Knowledge Base

WEBCON BPS Portal is a platform that is the central point of the system for end users and contains all information about available applications. One of the advantages of the Portal is the standardization and consistency of the interface between multiple applications. It serves as an application platform for the users, giving them easy access to business applications they need. Also, it helps the people who configure processes, significantly reducing the time of their preparation. This article describes one of the standard elements of the Portal – the “Suggested dashboards and reports” widget.

When creating the configurable e-mail templates there is the option to add fields from the form. This article describes how to add an item list and SQL data table fields. To enter these types of fields in the template is needed: basic knowledge of HTML language (specifically building tables) and a process that contains an item list and a data table. After defining these types of fields on the form, create the “Send a custom email” action that contains the HTML code creating a table with data from the form.By using HTML knowledge you can create configurable e-mail according to your needs. This functionality allows you to control how data on the item lists and data tables will be displayed on the form.

For this article we will implement a simple system for dividing up tasks between a group of users, based on the following principles:
1) The task will go to the user with the least amount of tasks
2) If multiple users are tied for the fewest number of tasks, one of them is randomly assigned the task
3) There is a limit to how many tasks a user can have
4) Once all users of the group have reached this limit, tasks will be placed in a queue
5) Queued tasks will be assigned to somebody as soon as they are no longer at their task cap

The purpose is to split up the workload between users equally and not overwhelm individual users with too many tasks.

Nesting business rules in the form rules allow you to refer to data contained in Active Directory or external data sources. This extends the functionality of form rules and allows you to use data outside the form when defining the process logic. By using the business rules, you can create a condition that defines a certain group of users for which the form rule should be executed. By using the function in the “Users” section, you can enter a list of users or groups from Active Directory or defined BPS groups.

In the latest version of WEBCON BPS, the report coloring has been enhanced for additional functionalities (a description of the basic report coloring modes can be found here). There is the ability to go through a path without having to view the specific instance – just click on a properly configured cell. This configuration also allows you to set the cell style, as well as special display functions. An example that presents the advanced functionality of reports coloring is the process of listing stored products (e.g. bicycle models). Each workflow instance represents a warehouse with the serial numbers of its products.

The MODERN form allows users to view attachments without having to download them. You can preview an attachment in two ways – in the preview window and on the form. This option is available in the most popular web browsers such as Google Chrome, Opera and Firefox, and can be supported by various file formats (e.g. .xlsx, .docx, .pdf, .png). This article describes the functionality of the attachment preview directly on the form. WEBCON BPS allows you to view the attachment in the form. Thanks to this there is the option to work on the form simultaneously with an open preview of the attachment.

The data table form field allows you to display data in the form of a table with defined columns. This data can be provided from any data source defined in WEBCON BPS Designer Studio. This article describes the configuration and data relations based on the “Employee’s report” form field in the “Expense report” application template. The data table form field can be very useful in applications that have several related workflows and there is a need to display data from other workflows on one form – juxtaposing a plethora of useful data on one page. The possibility of using any SQL source as a data source in the form field allows you to build forms that integrate information from many different databases.

Action templates is a feature that allows you to save a lot of time when implementing processes and reduces the possibility of configuration errors. They allow you to create one global configuration of an action within the process, which can be used anywhere in the workflow without having to configure the action from start each time. Templates are configured within the process, in WEBCON BPS Designer Studio in the “Configuration” section in the “Action templates” tab and click the “New template” button.

WEBCON BPS is used to send e-mail notifications to system users. This allows for communication and the efficient performance of tasks. This functionality is often used in different processes. During configuration, you can block e-mail notifications to the end recipients by using the deployment mode function. The deployment mode function allows you to redirect e-mail notifications to a given e-mail address. This mode is often used in the configuration and test phase of the process to avoid sending the unnecessary notifications to end-users.

Workflows created in WEBCON BPS are built of steps and paths which illustrate the various stages of the business process. When directing an instance to the next step, there is often a need to assign a task to a user or group of users. In some cases you may need to finish a task without waiting for the user to do so – you can use the “Finish all users’ tasks” option available in the administration mode. The administrator’s ability to complete users’ tasks is a very useful function used at every stage of the system’s life.