This documentation supports the 22.1 version of BMC Helix Digital Workplace Basic and BMC Helix Digital Workplace Advanced. Icons distinguish capabilities available only for the Advanced and External license levels. For more information, see License-types-and-features.

Calling external workflows

As a catalog administrator, to embed an external process workflow into the current workflow, drag a Call Activity element onto the canvas. Use Call Activity elements to reuse processes in different configurations.



Required license

DWP Advanced icon.png BMC Helix Digital Workplace Advanced

Related topics

Workflow-to-request-approval

Embedding-sub-process-workflows

Designing-a-simple-workflow

Before you begin

Open an existing workflow or create a new workflow, as described in Exploring-the-workflow-designer.

To call an external workflow

  1. Drag the Call Activity element onto the canvas.
  2. Click the element, in the Called Process field, search and select an external workflow.
  3. (Optional) Map input parameters to the external process if any of the elements it contains require inputs.

The following illustration shows an example of a Call Activity element that triggers an imported SRD workflow:

digital_workplace_catalog_workflow_call_activity.png

To call an external workflow that sends a broadcast

Starting with version 22.1.04, external workflows can be used to send broadcasts to user IDs and emails.

  1. Define which broadcast you want to send: to user IDs or to user emails. 
  2. Create a process for one broadcast target; see Using-Broadcast-API-endpoints-in-the-BMC-Helix-Digital-Workplace-REST-API.
  3. After the process is built, create a workflow that calls an external activity by adding the Call Activity element.
  4. On the General tab, add input variables that duplicate the variables in the BMC Helix Innovation Studio process  (startTime, endTime, TimeToLive, and so on); see Using-Broadcast-API-endpoints-in-the-BMC-Helix-Digital-Workplace-REST-API.
  5. In the Call Activity element, add input variables and their values.
  6. In the Call Activity element, in the Called Process field, search and select an external workflow (for example: Send broadcasts to user IDs).
  7. (Optional) Add a questionnaire that uses the input variables so that a broadcast sender answers questions before submitting a broadcast service; see Exploring-the-Question-Designer.

Tip

If you create the questionnaire, you do not need to add values to input variables in the Call Activity element.

      8. Save the workflow, associate it with a service (for example, Broadcasts for individual users), and publish this service.The service Broadcasts for individual users is available in the Catalog, so that end users can send such broadcasts by requesting this service. If the service is in the Complete status, the broadcast is successfully sent to users or emails.

To send broadcasts to emails, create a separate process, and follow the preceding steps.

Call Activity.png

Warning

Use caution when changing workflow processes that are embedded into other workflows using Call Activity. Changes to the external process will be reflected in all workflows where the process is called.

Where to go from here

Complete remaining aspects of the workflow, as described in Workflows-for-service-fulfillment.

 

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