Sub processes can be used to model the start of further processes within a process. Thus, processes can be divided into smaller reusable sub-processes and processed both serially and in parallel. In addition, it is possible to specify at the process start whether the process to be started should be synchronized, i.e. waited for the process end, or whether the process to be started should run completely independently.
The prerequisite for starting a process by another process is on the one hand the activation of the Start by process start option on the process to be started (see also Process Chaining ). At the same time, a process can only be started if either no main object has been defined or if it can be provided correctly by the triggering process and no status conflicts occur. Furthermore, the process to be started can also be configured so that several processes are started in parallel at runtime depending on the object list.
In the basic data, both the uses in other processes and the processes used in this process are listed in a table. In the display mode it is possible to navigate directly to these processes. As long as the process has not been activated, no version is displayed for the processes, since this version is only known at the time of activation.
Basic data
The following settings are maintained in the basic data:
Process to be started
Source of the (optional) main object of the target process
Source of the (optional) object list of the target process
Status Management
Object list status management
For compatibility reasons, the initiator of a sub process is currently always the initiator of the main process. This ensures that there is always a defined initiator for a sub process.
Object List
The object list takes on different roles for sub-processes. It can be used to define which objects should be added to the object list of the target process. The available objects are prefiltered by the supported objects types of the target process.
At runtime all objects are copied to the object list of the target objects list but without any additional data. Also, objects which cannot be added to the object list will be ignored.
If the Object List is also used to determine the main object, then at least one entry in the Object List must be selected to determine the main objects. The sub-process is multiplied at runtime for each object and the object is used as the main object if it fits according to the conditions of the sub-process.
If an object list definition is used for the main object, the entry is still considered for the object list transport.
There is no validation whether the objects according to the object list definition are also compatible to the main object of the sub-process.
The complete functionality and distribution of the objects is described in chapter Object List of the Process.
Container
The functionality of containers is described in the chapter Containers and Items. In the following the most important containers and items are described:
Container/Item | Description |
|---|---|
HEADER | Header data |
ASYNCHRONOUS | Process was started asynchronously |
ITERATION | Number of Iterations |
RUNTIME_STATUS | Current status at runtime |