Workflow considerations
There are a few things I always think should be considered when using a workflow.
There are a few things I always think should be considered when using a workflow.
Patterns
- Always, always add a timer after the Begin activity.
- Avoid Switches because they don't update when their conditioned field changes.
- Avoid Email Activities, instead, opt for Event activities.
Here I have a diagram showing a timer added after the Begin activity. This timer returns the user's session so it seems immediately which is great for user experience. But, it makes your workflow dependent on the events queue. If that goes down, this is the least of your worries.
Next, I have a Diagram showing the Switch, if some changed the variable/field values of "Standard" to "Mechanical" the workflow activity won't know to use the new value until you check it out, then recreate the switch, and check it back in. Because of this, I use If activities. It is more activities but, because the If activities are scripted, they won't break when you change the variable. If activities used to allow you to create any number of "result" boxes below, one of them being an "else" but now If's only allow yes and no for results. Below is an example Switch Workflow and it in the If pattern.
Last but not least, because you should avoid checking out workflows, always use events in workflows if you need a workflow to generate a notification. There are some extra steps to take to do this but it's well worth it because now you can use the notification records how they are for the rest of the system, you can generate the notification without the workflow by running the following in a business rule or any server-side script;
gs.eventQueue('custom.notification', current, 'parm1', 'parm2');
Now if you were using variables and are not sure how to pass more than
two parameters, don't fear. Make your first parm a JSON.stringify
object. Sure you'll need to JSON.parse the object in the notification,
but now you can pass everything in a way not dependent on the workflow.
Activities
| Type | Activity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Subflows | Parallel Flow Launcher | Launches multiple subflows in parallel. |
| Utilities | Branch | Splits the workflow into multiple transition paths from a single activity. |
| Utilities | Join | Unites multiple execution paths into one transition. |
| Utilities | Return Value | Returns a value to a parent workflow, when run from a subflow. |
| Utilities | Run Script | Runs the specified script in the scope of the workflow version. |
| Utilities | Set Values | Sets values on the current record when the workflow quiesces or ends. |
| Conditions | If | Checks a condition or script to determine if a Yes or No transition should be taken. |
| Approvals | Approval Action | Performs an approval action on the current task. |
| Approvals | Approval Coordinator | Creates an approval whose outcome depends on the outcome of one or more child activities. |
| Approvals | Approval - Group | Creates approval records for each member of a specified group. |
| Approvals | Approval - User | Creates one or more individual user approvals. |
| Approvals | Manual Approvals | Watches and manages any approvals that users add manually outside of the workflow process. |
| Tasks | Catalog Task | Creates a service catalog task record. |
| Tasks | Create Task | Generates a record on any of the tables that extend Task [task]. |
| Timers | SLA Percentage Timer | Pauses the workflow for a duration equal to a percentage of an SLA. |
| Timers | Timer | Pauses the workflow for a specified period of time. |
| Notifications | Create Event | Adds an event to the event queue, but does not immediately fire the event. |
| Utilities | Lock | (no use-case) Prevents other instances of this workflow from continuing past this activity until the lock is released. |
| Utilities | Unlock | (no use-case) Releases a lock that was previously placed by the Lock activity. |
| Utilities | Log Message | (no use-case) Writes a message to the workflow log. |
| Utilities | Log Trace Message | (no use-case) Writes a trace message to the workflow log. |
| Utilities | REST Message legacy | (use run script instead) Enables an administrator to override the REST endpoint or supply the variables configured in the REST Message module. |
| Utilities | SOAP Message legacy | (use run script instead) Uses SOAP messages defined in the System Web Services plugin and can call the messages using a MID Server. |
| Utilities | Turnstile | (no use-case) Limits how many times a workflow can pass through the same point. |
| Tasks | Add Worknote | (use set values instead) Adds text to the Worknotes field of the current incident record. |
| Tasks | Attachment Note | (use run script instead) Adds an attachment to the current record. |
| Notifications | Notification | (no use-case) Sends an email or SMS message to specified users or groups. |
| Conditions | Switch | (no use-case) Checks if the value of a passed field or variable is equivalent to one of several case values. |
| Conditions | Wait for condition | (no use-case) Causes the workflow to wait at this activity until the current record matches the specified condition. |
| Conditions | Wait for WF Event | (no use-case) Causes the workflow to wait at this activity until the specified event is fired. |
| Approvals | Generate | (no use-case) Immediately creates task or approval records from any task or approval activities placed this. |
| Approvals | Rollback To | (no use-case) Transitions directly to the activity specified by the outgoing transition line arrow. |
| Orchestration | JDBC | Allows you to execute ANSI SQL statements or stored procedures on a target database. |
| Orchestration | SOAP web service | Create a custom SOAP activity. |
| Orchestration | Javascript Probe | Has the same functionality as making 'Packages' calls into standard Java libraries. |
| Orchestration | PowerShell | Return data to a workflow from a host using Microsoft PowerShell. |
| Orchestration | REST web service | Use this procedure to create a custom REST web service Orchestration activity. |
| Orchestration | SFTP | Executes basic SFTP commands on a remote server. |
| Orchestration | probe | Runs a probe on the target host that is configured to return specific information. |
| Orchestration | SSH | Extracts data from a target host that uses the SSH network protocol. |
| Orchestration | run script | Runs any script. |
| Orchestration | JMS | Create a custom JMS activity to retrieve or send messages to external systems using the Java Messaging Service. |
| Notify | Forward call | Forwards a Notify call to an E.164-compliant phone number. |
| Notify | Input | Creates a phone menu by presenting a list of options on a Notify call. |
| Notify | Hangup | Disconnects an active Notify phone call. |
| Notify | Play | Plays a sound file on a Notify call. |
| Notify | Record | Records audio from a user on a Notify call. |
| Notify | Reject | Rejects an incoming Notify call. |
| Notify | Say | Allows you to play a message, using text to speech, on a Notify call. |
| Notify | Forward to notify client | Connects a phone call to a Notify WebRTC client. |
| Notify | Call | Makes outbound phone calls using a Notify workflow. |
| Notify | Join conference call | Connects an incoming or outgoing call to a Notify conference call. |
| Notify | Send SMS | Allows you to send short text messages using Notify to users' phones. |
| Notify | Queue | Places an active Notify call in a queue. |
Parallel Flow Launcher
Launches multiple subflows in parallel.
