Create a Business Process

A business process contains a start event, an end event, and possibly other flow elements. You can start your process from scratch (that is, with an empty start event), with a form, or when a message is received. Alternatively, you can select a predefined process pattern to begin creating a new process.

Predefined process patterns provide a simplified version of the most commonly-created processes. Because it’s easier to edit rather than to create, a predefined process supplies you with a shortcut to creating processes, and a way to test other features in Process that require a complete process. If you create an application based on a QuickStart App, then a submit-and-approve business process is automatically created. You can use this process to learn more about the functionality of the design-time environment by using a test environment to experiment. You can also use it as a starting point to build your own processes.

To create a business process:

1. On the Application Home tab, click Processes in the Components pane.
2. Click Create to open the Create Process dialog box.
3. Enter a name for the process.
   The field is populated with a default name, such as Process, Process1, and so on. You can use this name or change it later.
4. If you want to rename an existing process, open the process, click Restore Pane , click Business Properties, select the General tab, and then update the process name.
5. Select a pattern from the list. You can start with None (an empty start event), Form, Message, or a predefined process pattern.

   • If you start your process with a form, the form isn’t created at this point. Instead, you’re only setting up the process to expect a form that must be built and associated with the form start event.

   • If you start your process using a predefined process pattern, you must still add the implementation details for every flow element that was automatically added.

   • If you want to start your process with a document or folder, select None. You then need to manually adjust the process by replacing the None start event with the Document Start or Folder Start event.

6. Review the optional settings and make your changes, if any.

   • In the Description field, enter helpful information about this process, what it’s all about, and why you would use it.

   • If this process is for descriptive use only, select the Document-Only check box.

     Business processes often include details that are necessary for the process to run, which can complicate things for someone who only wants to understand what the process does at a high level. A document-only process provides a simplified process diagram for descriptive use. Document-only processes aren’t validated and can coexist with deployable processes in applications.

   • If you want to create the process but not edit it right now, deselect the Open Immediately check box to return to the Application Home tab. For example, you may want to create several processes at once before you edit any of them. You can select and edit your process at any time.

7. Click Create.