WCM Workows [ 182 ] Step 1: Create a Task Model For each task in the Process Denition (as dened by <task> elements), it is possible to associate a task description. The description species information that may be attached to a task, that is properties (name and data type) associations (name and type of associated object), and mandatory aspects. A user may view and edit this information in the Task dialog within the Alfresco Explorer. The Task Model is expressed as a Content Model, as supported by the Data Dictionary. To create a Task Model, create a new Content Model le for Process Denition with the .xml extension. • Dene a Content Model name • Create a Type for each task • Dene Properties • Dene and add Aspects to a Type Dene a Content Model name Create a new Content Model for the Process Denition. Dene the namespace of the model. XML namespaces provide a method for avoiding element name conicts. If you want to use any other model's task, aspect, or association, then you can use it by importing their namespace. Reusability of Task Model is possible. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <model name="bookwcmwf:workflowmodel" xmlns="http://www.alfresco.org/model/dictionary/1.0"> <imports> <import uri="http://www.alfresco.org/model/wcmworkflow/1.0" prefix="wcmwf" /> <import uri="http://www.alfresco.org/model/bpm/1.0" prefix="bpm"> </imports> <namespaces> <namespace uri="http://book.com" prefix="bookwcmwf" /> </namespaces> </model> Create a Type for each task For each task we have to dene a Content Type. The Type can also be extended as follows: <types> <type name="bookwcmwf:submitReviewTask"> <parent>wcmwf:startTask</parent> </type> </types> Download from Wow! eBook <www.wowebook.com> Chapter 5 [ 183 ] Dene Properties Within each Type, describe the Properties and Associations (information) required for that task. Properties can also be inherited from other task denitions. Using the previous example all the properties of wcmwf:startTask will be added to this Type. <type name="bookwcmwf:submitReviewTask"> <parent>wcmwf:startTask</parent> <properties> <property name="wcmwf:submitReviewType"> <title>Serial or Parallel Review</title> <type>d:text</type> </property> </properties> <associations> <association name="wcmwf:webproject"> <source> <mandatory>false</mandatory> <many>false</many> </source> <target> <class>wca:webfolder</class> <mandatory>true</mandatory> <many>false</many> </target> </association> </associations> </type> Dene Aspect You can also introduce custom properties by dening an Aspect. An Aspect can be applied to any Content Type. Once applied, the properties are added to that Content Type. You cannot dene a dependency on other Aspects. They cannot be extended. <type name="bookwcmwf:verifyBrokenLinksTask"> <parent>wcmwf:workflowTask</parent> <mandatory-aspects> <aspect>bookwcmwf:reviewInfo</aspect> <aspect>bpm:assignee</aspect> </mandatory-aspects> </type> <aspects> <aspect name="bookwcmwf:reviewInfo"> Download from Wow! eBook <www.wowebook.com> WCM Workows [ 184 ] <properties> <property name=" bookwcmwf:reviewerCnt"> <title>Reviewer Count</title> <type>d:int</type> <mandatory>true</mandatory> </property> </properties> </aspect> </aspects> The following are the advantages of having custom Aspect over custom content: • Flexibility: You will have more exibility. Having a custom Aspect will give you the exibility to add an additional set of properties to the documents in specic spaces. • Efciency: Since these properties are applied selectively to certain documents only in certain spaces, you will use limited storage in a relational database for these properties. The following are the disadvantages of having custom Aspect over custom content: • High Maintenance: If the custom Aspect (additional properties) is added to documents based on business rules, you need to dene it at every space, wherever required. • Dependency: You cannot dene the dependency with other Aspects. For example, if you need the effectivity aspect to always be associated with the custom aspect, you need to make sure you attach both the Aspects to the documents. Now that we are familiar with the code, let's develop a complete model le to deploy our case study in action. For any customization of les you have to develop the les in the extension folder of <install-alfresco>. Create a le book-serial-group-workflow-wcmModel. xml in the specied location <install-alfresco>/tomcat/shared/classes/ alfresco/extension . Copy the downloaded content into the le. For reference, go to http://wiki.alfresco.com/ wiki/Data_Dictionary_Guide#Content_Types. Download from Wow! eBook <www.wowebook.com> Chapter 5 [ 185 ] Step 2: Create the Process Denition A Process Denition represents a formal specication of a business process and is based on a directed graph. The graph is composed of nodes and transitions. Every node in the graph is of a specic Type. The Type of the node denes the runtime behavior. A Process Denition has exactly one Start-state and End-state. The following table describes some of the key terms used in a Process Denition: Key term Description Swimlane Swimlane is used to dene a role for a user. Transition Transitions have a source node and a destination