Activities
Flowchart
The Flowchart activity is used to create workflows that define and manage complex flow controls.
The Flowchart specifies a unique start node that is executed when the workflow starts and uses a network of linked nodes to create arbitrary loops or to divert the flow of execution to anywhere else in the workflow at any given time.
Furthermore, the Flowchart activity is the only alternative to the Sequence activity to be used as root activity in a workflow (it can be drawn on a blank workflow, and contain the whole logic)
Activity Parameters
The Flowchart activity has only one checkbox parameter:
Parameters:
- ValidateUnconnectedNodes (CheckBox control) (type: boolean): one has the option to leave nodes disconnected from the flowchart logic. This option allows the user to force a validation of those nodes as well before running the workflow. Default: unchecked/false.
Example:
Our example is a workflow that creates an Active Directory user. The Flowchart activity has been used as the root activity. Some of the nodes in the exmple flowchart will be covered later in the documentation.
FlowDecision
The FlowDecision node is a conditional node that provides a branch for the flow of control into one of two alternatives based on whether a specified condition is satisfied.
Activity Parameters
The FlowDecision activity has 4 parameters (including DisplayName) that can be provided by manually inserted values or via IN arguments or variables:
Parameters:
- Condition (textbox editor control) (type: boolean): the condition that is to be evaluated, and based on which the flow will continue on one of its two branches (true or false).
- FalseLabel (textbox editor control) (type: String): optional label that can be set for the False branch.
- TrueLabel (textbox editor control) (type: String): optional label that can be set for the True branch.
Example:
Our example is a part of a workflow that creates an Active Directory user. For exemplary reasons, the TrueLabel has been changed from "True" to "Exists", and the FalseLabel became "DoesntExist" instead of "False".
Our example checks whether the username provided as InArgument (the username we are trying to create) exists and assigns a value to a boolean variable (UserExist).
The FlowDecision then evaluates the condition "UserExists=true", and if it exists it disconnects from the ActiveDirectory, otherwise attempting to create a new user.
FlowSwitch
The FlowSwitch activity is a conditional node that provides branching for the flow of control based on match criterion when more than two alternative branches are required. If the flow branching requires only two paths, use the FlowDecision activity instead.
Unlike the FlowDecision activity, the expression is not limited to the Boolean type, and the cases are defined by selecting the branch itself (default case names: "CaseX")
Activity Parameters
The FlowSwitch activity has 2 parameters (including DisplayName) that can be provided by manually inserted values or via IN arguments or variables:
Parameters:
- Expression (textbox editor control) (type: boolean): the expression that is to be evaluated in order to decide which of its branches will be executed by the workflow.
By selecting a branch (yellow on the capture below), the user will be able to set the case name and check whether the case is the default one or not.
Example:
Our example is a part of a workflow that shuts down workstations in a work environment. The different workstation types/operating systems must be taken into consideration, since the shutdown procedures differ from one another (e.g. Windows vs Linux machines)
Our example evaluates the "FlowsterEndpoint.Value" expression, which stores the type of machine that the workflow is trying to shut down. Based on that value, the workflow will execute the branch that matches the result of the FlowSwitch expression evaluation.