Start Event Settings

A Start Event initiates a process instance. It shows where the process begins in the graphic model. By default, the user represented by a swimlane with the start event becomes responsible for the process instance execution. In the swimlane settings you can specify job positions, groups of employees and user groups, whose members can start the process. The Start Event can have only outgoing connectors. A process can have only one Start Event.

Common tab

Fig. 1. The Start Event settings. The Common tab.

Name — A Start Event name. The name you enter in this field will appear in the process documentation and in the header of the settings window. By default, the Start Event name is not specified.
Description — An event description. The text you enter in this field will be displayed on the process start form in Web Application (fig. 7). You can enter a brief description of the process for informational or documentation purposes.
Event Type — Shows the selected event type. The Change Type button allows you to select any of available event types.

Trigger — Shows the selected event trigger. The Change Trigger button allows you to select the way the process is started. In ELMA BPM you can start a process using two methods and two respective triggers:

	N/A — The process is triggered by an external event. A user can start the process manually either from external systems or from other processes depending on the publishing settings.
	Timer — The process is started (i.e. triggered) when a specific time condition has occurred. If you select this trigger, a new Timer Settings tab appears in the event settings window. Please note that if you select this trigger, the start even must be in a static swimlane and the executor must be specified with an organizational structure element or a context variable. It should be noted that when you choose the User Group element as the executor of the static swimlane, for all active members of the group a separate process instance will be started.
	Event — a process starts when a message is received from a message queue. When you select this trigger for the start event, a new tab appears in the Event Settings window. Make sure that the swimlane is static, and the executor of tasks placed in this swimlane is defined by an organizational structure element (except the user group element) or by a context variable that stores the executor. This trigger is only available for ELMA Enterprise users.

Form (Context) Tab

This tab allows you to configure the process start form in the Web Application:

Simple Form — A standard form for starting a process (fig. 3);
Form Builder — Allows you to configure your own form for starting the process (fig. 8).

Simple Form

Fig. 2. The Start Event settings. The Form(Context) tab. Simple Form.

The Simple Form allows you to add context variables to the process start form (fig. 3). In Web Application, the variables will be displayed successively on the task form, under the process description.

The Add button allows you to add a new variable to the process context.

The Move button allows you to move the available context variables to the list of the displayed variables.

The Up and Down buttons allow you to place the variables in the desired order.

Click Edit to open the context variable settings.

Click Delete to remove the context variable from the list of displayed variables.

All properties — This section shows all the process context variables.

To move the process variables form the All properties section to the Displayed Properties section either click the arrow icon

next to the variable; or simply drag-and-drop.

Displayed Properties — This section shows the context variables, displayed in the process start form in Web Application (fig. 3). A process initiator can define these variables before starting a process and assigning tasks to other users; it reduces the number of process tasks and thus simplifies the process.

You can configure the display of each variable by marking it as:

Required — Users will not be able to start the process until they define the variable value.
Read Only — Users will not be able to change the value of the variable.

If you select “Value Change” action script, then next to the variable name, in the rightmost column you will see the icon

Fig. 3. The process start form in the Web Application. Simple Form.

Form Builder

You can use the Form Builder to create a custom start form of the process. When you mark this checkbox, the system offers to create a new form or select an existing one (fig. 4).

Fig. 4. The Start Event settings. The Form(Context) tab. The Form Builder.

Click the Create New Form button; in the emerged window type the form name and click OK (fig. 5). The Form Builder opens allowing you to customize the process start form.

The form name is automatically inserted in the selection box on the Form (Context) tab.

Fig. 5. The Create form dialog box.

If you click Select Existing Form you will be able to select one of the available forms from the drop-down list. To view the list items, click the button

(fig. 6). Under the selection box you will see the form thumbnail.

Fig. 6. The Start Event settings. The Form (Context) tab. The Form Builder. Selecting form.

