Siebel Business Process Framework: Workflow Guide > Options for Configuring a Workflow Process > Configuring Events >

Configuring a User Event

A user event is a unique event that is internal to Siebel Workflow. It starts or resumes a long-running workflow process from the Workflow Process Manager. It belongs to one of the following object types:

• Application
• Applet
• Business Component

Siebel CRM can use a user event to do the following:

• Start or resume a long-running workflow process that runs in the Workflow Process Manager (WFProcMgr) server component.
• Start a workflow process if the user event is attached to a start step.
• Resume a workflow process instance that is paused. You configure the user event on a workflow process step that can receive an input argument.
• Be used in a long-running workflow process that spans multiple users.

A long-running workflow process must use only a user event, and not a run-time event.

Using the Workflow User Event Service Business Service to Create a User Event

To create a user event, Siebel CRM calls the Workflow User Event Service business service. Siebel CRM can use it only in a long-running workflow process.You cannot modify Siebel CRM to cause a long-running workflow to resume on a custom workflow process server component.

The Workflow User Event Service business service must communicate with the Workflow Process Manager to use a user event. Siebel CRM can call the Workflow User Event Service business service from a business service step, a script, a COM interface, or a Java interface. For example, assume a 7.0 Flow workflow process or a service workflow process starts a user event. A business service step calls the Workflow User Event Service business service to communicate with a long-running workflow process that runs in the background.

Most types of workflow processes or business services can create a user event. It is recommended that you define only a long-running workflow process to receive a user event.

For more information, see Workflow User Event Service Business Service.

Starting the Workflow User Event Service Business Service

This topic describes how to call the Workflow User Event Service business service to create a user event.

To start the Workflow User Event Service business service

1. Add a business service step to a workflow process.
2. Click the business service step you added in Step 1, and then use the Properties window to define values described in the following table.

   Property	Value
   Business Service Name	Workflow User Event Service
   Business Service Method	GenerateEvent

3. In the MVPW, create a new input argument for the step.

   For more information, see Arguments That You Can Define for a Process Property.

4. In the Input Argument field, choose Payload, and then define the other fields, as appropriate.
5. Repeat Step 3 and Step 4, except choose Correlator Value.
6. Repeat Step 3 and Step 4 again, except choose User Event Name.

Configuring a Long-Running Workflow Process to Wait for a User Event

A long-running workflow process is the only type of workflow process that can wait for a user event. Other types of workflow processes can create a user event but not wait for a user event.

To configure a long-running workflow process to wait for a user event

1. Open the Process Designer for the workflow process where you must define a user event.
2. In the Multi-Value Property Window, set the Correlator Flag field for one of the process properties for the workflow process to TRUE.

   For more information, see Using Process Properties.

3. On the branch of the step that handles the event, such as a start step or a wait step, use the Properties window to define values described in the following table.

   Property	Value
   Type	Condition If you set Type to Default rather than to Condition, then Siebel CRM does not call the user event.
   User Event Name	Enter the name of the workflow process that you defined for the Value property in Step 6.
   User Event Timeout	Choose the name of the process property that holds the payload that Siebel CRM passes from the user event.
   User Event Storage	Enter the timeout period for the user event. The User Event Timeout works in a way that is similar to the timeout for a run-time event. If Siebel CRM does not receive a user event during the timeout period, then it resumes the workflow process after the timeout period expires.

Siebel CRM does not queue a user event. If no recipient is waiting to accept the user event with the defined correlator, then Siebel CRM discards the event.