Main Bar

The main bar of the Workflow Creation Tool contains four items: Workflow, Elements, Options and Help.

Workflow

The Workflow menu offers general functions which apply to the entire workflow.

• Save

  Saves the workflow definition.

• Export of objects

  Initiates xml export of the opened workflow.

• Quit and Release Lock

  Release lock is imposed if a workflow definition is in the 'Workflow For Merge' state. In this situation it is necessary to examine and resolve a possible workflow modification conflict. After the conflict is resolved, save the changes and click 'Quit and Release Lock'.

• Quit

  Quits the Workflow Creation Tool without changing the release lock. This applies to normal workflow definition editing with the exception of the 'Workflow For Merge' situation. In this situation 'Quit' (i.e. without releasing the lock) would be used after having edited the workflow definition but not having reached the final conflict resolution yet.

• Show in Catalog

  Opens the catalog of workflow definitions filtered to display the currently edited workflow.

• Add to Sidebar

  Adds the workflow definition to Valuemation sidebar. Note that the 'Allowed In Sidebar' check box for the workflow definition must be set to True first.

Elements

Items in the Elements menu assist in the actual workflow content creation.

• Add Node

  Initiates workflow node addition. Depending on the 'Add node wizard' setting from the 'Options' menu (see below), the following applies:

  • If 'Add node wizard' is set to True, then the node creation wizard is launched.
  • If 'Add node wizard' is set to False, then the 'Add Node' dialog listing all available activities opens.
• Add Link

  Initiates creation of a workflow transition. Click the menu item and draw a line between two nodes. Depending on the 'Add transition wizard' setting from the 'Options' menu (see below), the following applies:

  • If 'Add transition wizard' is set to True, then the transition creation wizard is launched.
  • If 'Add transition wizard' is set to False, then the 'Add Link' dialog opens. Use it to specify the transition properties.
• Select All

  Selects all elements of the workflow design.

• Optimize layout of selected elements

  Attempts to improve the workflow layout by reducing crossing transitions.

Options

The Options Menu contains settings affecting graphical representation of the WCT content and the ways in which the WCT assists content creation.

The Show Grid option (disabled in the picture) displays a grid to facilitate alignment of nodes. The Snap to Grid option (disabled in the picture) automatically aligns nodes to points in the grid.

• Show Grid

  Switches on and off the display of a dotted grid in the WCT background.

• Snap To Grid

  Switches on and off automatic adherence of newly created or moved design elements to the grid. Already placed elements are not affected unless moved. The grid need not be visible (Show Grid = on) for Snap To Grid to function.

• Workflow properties

  Switches on and off the display of the 'Workflow' tab at the bottom of the WCT window.

• Element Properties

  Switches on and off the display of the 'Node' and 'Transition' tab at the bottom of the WCT window. Once the tab is displayed, its content depends on the currently selected element (node or transition).

• Auto Optimize

  Switches on and off automatic redrawing of transitions when workflow nodes are moved to new locations.

• Show Preview

  Switches on and off the display of a popup window with node content. If enabled, the popup is displayed on-hover over the blue 'i' icon in the top left-hand node corner.

• Enable Zoom

  Enables zooming in the WCT window. If enabled, a zoom slider gets displayed in the top right-hand corner of the WCT window.

• Add node wizard

  Activates the wizard for adding nodes.

• Add transition wizard

  Activates the wizard for adding transitions.

Help

Click the 'About' item in the Help menu to display Valuemation 'Product Information ' dialog. To display Valuemation Help, use the F1 key.