Web Form Task (External Forms) activity

An activity that uses a web page as the user interface for a human task. The web page's URL is configurable and can include URL parameters. Thus one common use of this activity is to connect several different tasks with the same web page. Each activity can pass different input values to the web page with URL parameters to make the web page open correctly for each task.

As an alternative to URL parameters, you can also configure variables using the Update Process Data activity.


Web Form Task activity

Configure the Web Form Task (External Forms) activity

To configure the Web Form Task (External Forms) activity, do the procedure in this topic.

Good to Know

  • In most text fields, you can use process data variables as an alternative to literal data values.
  • Use a Standard Task activity only if you do not want the form to start the process. If you want your form to start the process, use the Start Task (eForms) activity or Start Task (External Forms) activity.
  • Some information about third-party integrations is outside the scope of the AgilePoint NX Product Documentation, and it is the responsibility of the vendors who create and maintain these technologies to provide this information. This includes specific business uses cases and examples; explanations for third-party concepts; details about the data models and input and output data formats for third-party technologies; and various types of IDs, URL patterns, connection string formats, and other technical information that is specific to the third-party technologies. For more information, refer to Where Can I Find Information and Examples for Third-Party Integrations?

How to Start

  1. On the Application Explorer screen, do one of these:
  2. Do one of these:
    • Add an activity:
      1. In the Process Builder, in the Activity Library, open the External Forms External Forms icon tab.
      2. On the External Forms External Forms icon tab, drag the Web Form Task (External Forms) Web Form Task icon activity onto your process.
    • Change an activity:
      1. In your process, double-click your activity.

Procedure

  1. Complete the fields on the General Configuration screen.
  2. Click Participants Participants icon
  3. Add or change participants for your task on the Participants screen.

    For more information, refer to Add Participants to a Human Task with External Forms.

  4. Click Web Form URL Web Form URL icon
  5. Configure the URL for the web form on the Web Form URL screen.

    For more information, refer to Connect a Web Form to a Process.

  6. Click Advanced Advanced icon > Web Form Controls Web Form Controls icon.
  7. Configure your form controls on the WebForm Controls screen.
  8. Click Advanced Advanced icon > Update Process Instance Variable Update Process Instance Variable icon.
  9. Set process data variables whose values you want to change a variable on the Update Process Instance Variable screen.
  10. Click Advanced Advanced icon > User Defined Properties User Defined Properties icon.
  11. Configure user defined properties on the User Defined Properties screen.
  12. (Optional) ​When the task changes status, you can send notifications using e-mail, Yammer, Salesforce Chatter, Skype for Business, or SMS:
  13. (Optional) If you want to configure your task to show on a mobile device, click Advanced Advanced icon > Mobile View Mobile View icon.

    For more information, refer to Mobile View.

General Configuration

Specifies the basic settings for the Web Form Task activity.

Figure: General Configuration screen

General Configuration screen

Fields

Field Name Definition

Display Name

Function:
Specifies the activity name that shows in your process.
Accepted Values:
One line of text that can have spaces.
Default Value:
None
Accepts Process Data Variables:
No
Example:
This is a common configuration field that is used in many examples. Refer to:
  • Examples - Step-by-step use case examples, information about what types of examples are provided in the AgilePoint NX Product Documentation, and other resources where you can find more examples.

Description

Function:
Specifies an optional text description for your activity.
Accepted Values:
More than one line of text.
Default Value:
None
Accepts Process Data Variables:
No

Time to Complete

Function:
Specifies the maximum amount of time that should be allowed for the completion of the task associated with this activity before it is considered Overdue. This is a combination of a number of minutes, hours, days, or weeks.
Accepted Values:
A number of minutes, hours, days, or weeks.
Default Value:
1 Day
Accepts Process Data Variables:
Yes

External form to be associated with this task

Function:
Specifies the name of the task that shows in a participant's task list.

In most cases, for processes that use ASP.NET forms, this value also determines the file names for the .aspx form pages.

Accepted Values:
The values for this property change with the type of process you are using:
  • Generic - Does this:
    • Specifies the name that shows in the participant's Task List for this task.
    • If you create an ASP.NET project for this process in AgilePoint Developer, a new .aspx page is created for each human task with the same file name as the value of the Work to Perform property.
  • SPList - Specifies the name that shows in the participant's Task List for this task.
  • AgileForms - Specifies the name that shows in the participant's Task List for this task.

    The default value for this field is FormRender. AgilePoint recommends you change this value.

