set of business calendar keys that have been defined in User Management.

    For local and hybrid domains, the list displays the values entered into the Business Calendar Key field in User Management. For enterprise (LDAP) domains, the list displays the unique set that is returned from the LDAP field (for example, "country") that was configured in the LDAP domain settings.

    If the User Management administrator has not defined any business calendar keys, the list will be empty.

  4. For each item in the UM Business Calendar Key list, select a Calendar.

  5. Click Save.

Associate business calendars with users and groups based on directory service groups

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Business Calendars, and then click the Mapping tab.

  2. In the The System Will Use list, select Groups Defined By The Directory Server.

  3. On the Mapping tab, select Display Directory Service Groups. A list displays, containing the groups that have been defined in User Management. (See Directory settings .)

    Note: In Workbench, if you have configured a User service to use business calendars and the service is assigned to a group, AEM forms uses the group mappings specified here to resolve the calendar for the group. AEM forms always uses groups mappings to resolve the calendar for groups, even when you use business calendar keys to resolve the calendar for users. If no group mapping is found, the default business calendar will be used.

  4. For each item in the Directory Service Group list, select a Calendar.

  5. Click Save.

Exporting and importing business calendars

AEM forms enables you to export and import your business calendars as XML files. You can use this feature to move calendars from a staging system to a production system.

Note: This feature exports and imports all of the defined business calendars, including the default business calendar provided by AEM forms. An imported business calendar with the same name as an existing calendar will overwrite the existing calendar.

Export business calendars

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Business Calendars.

  2. Click Export and save the XML file.

Import business calendars

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Business Calendars.

  2. Click Import.

  3. Select the XML file that contains the exported business calendars and click Open.

Delete a business calendar

You can remove any business calendars that your organization no longer requires. If you delete a business calendar that is still mapped to users and groups, the default calendar will be used.

  1. In administration console, click Services > forms workflow > Business Calendars.

  2. Select the calendar.

  3. Click Delete.

Configuring Shared Queues

Shared Queues allow you to configure and manage user queues effectively. A user queue is simply all tasks assigned to a user, see To Do Lists for more information. You can assign, unassign, and reassign user queues depending on your organizational needs. You can manage Shared Queues in two ways:
Manage Access To A User
You can manage access to a selected user queue using this option.

Manage Access By A User
You can manage shared queues assigned to a selected user using this option.

Managing access to a selected user queue

Manage Access To A User functionality allows you to manage access to a selected user queue. You can grant or revoke access to a selected user queue to other users in your organization. For example, Kara Bowman is out of office. Using the Manage Access To A User functionality, her queue can be shared with Akira Tanaka and John Jacobs for completion. At a later point, when Kara Bowman returns to the office, you can revoke access to her queue from Akira Tanaka and John Jacobs.

Once shared, these tasks can be completed by the user, with access to the queue, using Workspace.

Note: The Flex Worksapce is deprecated for AEM forms release.

Configuring access to a selected user queue

  1. Log in to administration console using an Administrator account.
  2. Select Services > forms workflow > Shared Queue .
  3. On the Manage Access To A User tab, find and select the user whose queue you wish to share. At any point, the bottom right pane displays the list of users with access to the selected user queue.
  4. In the bottom left pane, find and select the user. Click Share.
  5. Click Save to complete.

Revoking access to a selected user queue

  1. Log in to administration console using an Administrator account.
  2. Select Services > forms workflow > Shared Queue .
  3. On the Manage Access To A User tab, find and select the user whose queue you wish to manage.
  4. The bottom right pane displays the list of users with access to the selected user queue. Select the user and click Revoke.
  5. Click Save to complete.

Managing queues assigned to a user

Manage Access By A User functionality allows you to manage queues assigned to to a selected user. You can grant or revoke access to user queues to a selected user individually. For example, you wish to assign Akira Tanaka and John Jacobs user queues to Kara Bowman. Using the Manage Access By A User functionality, you can search for Kara Bowman and grant access to tasks assigned to Akira Tanaka and John Jacobs. At a later point, you can revoke Kara Bowman’s access to these user queues.

Once assigned, these tasks can be completed by the user using Workspace.

Note: The Flex Worksapce is deprecated for AEM forms release.

Granting access to a selected user queue

  1. Log in to administration console using an Administrator account.
  2. Select Services > forms workflow > Shared Queue .
  3. On the Manage Access to a User tab, find and select the user whose queue you wish to share. At any point, the bottom right pane displays the list of users with access to the selected user queue.
  4. In the bottom left pane, find and select user queues you wish to share with the selected user. Click Share.
  5. Click Save to complete.

Revoking access to a selected user queue

  1. Log in to administration console using an Administrator account.
  2. Select Services > forms workflow > Shared Queue .
  3. On the Manage Access By A User tab, find and select the user whose queue you wish to manage.
  4. The bottom right pane displays the list of user queues assigned to the selected user. Select the user queue and click Revoke.
  5. Click Save to complete.

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