Siebel Business Process Framework: Task UI Guide > Siebel Task UI User Interface Elements > About the Task Pane >

Task Chapter

A task chapter is a list of steps that reside in a task UI that Siebel CRM groups under a common chapter name. A task chapter is an optional UI element that can provide the user with a map of what lies ahead in completing the task UI, and what work the user finished in this task UI. The task chapter allows you to configure a logical grouping of task steps and to display the chapter name with the names of task views in the current task pane.

If a task chapter is defined when a user first opens a task UI, then Siebel CRM displays only the chapter names of the task UI that it displays in the current task pane. If Siebel CRM runs the first task view step of a chapter, then it expands the chapter name in the current task pane. It does this to display the names of task views that the user finished. In the current chapter, the current task pane displays view steps that the user visited in the order of visitation, with the current view step displayed in bold.

If you assign one step to a chapter, then you must assign all other steps in the task UI to a chapter. Although you can create many chapters for a task, it is recommended that you only create as many chapters as is required.

Figure 9 displays a task UI named Create New Account that includes two chapters. The chapter name provides details for the following parts of the task UI:

• Enter New Account
• Enter New SR

The example illustrates that the user is currently performing the Enter Account Details step.

For more information, see Creating a Task Chapter.

Using Color with a Task Chapter

You can use color in the Task Editor to differentiate between chapters that Siebel Tools displays. Steps that share the same color reside in the same chapter. Each chapter includes a Color property in the Multi Value Property Window where you define a chapter.

Contiguousness Requirements for a Task Step

If you assign multiple task UI steps to a single chapter, then the task steps must be contiguous. For example, if the two steps reside in different chapters, such as Chapter 2, then you cannot assign the fourth step to the same chapter as the first step, Chapter 1. Step 4 must reside in Chapter 2 or Chapter 3. Likewise, forward navigation that navigates to a previous chapter is not possible. This configuration is known as a chapter cycle. Validation rules prevent the flow from moving in this direction. However, you can loop task steps between chapters. For example, a step in Chapter 2 can loop back to a step in Chapter 1 after a decision point.

Using Chapters with a Subtask

You can use the Task Editor to assign a task UI step to a chapter for a parent task but not for a subtask. If you assign a chapter to a subtask step, then Siebel CRM groups the steps that reside in the subtask under the same chapter header of the subtask step. It does this when it runs the subtask.