Default Value:
None, except for AgileForms processes.
Accepts Process Data Variables:
No

Participants

Specifies the people, groups, or roles assigned to a human task.

Figure: Participants screen

Participants screen

Fields

Field Name Definition

Details

Function:
Shows participants for the task.
Accepted Values:
  • Any user, group, or role - You can add users, groups, or roles as participants, as long as ProcessInitiator is also included in the list.
  • A process data variable.
  • ProcessInitiator - This is a process data variable for that represents a participant who completes a form to start a process instance. This value is required for start tasks.
Default Value:
  • ProcessInitiator - For start tasks.
  • None - For other tasks.
Accepts Process Data Variables:
Yes
Example:
Refer to:

Participant Type list

Function:
Specifies a category of participants to add to the task. The list of participants of the type you select shows.
Accepted Values:
Default Value:
Groups
Accepts Process Data Variables:
No
Example:
Refer to:

Search

Function:
Does a search based on the specified criteria.

The maximum number of participants to complete this task

Function:
Specifies the number of group members who need to be assigned as participants for a task.
Accepted Values:
  • An integer that specifies a number of participants within a group required to complete a task.
  • Unlimited Participants - Specifies that all members of a group are required to participate.
Default Value:
1
Example:
If the participant is set to a group of users, and Max number of people to complete this task is 2, then 2 members of the group actually are required to participate in the task.

Assign task to the same participants each time activity runs

Function:
Specifies if, when a activity runs more than one time during a process, the same participants must complete the task each time.
Accepted Values:
  • Selected - If an activity is runs more than one time, the same participants who took assignment the first time are also assigned the task each time after.
  • Deselected - If an activity is runs more than one time, any participants can take assignment each time.
Default Value:
Selected
Example:
Ann is part of a group, and takes assignment for a task. She rejects the task. If this field is selected, the next time the process starts this task, the same user, Ann is assigned the task. If this field is deselected, the task goes back into the pool, and anyone in the group can take assignment.

Also refer to:

Web Form URL

Specifies the URL for the web form for your task.

This URL shows in the participant's task list in the Work Center of the AgilePoint Portal.

Figure: Web Form URL screen

Web Form URL screen

Prerequisites

Fields

Field Name Definition

Link your external web form with the following URL

Function:
Specifies the URL of the web form that is associated with a task.

In SharePoint, if you select the Customize Form (InfoPath) option in the SharePoint ribbon, this field can indicate the URL for the InfoPath task, and specify whether the task opens in a new screen.

Accepted Values:

For ASP.NET pages, the following URL types are available:

  • A Relative URL - An ASP.NET application-relative URL can be used by specifying a URL that starts with a slash.

    The location of the ASP.NET application is derived in the same way as described under the documentation of the Work To Perform property of the Manual activity.

  • An Absolute URL - An absolute URL which provides the full path to the Web page.

For SharePoint, the use one of the following URL formats, depending upon your setting for OpenTaskInNewWindow in the AgilePoint Configuration List in SharePoint:

  • OpenTaskInNewWindow is set to True -

    http://[machine name]:[port]/sites/[site name]/Lists/[list name]/Item/editifs.aspx?List=${ListID} &ID=${ListItemID}&Web=${WebID}&Source= http://[machine name]:[port]/sites/[site name]/_layouts/AP/CompleteWorkItem%2Easpx?WID=${WorkItemID}

  • OpenTaskInNewWindow is set to False - This redirects to the home page of the of the SharePoint, provided the HomePage attribute includes the URL of the SharePoint home page. Notice the phrase %26Source=${HomePage} at the end, which is the only difference:

    http://[machine name]:[port]/sites/[site name]/Lists/[list name]/Item/editifs.aspx?List=${ListID} &ID=${ListItemID}&Web=${WebID}&Source= http://[machine name]:[port]/sites/[site name]/_layouts/AP/CompleteWorkItem%2Easpx?WID=${WorkItemID}%26Source=${HomePage}

Default Value:
None
Accepts Process Data Variables:
Yes
Example:
ASP.NET examples:
  • Relative URL -

    /doc/review.aspx?a=1&b=2

  • Absolute URL -

    http://www.tusca.com/MyPage.aspx?item=$\{itemid\}&quantity=$\{qty\}&express=no

    The values of two of the parameters are initialized by the variables ($\{itemid\} and $\{qty\}) at runtime, and the third is initialized to a hard coded value.

