Managing Processes and Tasks

About the Process Manager Service

The Process Manager service enables you to interact with process instances at run time. Using the Process Manager service, you can perform task such as suspending running process instances. To interact with the Process Manager service, it is recommended that you have a solid understanding of processes.

Process instances are created to support business transactions that occur within and between organizations. LiveCycle drives process instances that interact with users and systems based on a deployed process that was created in Workbench. Process instances go through several states and state transitions. The following diagram depicts the life cycle of a process instance.

A process instance is instantiated by an explicit request made to LiveCycle to create a process instance of a specific process type. An explicit request to start the process instance places the process in a starting state before implicitly converting it into a running state. A process instance remains in a running state either until an explicit request is issued to complete or terminate the process instance or until LiveCycle implicitly completes the process instance after all the subordinate branches are completed.

A process instance enters a suspended state when a client application makes an explicit request. In this state, navigation is stopped, no more assignments are made, and no more steps are carried out. A process instance remains in a suspended state until an explicit request is made to resume it.

LiveCycle instantiates a branch instance that acts as the main branch instance and places it into a running state. The branch instance remains in a running state either until an explicit request is issued to complete or terminate the process or until LiveCycle implicitly completes the branch instance after the flow of action instances is completed.

About the Task Manager Service

The Task Manager service enables you to interact with tasks during run time. Tasks are units of work that are associated with people. Typically, tasks are presented to users as forms that they open in client software, such as Acrobat or Adobe Reader. Using the client software, users can fill and submit the form back to LiveCycle.

These items are associated with each task:

  • Task identification: A long object that uniquely identifies tasks from all other tasks of any process type.

  • Form instance: A FormInstance object that identifies the location of a form and the associated form data.

  • Instructions: Text that explains what to do with the form that is associated with the task.

  • Attachments: Files that are associated with tasks and are provided to users who are assigned tasks.

  • Tasks can be in one of the following states:

  • Assigned: Retrieve tasks that are assigned to a specific user.

  • Assigned_saved: Retrieve tasks that are assigned to a user and saved.

  • Completed: Retrieve tasks that are completed.

  • Created: Retrieve tasks that are completed.

  • Created_saved: Retrieve tasks that are created and saved.

  • Deadlined: Retrieve tasks that are past the deadline.

  • Terminated: Retrieve tasks that were terminated.

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