Test a Process Using Process Player in Oracle Integration

You can test a business process using the application player.

About Testing a Process Using the Application Player

When you test a business process, the application player deploys a version of the application to the runtime using a special runtime partition. This allows the player to run the process in the same environment as a typical activated application.

The application player provides an efficient way of testing the business processes. It uses a runtime environment, accessible from design time, that emulates the real-world behavior of business processes. As the process runs, the player shows a visual representation of the business process showing the path the process instance follows through the process flow. This allows process designers to easily create, test, and revise business processes without having to save and deploy the application and view it.

As a process instance progresses through a process flow, the player displays an animated view of its behavior. The path an instance takes through your process depends on the input data you provide for various flow elements.

When you run the player on a business process, the application is validated, and the current version of the application is activated to a player partition of the process runtime environment. When you use the player, you don’t have to publish or manually activate the application to view changes as you design a business process.

Before a process modeler can use the application player to test business processes, an administrator must enable the player.

About Emulating the Runtime Behavior of Flow Elements

As the player runs through a business process, it emulates the runtime behavior of some of the flow elements in your process.

• Human tasks

  When the player reaches a task a user must perform, it shows the role or user to select on its behalf. It shows all the possible outcomes as actions. If a form is associated with the task, then the player also lets you launch the form or manually select the outcome. If you launch the form, the form activates and appears in a separate viewer.

  If no form is assigned, the player pauses to let you select the role that you want to perform the task. It prompts you to select one of the outcomes defined for the task. Approve and Reject are defined as default outcomes. However, the list of possible outcomes depends on how outcomes are defined for the task. After selecting an outcome, the player continues to the next flow element of your business process.

• Message send events and send tasks

  When the player reaches a message send event or a send task event, it performs these events automatically. It then continues to the instance of the process being called and pauses at the corresponding message catch event or receive task.

  In both cases, you have to return to the parent process manually. For example, if the send and receive pair is creating an instance on a different business process of the same application, then you must return to the Application Player tab, select the new instance of the process, run the child process, and then return to the parent process.

  If the send and receive pair calls an external web service, then you must manually enter the required web service message to continue running the process.

• Timer events

  When the player reaches a timer event, it pauses and waits until you click Run. The player then moves to the next flow element in the process flow.

• Call activities

  When the player reaches a call activity, it calls the child process and creates a new instance of the process. Click the Drill-Down icon to view the child process.

• End events

  When the player reaches an end event, it pauses and displays the Drill-Up icon. Clicking this icon returns the player to the parent process. If the current process doesn't have a parent, the player returns to the Application Player tab and deletes the process instance.

• Other flow elements

  When the player reaches another flow element that causes the instance to wait for an operation or external event, the player pauses. To continue running the process, click Refresh at the top of the Application Player tab.

Test a Business Process

After you enable the application player, you can access it from the application home tab and use it to test the behavior of your business processes. While you’re working in edit mode, you can access the player from the main menu or the Application toolbar.

1. Open your process application and access the application player.

   You can access the player by selecting Test Application from the menu or by clicking Test in the toolbar. The application is automatically validated as soon as it’s selected.

2. In the Test Application dialog box, select Current Application, Last Published Version, or Snapshot from the drop-down list, and click Activate.
3. Select the Add Me to All Roles check box so that you can perform the user tasks, and click Activate.
   A version of the application is activated in the runtime using a special test partition.
4. Click Play, and select the business process that you want to test.

   The application player begins running the business process. As it passes through each flow element and sequence flow, it outlines the path that it takes through the process flow.

   As the player continues running through your process, it stops when the process instance reaches one of the following flow elements:

   • Form Start Event

   • User Task

   • Call Activity

   • Service Activity

   • Message Event

   • Timer Event

   You must provide input for these types of elements before the player can continue.

5. Click Play , select the user, and click Run .

   Flow Element	Action
   Form Start Event	The form associated with this event is launched. Submit the form.
   User Task	Select the outcome from the list. The possible outcomes are defined by the human task associated with the current user task.

6. If the player pauses on a message catch event or a receive task, it creates an instance of the child process. To step through a child process, click Run, select the Player tab, go to the Instances table, and select the newly created instance. Click OK to close the Application Player tab for the original process: closing this tab has no effect on the process instances.
   The player opens the new process instance and begins running the business process from the message start event called from the parent business process. If any flow elements pause the application player as outlined in previous steps, click Run. When the player reaches the message end event of the child process, click the Drill-Up arrow to return to the parent process. The player closes the tab for this child process and removes the process instance from the list of instances. From the list of process instances, open the process instance of the parent process.

   After it reopens the process instance of the parent process, the player continues running through the process from the point where the child process was called.

7. When the player reaches an end event in your process, click the Drill-Up icon to end the process instance.

The player returns to the Application Player editor and deletes the process instance.