Model Instance Management

To work with Model instances on the LSPS Server, use the Model Instances view with the list of Model instances on the server. Using the buttons in the toolbar, you can do the following:

• Create a new model instance
• Suspend a model instance
• Resume a suspended model instance
• Finish a running or suspended model instance
• Perform and manage model update:
  • Update update a model instance based on a muc definition
  • Continue Model Update trigger the next model update phase
  • Abort Model Update of a model instance
• Export runtime data of the selected instances to XML .
• Export the model instance list to a CSV file
• Filter the model instances list
• Refresh the view content

The action commands as well as additional actions are available also in the context menus of individual model instance entries:

• You can copy the displayed model instance information with the Copy to Clipboard option.

To copy multiple model instances to the clipboard, select them and press Ctrl + C.

• You can export the runtime data as a raw XML and import such data back.

Model instances view

Double-click a model instance to display its detail (for further information, refer to Model Instance Detail. Details of a Model instance include the data related to its underlying Model and the runtime data that reflect its execution status.

A model instance detail view contains the following details:

• General Attributes
  • ID: model instance ID
  • Initiated: time when it was created

  • Status: current execution status

    If the instance is Finished, the field contains the finish time and date.

• Model Instance Explorer
  • Properties: model instance properties, such as, the InitiatorId and custom metadata values
  • Module Instances: instantiated module instances, process instances, sub-process instances in a tree structure, and their Live Diagrams)
  • Signal Queue: list of signals which were not consumed

  • Model Update History: details on the model update

    The node is available only if the model instance went through the model-update process.

• Expression Evaluator): tool for evaluation of expressions in the Expression Language in the context of the Model instance

Using the buttons in the toolbar of the model detail, you can do the following:

• Show To-dos generated by the model instance (filter for the respective model instance ID is applied to the To-do List view and the view is focused).
• Show Logs generated by the model instance (filter for the respective model instance ID is applied in the Logs view and the view is focused).
• Suspend and Resume ( ) a model instance.
• Finish a running or suspended model instance.
• Perform actions of Model update:
  • Update a model instance based on a muc definition.
  • Continue Model Update trigger the next model update phase.
  • Abort Model Update of a model instance.
• Export a model instance into an XML.
• Refresh the view content.

Model instance detail view

Creating Model Instances

To create a Model instance, do the following:

1. Open the Model Instances view.
2. Click the Create button in the view toolbar.
3. Select one of the uploaded models and click Finish.

The new model instance appears in the list of model instances.

Following Process Execution in Diagrams

You can visualize the current status of Model instance resources in their live diagrams: Live diagrams are diagrams of Process resources as defined in their Model (process, goal, plan, or sub-process diagrams). Individual execution states are indicated by colors. Diagram legend can be displayed by clicking the legend button in the view toolbar.

Live Goal diagram with legend

Goals with an implicit hyperlink (indicated by a small arrow in the top-left corner of the icon on the canvas), plans, and sub-processes are clickable: Click the element to open the respective linked live diagram.

If several live diagrams of the same model instance are activated, they are opened in the same view stacked on each other.

Live diagram with multiple pages

To display a live diagram, open the respective model instance detail view and double-click the diagram icon under Module Instances or Model Update History in the tree (also available for old module instances from before model update if applicable).

To visualize the history of the execution flow on the live diagram, click the History button in the view toolbar: You can then use the slider at the bottom of the view to view the execution workflow.

Live diagram with execution history slider

You can change the status colors used to indicate the element execution status in live diagrams under Window > Preferences > Process Design Suite > Management > Appearance.

Evaluating Expressions in Model Contexts

To evaluate expressions using the current context values of a Model instance, use the Expression Evaluator in the Model instance detail:

1. Open the Model instance detail view.
2. Expand the Expression Evaluator section.
3. In the tree, select the target context.

The context of the Expression Evaluator is set to the selected context: you can check the current context in the Expression Evaluator view.

