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Version: 2023 R2

Actions and automations

In WEBCON BPS, at every individual workflow step (and on paths between steps), you can embed automations that group concrete actions, i.e. operations executed by the system automatically. Thanks to them, a part of defined tasks is executed in the background by WEBCON BPS Workflow Service and does not require user intervention. A complete list of actions, including the events that can trigger them, is presented in the Actions chapter.

Action vs automation​

Automations act as containers that group and organize actions which in turn execute specific operations. By inserting an automation in a given workflow location (on step entry, on step exit, or on path), a workflow designer can define when the automation (including actions contained in it) is triggered. The actions grouped within an automation are executed in the sequence in which they are inserted in the window (from top to bottom).

Types of actions​

An action type defines an activity or document state in the system which trigger action execution. Depending on the location within the process, there are two basic action types:

  • global action – not associated with any specific process step, applies to the process as a whole,
  • actions within a step or on path – associated with a specific step or path that belong to a particular instance workflow.

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Triggering actions​

Action triggers specify which activity or workflow state cause the action to be executed. In WEBCON BPS, the following action triggers are available:

  • On entry – the moment when an instance enters a target step after moving through a path between steps,
  • On exit – the moment that precedes moving through a path and occurs when an instance leaves a step,
  • On timeout – an action is executed cyclically within an instance. The execution cycle (timeout) can be configured based on the user's needs,
  • On browser opening – opening an instance in the browser by the user assigned with an active task in it (or an individual who substitutes a person with such a task),
  • Menu button – an action is triggered by pressing a Menu button available in an instance after opening it in the browser. It is possible to group multiple buttons within a drop-down menu,
  • On path – an action is triggered when moving to a given step,
  • Upon instance deleting – an action is executed when an instance is removed from the system,
  • Upon instance saving – an action is executed when a user presses the Save button in the workflow instance window,
  • Attachments menu – actions are initiated from a drop-down menu available in the attachments section (an inverted ellipsis icon next to the added attachment),
  • On attachment add – an action is launched as soon as an attachment is added to a workflow instance. The only exception is the Start step, i.e. an action defined in that way is executed on instance saving/on path instead (i.e. when a WFD_ID is assigned to a workflow instance).
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For more information on actions visit the following WEBCON Community websites: