Process variables and data types

Parameter values that you need to provide when starting a process instance. An input variable can be optional or required.

• When you add a required input variable with Text data type or Record data type, the context key for the process is set automatically.

• A context key gives a business reference to a process instance and can be used as an identifier for a process instance. When you look at the process instance in the Manage Process dashboard, you can quickly identify the process instance, and you can relate the process instance to the business use case. For example, an Approval Process that has a context key as HPD0002340 indicates that the Incident request HPD0002340 started the Approval Process.

• If a process instance has multiple required input variables, the first input variable is used as the context key.
• If a process does not contain any required process variables of data type Text or Record to start the process, a context key named instance is automatically added at the process run time. The context key is displayed in the Manage Processes dashboard.
• If you have multiple required input variables and you delete the input variable that is used as the context key, the context key is assigned to a next suitable input variable.

Use the Record datatype to hold a record instance. For the Record data type, a parameter is passed by reference. When a parameter is passed by reference, the caller and the receiver use the same variable for the parameter. If the receiver modifies the parameter variable, the effect is visible to the caller variable.

• If the record data type is used as a process input parameter, and a record instance is updated by the process, the caller automatically receives the updated record instance when the process returns. You do not need to define record as the process output parameter in order to receive an updated record instance.
• If you want to share a process by different record definitions, you can use Sample Record Definition to associate a record data type to more than one record definitions.
  
  • To use the Sample Record Definition, on the Add/Remove Variables window, add a variable, select the datatype of the variable as Record, and select Use Sample Data.
  • Sample Record Definition allows to refer record fields (however the record definition name of the record is not validated at the process runtime). If a record instance does not have a field referenced by a process, a null value is used.
• It is recommended that record definitions that share the same process definition are inherited from the common base record definition. When you use Sample Record Definition, it is the base record definition, which ensures all fields referenced in the process definition are available to all inherited record definitions. For more information on record inheritance, see Inheriting an existing record definition to a new record definition.

List

It is a composite data type that allows you to create a list of primitive data types. Currently, you can create a list of only attachment and text data type.

You can also use the List type of variable in a multi-instance loop to iterate over its elements. To populate a list, you can also use the Create List element.