If the existing forms are not suitable, you can either create a new form by clicking the cross icon

, or edit an existing form in the Form Builder, by clicking the

icon .

When starting the process in Web Application, a user will see the selected form (fig. 7).

Fig. 7. The process start form in the Web Application.

Timer Settings tab

This tab becomes available if you enable the Timer trigger on the Common tab of the Start Event settings window. On this tab, you can set the time when the process must start.

Fig. 8. The Start Event settings. The Timer Settings tab.

The Start field allows you to set the date and time when the process must start for the first time. If the process is periodic (repeats on a regular basis) and it is published later than the date and time specified in this field, the system uses the specified values to calculate the date and time of the next start. For example, a periodic process (starts daily) is published on 07/27/2014 at 14:00:00; the Start field value is 07/23/2014, 12:00:00. The system will automatically start the process on 07/28/2014 at 12:00:00.

To check the process start date and time in Web Application go to Administration – System – Scheduler – Business Processes (fig.9).

Fig. 9. The Start Event settings. The Timer Settings tab.

If you need the process instance to be started only once, then select the Once checkbox (fig. 8). However, the system can start new process instances within 24 hours, if you select an additional option Repeat task every....

The system can also initiate processes periodically at certain time on the specified date.

Select the Every Day option if the process must be repeated daily or every few days. In the Repeat every … day(s), field specify the interval and select the the working days option if you want the process to be started only on working days. The periodicity is calculated starting from the date and time specified in the Start field .

Fig. 10 shows an example of settings that allow you to start a new process instance every tenth working day from the date specified in the Start field.

If in the settings of the start event the specified number of working days is more than that in the global business calendar, the process will be started on the last working day of the month according to the global business calendar. Every working day has a sequence number. If the global business calendar specifies that there are 9 working days in a month, then with the settings shown in fig. 10 the process will start on the 9^th (the last) working day of the month.

Fig. 10. The Timer settings of the Start Event. The Every Day option.

Select the Every Week option if the process must be repeated weekly or every few weeks. In the Repeat every … week field specify the interval; you can also specify the days of the week when the system must start a new process instance. The periodicity is calculated starting from the date and time specified in the Start field.

Fig. 11 shows an example of settings that allow you to start a new process instance on Tuesday and Thursday every second week.

Fig. 11. The Timer settings of the Start Event. The Every Week option.

Select the Every Month option if the process must be repeated monthly or every few months. Specify the day of the month when the process must be started; select the working days checkbox if you want the process to be started only on working days. You can also specify the months when the system must start a new process instance.

Fig. 12 shows an example of settings that allow you to start a new process instance every first working day of the month.

Fig. 12. The Timer settings of the Start Event. The Every Month option.

The field Repeat task every … minutes (hours) allows you to set the time interval for starting the process within 24 hours. The periodicity is calculated starting from the date and time specified in the Start field. The process is repeated until the time specified in the field complete until.

The Finish setting allows you to specify the time when the timer must be disabled. After the time and date specified in this field the system does not start new process instances.

You can select one of the following options for the setting "If the server is unavailable at the scheduled time, after it becomes available":

Complete the task for last skipped moment - once the server is restarted, all the incomplete tasks will be restated. This is the default option.

Complete the task for the moment right after the start - tasks will be executed only from the moment the server is started.

The Enabled setting allows you to activate or deactivate the timer. If the timer is deactivated, the process will not be started automatically, regardless of the other timer parameters.

The Event Settings tab

This tab is only available in the ELMA Enterprise edition.

This tab becomes available, if you set up the Event trigger on the Common tab of the Start event settings window. On the Event Settings Tab (fig. 13), you can specify the message queue whose events will trigger the process start.

Fig. 13. The event settings tab

Event - select the required message queue from the drop-down list.

Message Queue - select the type of the message queue from the drop-down list (RabbitMQ or MSMQ)

Script for processing received data - specify a script which defines actions that the system must perform when receiving new messages from the selected queue.