SharePoint examples:

  • OpenTaskInNewWindow is set to True -

    http://demo3:8010/Lists/TestList/Item/editifs.aspx?List=${ListID}&ID=${ListItemID} &Web=${WebID}&Source=http://demo3:8000/_layouts/AP/CompleteWorkItem%2Easpx?WID=${WorkItemID}

  • OpenTaskInNewWindow is set to False -

    http://demo3:8010/Lists/TestList/Item/editifs.aspx?List=${ListID}&ID=${ListItemID} &Web=${WebID}&Source=http://demo3:8000/_layouts/AP/CompleteWorkItem%2Easpx?WID=${WorkItemID}%26Source=${HomePage}

Web Form Controls

Configures how fields display on your web form.

Figure: Web Form Controls screen

Web Form Controls screen

Fields

Field Name Definition

Web Control Names

Function:
Specifies the custom controls to be used in the web form.
Accepted Values:
A text string that specifies the name of a web form control.
Default Value:
None
Accepts Process Data Variables:
No

Enable/Disable/Invisible

Function:
Determines the display and availability of custom controls on the web form, such as whether a web form control is visible and editable.
Accepted Values:
  • Enable - The control is visible and editable.
  • Disable - The control is visible, but not editable.
  • Invisible - The control is not visible.
Default Value:
Enable
Accepts Process Data Variables:
No

Add Add icon

Function:
Adds a row to specify a web form control name and how the control is displayed on the web form.

Delete Delete icon

Function:
Deletes the selected row from the Web Form Controls list.

Update Process Instance Variable

Updates a value for a process data variable based on a specified type of event.

Figure: Update Process Instance Variable screen

Update Process Instance Variable screen

Fields

Field Name Definition

Process Instance Variable

Function:
Specifies the name of the process data variable you want to update on the basis of an event type.
Accepted Values:
  • The name of process data variable to be updated.
  • You can also use the XML variable associated with the process.
Default Value:
None
Accepts Process Data Variables:
Yes
Example:

Value

Function:
Specifies a value for the process data variable that is set when an event occurs.
Accepted Values:
Default Value:
None
Accepts Process Data Variables:
Yes

When To Update

Function:
Specifies the event that causes the process data variable to be set to your value.
Accepted Values:
  • Enter - The process goes into the activity.
  • Assign - A task is assigned to a participant.
  • Cancel - A task is cancelled.
  • Complete - A task is completed.
  • Leave - The process goes out of the activity.
Default Value:
None

Add Add icon

Function:
Creates a row to add a process data variable, value, and event.

Delete Delete icon

Function:
Deletes the selected row from the variable list.

User Defined Properties

Specifies ClientData process data variable values that are associated with a human task activity when a process runs. You can specify a set of variables as name/value pairs that are sent to your web forms. This is an alternative to sending data with URL parameters.

Figure: User Defined Properties screen

User Defined Properties screen

Fields

Field Name Definition

Name

Function:
Specifies the name for the ClientData.

The ClientData property stores data related to the human task activity. This is like defining a process data variable to store specific values.

Accepted Values:
One line of text that can have spaces.
Default Value:
None
Accepts Process Data Variables:
Yes
Limitations:

Some information about third-party integrations is outside the scope of the AgilePoint NX Product Documentation, and it is the responsibility of the vendors who create and maintain these technologies to provide this information. This includes specific business uses cases and examples; explanations for third-party concepts; details about the data models and input and output data formats for third-party technologies; and various types of IDs, URL patterns, connection string formats, and other technical information that is specific to the third-party technologies. For more information, refer to Where Can I Find Information and Examples for Third-Party Integrations?

Value

Function:
The value for the ClientData variable.
Accepted Values:
A number or a text string that can contain spaces.

You can set the value for the process data variable by using an XML value.

Default Value:
None
Accepts Process Data Variables:
Yes
Limitations:

Some information about third-party integrations is outside the scope of the AgilePoint NX Product Documentation, and it is the responsibility of the vendors who create and maintain these technologies to provide this information. This includes specific business uses cases and examples; explanations for third-party concepts; details about the data models and input and output data formats for third-party technologies; and various types of IDs, URL patterns, connection string formats, and other technical information that is specific to the third-party technologies. For more information, refer to Where Can I Find Information and Examples for Third-Party Integrations?

Type

Function:
Determines the data type for the ClientData variable.
Accepted Values:
  • string
  • int
  • bool
  • decimal
Default Value:
string

Add Add icon

Function:
Creates a row where you can specify a ClientData property.

Delete Delete icon

Function:
Deletes the selected row from the user defined properties list.