The expressions can be executed in persistent or non-persistent mode:

• if in non-persistent mode, the expression is evaluated in the model instance context;
• if in persistent mode, the expression is evaluated and applied on the model instance context and on the database data if Shared Records are involved.

Information on the selected context is displayed in the Expression Evaluator: this is by default the Model instance context. To change the context to a Module, Process, Sub-Process context, select the respective element in the Model instance tree.

Expression Evaluator

Changing Values of Variables

You can change values of variables during execution either from the Expression Evaluator using assignments or from the Model instance detail.

To change the value of a variable in a running model instance, do the following:

1. Open the Model instance detail view.
2. Under Model Instance Explorer, expand Module Instances and the desired Module node (parent namespace of the context variable).
3. Expand the Variables node and double-click the required variable. Variables of a standard library type cannot be edited.
4. In the Update Variable dialog box, select:
   • Value to assign the variable a particular value;

     Note: Depending on the variable type (basic, record, collection, etc.), the Update Variable dialog box shows relevant buttons. For basic values, provide the desired value directly; make sure you follow the Expression Language rules. Collection and record values are edited recursively, that is, if you click Edit, there are gradually "split" in less complex values, until basic values are displayed.

   • Expression and type an expression to be evaluated and used as the variable value. Note the information on the declared type of the variable and the current actual type.
     

     Updating variable

Deactivating and Activating Goals

Changing execution states of Goals during execution can help you to direct the flow of the execution. Note that you can activate or reactivate only achieved, failed, deactivated or inactive goals, and deactivate only ready or running goals.

To deactivate or activate a Goal, do the following:

1. Open a Model instance detail view.
2. Under Model Instance Explorer, expand Module Instances and the desired module node.
3. Expand the respective process, then right-click a goal and select Deactivate or Activate.

Deactivating a Goal

You can activate or deactivate a Goal also from its context menu in a live diagram; mind that disabled goals cannot be deactivated or activated.

Suspending and Resuming Model Instances

To suspend a running Model instance or resume a suspended Model instance, do the following:

1. Activate the Model Instances view.
2. Select the instances you wish to suspend/resume.
3. In the view toolbar, click Suspend or Resume .

On detailed behavior of Model instances, refer to GO-BPMN Model Language User Guide.

The command is available also in the context menu of individual model instances.

Invoking Model Instances

On invoke, a Model instance attempts to continue its execution: this feature is helpful if a Model instance remains in a state where it is waiting for an event which cannot occur, typically due to manual adjustments (for example, change on timer events or variable values), you can invoke the model instance to make the instance check if it can continue.

To invoke a model instance, go to Model Instances view, select the model instance and click the Invoke button.

Finishing Model Instances

The Finish feature allows you to immediately terminate a Model instance.

To finish a running Model instance, do the following:

1. Open the Model Instances view.
2. Select the instances, you wish to finish.
3. In the view toolbar, click Finish . The command is available also in the context menu of individual model instances.

Exporting Model Instances to XML

You can export Model instances as formatted XML files. Note that the XML file contains only information on the runtime status of the Model instance, not the underlying Model, and serves as an information source, for example, during Model update.

To export a model instance to an XML file, do the following:

1. Double-click the model instance in the Model Instances to display the model instance detail.

2. In the view toolbar, click Export .

   The command is available also in the context menus of individual model instances in the Model Instances view.

3. In the Model Instance Export dialog box, define export details:

Exporting and Importing a Model Instance

If you want to modify runtime data of a model instance, you can do so directly in its raw XML. Such data includes values of variables, signals, etc. Note that if you modify data that is persisted in the database, the data remains unchanged.

To export a model-instance XML, do the following:

1. Open the Model Instances view.
2. Right-click the model instance and select Export Raw Data or Import Raw Data respectively.

Important: Importing a corrupted model instance XML can cause that the system will fail to work with the data.

1. In the Model Instance Export dialog box, define export details.