A few things;
- You MUST specify a count, without it, you'll get an error.
- If you want to get an output from a subflow, in hte Flow complete
script you can access it via
flow.output flow.outputrequires the subflow has Return activity.
Branch
The offical use of this is "Splits the workflow into multiple transition paths from a single activity."
I like to use this to keep my lines clean.
Join
Unites multiple execution paths into one transition.
Generally I remove the "incomplete" transistion off of the activity. Also, ALL activities connecting TO this must complete.
Return Value
Returns a value to a parent workflow, when run from a subflow.
Run Script
Runs the specified script in the scope of the workflow version.
This activity is ver versitile. You can add transisitions based on values you set in the scratchpad and then have those go off. This is a great replacement for;
- Attachment Note
- Soap Message Legacy
- Rest Message Legacy
- REST web service
- SOAP web service
Set Values
Sets values on the current record when the workflow quiesces or ends.
If
Checks a condition or script to determine if a Yes or No transition should be taken.
Approval Action
Performs an approval action on the current task.
Approval Coordinator
Creates an approval whose outcome depends on the outcome of one or more child activities.
Approval - Group
Creates approval records for each member of a specified group.
Approval - User
Creates one or more individual user approvals.
Manual Approvals
Watches and manages any approvals that users add manually outside of the workflow process.
Catalog Task
Creates a service catalog task record. These records are associated to
the workflow via the wf_activity field.
Create Task
Generates a record on any of the tables that extend Task [task]. These
records are associated to the workflow via the wf_activity field.
SLA Percentage Timer
Pauses the workflow for a duration equal to a percentage of an SLA.
Timer
Pauses the workflow for a specified period of time.
This should be added to the begininng of every workflow to have the workflow run on it's own thread.
Create Event
Adds an event to the event queue, but does not immediately fire the event.
Script
initialize
Method called by the Prototype JavaScript Framework during object construction.
startFlow
(workflowId, current, operation, vars) Starts a specified workflow.
startFlowFromContextInsert
(context, operation) Helper method for business rule "Auto start on context".
startFlowRetroactive
(workflowId, retroactiveMSecs, current, operation, vars, withSchedule) Used by the "Start Workflow" business rule on table task_sla to start a workflow. ## runFlows
(record, operation) Runs all workflows for a given record in a given table and its descendant tables. ## getReturnValue
(workflowId) Gets the appropriate workflow return value for the input workflow ID. ## getVersion
(workflowId) Gets the appropriate workflow version for the input workflow ID. ## getVersionFromName
(workflowName) Gets the appropriate workflow version for the input workflow name. ## getWorkflowFromName
(workflowName) Gets the appropriate workflow for the input workflow name. ## hasWorkflow
(record) Determines if a specified record has an associated workflow. ## fireEvent
(eventRecord, eventName) Fires the named event on the input record. ## fireEventById
(eventRecordId, eventName) Fires the named event on the record specified by record ID. ## broadcastEvent
(contextId, eventName) Broadcasts the named event for the specified context ID. ## cancel
(record) Cancels any running workflows for the document.
cancelContext
(context) Cancels the specific running workflow context.
getRunningFlows
(record) Gets the running workflow contexts for a specified record.
getContexts
(record) Gets the workflow contexts for a specified record whether it is running or not.
restartWorkflow
(current, maintainStateFlag) Restarts the workflows associated with a GlideRecord.
deleteWorkflow
(current) Deletes all workflows associated with a specified GlideRecord.
sortStages
(versionID) Not implemented.
getEstimatedDeliveryTime
(workflowID) Gets the estimated time for a workflow to complete.
getEstimatedDeliveryTimeFromWFVersion
(wf_version) Gets the estimated time for a workflow to complete.