node. The source node is represented by the property from and the destination node is represented by the property to. It is used to connect nodes. A Transition can optionally have a name. The name is represented in the UI with a button. Task Tasks are associated with a Swimlane. These tasks are dened in the Workow model les. On the basis of these tasks, the Properties are displayed. Actions Actions are pieces of Java code that are executed upon events in the process execution. These actions are performed on the basis of these tasks, as dened in the Process Denition. Events The jBPM engine will re Events during the graph execution. Events specify moments in the execution of the process. An Event can be task-create, node- enter, task-end, process-end, and so on. When the jBPM engine res an event, the list of Actions is executed. Scripts Script is executed within Action. Some of the variables that can be available in Script are node, task, execution context, and so on. Nodes Each Node has a specic type. The Node Type determines what will happen when an execution arrives in the Node at runtime. The following table summarizes the Node Types available in jBPM out of the box. Node types Description Task Node A Task Node represents one or more tasks that have to be performed by users. Start-state There can be only one Start-state in the Process Denition, which logs the start of the workow. decision The distinction between multiple paths. When the decision between multiples path has to be taken, a decision node is used. fork A fork splits one path of execution into multiple concurrent paths of execution. Download from Wow! eBook <www.wowebook.com> WCM Workows [ 186 ] Node types Description join Joins multiple paths into single path. A join will end every token that enters the join. node The node serves the situation where you want to write your own code in a node. End-state There can be only one End-state in the Process Denition, which logs the end of the workow. There are two ways of building the Process Denition. One is by hand, that is create a jPDL XML document. The second option is by designer, that is use a tool to generate the jPDL XML document. To create a Process Denition, create a new Process Denition le with the extension .xml. Dene a Process Denition name The Process Denition name is important. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <process-definition xmlns="urn:jbpm.org:jpdl-3.1" name="bookwcmwf:bookworkflow"> In the previous code we have used bookwcmwf:bookworkflow where bookwcmwf is the namespace of the workow model le dened earlier, which we are going to use in this Process Denition, and bookworkflow can be any name. Dene a Swimlane Swimlanes are used to declare workow "roles". Tasks are associated with a Swimlane. Here initiator is the user who is starting the workow. Likewise, we have some other roles also dened. For example, bpm_assignee (one user to whom the workow is assigned), bpm_assignees (one or more user), bpm_groupAssignee (single group), and bpm_groupAssignees (one or more groups). <swimlane name="initiator"/> <swimlane name="approver"> <assignment class="org.alfresco.repo.workflow.jbpm.AlfrescoAssignment"> <pooledactors>#{bpm_groupAssignee}</pooledactors> </assignment> </swimlane> <swimlane name="assignee"> <assignment class="org.alfresco.repo.workflow.jbpm.AlfrescoAssignment"> <actor>#{bpm_assignee}</actor> </assignment> </swimlane> Download from Wow! eBook <www.wowebook.com> Chapter 5 [ 187 ] Associate a task We have already dened task in the Content Model les. On the basis of these tasks the properties are displayed. Next step is to add these tasks to the workow process. To start with, add a task to the start node. The Start Task is assigned to the initiator of the workow. It's used to collect the information (that is the workow parameters) required for the workow to proceed. <start-state name="start"> <task name="bookwcmwf:submitReviewTask" swimlane="initiator"/> <transition name="" to="initialise"/> </start-state> <swimlane name="assignee"> <assignment class="org.alfresco.repo.workflow.jbpm.AlfrescoAssignment"> <actor>#{bpm_assignee}</actor> </assignment> </swimlane> <task-node name="initialise "> <task name="bookwcmwf:verifyBrokenLinksTask" swimlane="assignee" /> <transition name="abort" to="end"> <action class="org.alfresco.repo.workflow.jbpm.AlfrescoJavaScript"> <script> var mail = actions.create("mail"); mail.parameters.to = initiator.properties["cm:email"]; mail.parameters.subject = "Adhoc Task " + bpm_workflowDescription; mail.parameters.from = bpm_assignee.properties["cm:email"]; mail.parameters.text = "It's done"; mail.execute(bpm_package); </script> </action> </task-node> <end-state name="end"/> Download from Wow! eBook <www.wowebook.com> WCM Workows [ 188 ] During runtime, all the properties of the task bookwcmwf:submitReviewTask are visible to the user who is initiating a workow. Once the properties are lled, the initiator assigns a task to another user or group. In this case, it is assigned to user. Now the task appears in dashlets of assigned user. The Assignee lls the properties of the task bookwcmwf:verifyBrokenLinksTask and clicks on the abort button. The abort transition