Datapolis Process System

Search:

Contents
:
IndexBookmarkPrint
Home > User Guide > Creating Workflows > Workflow Designer > Action Launch Forms [HIDDEN] > Quick Form > Assign Variables

Assign Variables

 

The first step in creating a Quick Form is to assign workflow variables to the action. The variables will hold the data provided by users. The assignment can be done in the “Assign variables to action” window:

In this form we have the following elements:

  • List of available workflow variables, i.e. all the variables defined in the workflow and not already assigned to the action. You can assign a variable by either double-clicking it or by clicking the green icon on the right. If you wish to define new variables, click the “Manage variables” button, which will open the “Workflow variables” window described before.
  • List of assigned workflow variables. For these variables a form will be generated when user launches the action, allowing data to be collected.
  • Form header and form footer, where you can provide additional elements like form title, instructions to user, etc. You can use HTML and JavaScript, so you can do some advanced formatting, insert images and links, and even embed web applications, for instance Flash or Silverlight.
  • “Save as template” and “Load from template” buttons, which allow you to save the current action launch form definition – along with all its settings – as a template, which can then be reused in a different action. This functionality is not supported in case of InfoPath forms.

Note: It is important to understand the difference between workflow variables and form fields. Workflow variable is an abstract object where data is stored and from where it can be retrieved and used within the workflow.

 

Form field is a part of user interface, a place where user can enter data that will be assigned to the workflow variable. Fields are generated automatically when user initiates action execution. For each workflow variable assigned to a given action, one field is generated.

 

Each field has a certain type, associated with the kind of data it can gather. This is a simple way to require user to provide specific data. Also, the field will be rendered in such a way to help user in providing valid and well-formatted information. For instance, for the “Date time” field a date picker control will be generated. More about defining Form Fields is described in Configure Form Fields section.