would call Alfresco JavaScript that sends an e-mail. And an end-state event will log the end of the workow. We are now ready to create a Process Denition le and use the workow model we developed earlier for our case study. Create a le book-serial-group-processdefinition.xml in the specied location <install-alfresco>/tomcat/shared/classes/alfresco/extension. Copy the downloaded content into the le. For reference go to http://wiki.alfresco.com/ wiki/WorkflowAdministration. Step 3: Create the workow Resource Bundles For localized workow interaction it is necessary to provide Resource Bundles containing UI labels for each piece of text that is exposed to the user. With the appropriate Resource Bundles, a single workow instance may spawn tasks where the user interface for each task is rendered in a different language, based on the locale of the user. Specic structure has to be followed in order to dene labels for UI in Resource Bundle. <model_prefix>_<model_name>.[title|description] <model_prefix>_<model_name>.<model_element>.<element_prefix>_ <element_name>.[title|description] Add all the properties that relate to this Process Denition and model. bookwcmwf_bookworkflow.workflow.title=Book Workflow bookwcmwf_bookworkflow.node.verifybrokenlinks.transition.abort. title=Abort Submission bookwcmwf_workflowmodel.type.bookwcmwf_reviewTask.description= Review Documents to approve or reject them Create a le book-serial-group-messages.properties in the specied location, <install-alfresco>/tomcat/shared/classes/alfresco/extension. Copy the downloaded content into the le. Download from Wow! eBook <www.wowebook.com> Chapter 5 [ 189 ] Step 4: Create the Alfresco Explorer Task dialogs The custom web client conguration le contains information on how to display these custom Content Types, Aspects, and Associations. You need to make sure that the web client program recognizes this new custom aspect and displays it in the web- based interface. In order to make this happen, you need to congure the web client le, web-client-config-custom.xml, in the extension folder. Open the web-client-config-custom.xml le from the specied location <install-alfresco>/tomcat/shared/classes/alfresco/extension. Copy the downloaded content into the le. Step 5: Create a custom model Spring Context le The custom model context le denes the Spring bean that will be used to bootstrap the denition of your custom Model, Workow, and Resource Bundle. It lists one or more custom Model les, Workow les, and Resource Bundles. When Spring starts up, it will instantiate this bean and will load your les from the disk. Create a custom model context le and name the le as <your-custom-model- name>-context.xml , for example, bookWorkflowModel-context.xml. Create the le in the specied location <install-alfresco>/tomcat/shared/classes/ alfresco/extension . Copy the downloaded content in the le. Download the complete code samples from the Packt website. It is very important for you to note that the Alfresco server recognizes context les. Step 6: Deploy into WCM project In order to identify this workow for WCM, open the web-client-config-wcm.xml le from the specied location <install-alfresco>/tomcat/webapps/alfresco/ WEB-INF/classes/alfresco and insert the highlighted XML code within the workflows tag, as follows: <workflows> wcmwf:submit ,bookwcmwf:bookworkflow </workflows> Download from Wow! eBook <www.wowebook.com> WCM Workows [ 190 ] Test the workow Now that we have completed workow implementation, let's test the workow. Follow the steps below to test workow. 1. Refer to the Associating workows to web forms section for how to congure a workow for Blog web form. You will notice one more workow is added. Follow the steps as mentioned in the specied section. 2. Go to Company Home | Web Projects | Cignex. 3. Select Edit Web Project Settings from the action menu. 4. Click on Next. 5. On the next screen, click on Next again. 6. In the Step Three window, you will notice the added web forms in the panel as shown in the following screenshot. You can see the Congure Workow button available for the web form. This button is enabled only for those web forms for which we have congured workows. Notice the attention icon next to the workow. This indicates a workow has been selected but not congured. Download from Wow! eBook <www.wowebook.com> Chapter 5 [ 191 ] 7. Congure the workow and assign it to three groups as shown in the next screenshot. This workow is a serial one. So it will go to the groups, one by one, only in the series Technical Reviewer, Editorial, and Publisher. Download from Wow! eBook <www.wowebook.com> . the web client program recognizes this new custom aspect and displays it in the web- based interface. In order to make this happen, you need to congure the web client le, web- client-config-custom.xml,. les in the extension folder of <install-alfresco>. Create a le book-serial-group-workflow-wcmModel. xml in the specied location <install-alfresco>/tomcat/shared/classes/ alfresco/extension and name the le as <your-custom-model- name>-context.xml , for example, bookWorkflowModel-context.xml. Create the le in the specied location <install-alfresco>/tomcat/shared/classes/ alfresco/extension .