Re: OSWorkflow - initial actionforsteps?

Hani,

This sounds great :-))).
Just spend the time you saved because I did a OSWF checkout right before 
SourceForge crashed ;-))

Axel

Hani Suleiman wrote:

> I'll try to find some time this weekend to implement autoactions, no 
> promises, but based on the discussions on here, I don't anticipate 
> that it'd be too hard or take too long.
>
> Is there anything else that people desperately need to be in the 2.5 
> release?
>
> On Friday, May 9, 2003, at 12:30 PM, Axel Müller wrote:
>
>> Greg,
>>
>> Thanks a lot for your offer. Since I need a solution soon (within 5-7 
>> days) I may go your way.
>> Right now I'm  still hoping we can get the auto-action feature into 
>> OSWF.
>>
>> Axel
>>
>>
>> Greg Nyberg wrote:
>>
>>> I needed the auto-action feature immediately, also, so I created a 
>>> utility
>>> class called "DoAction" that I put in the post-functions block of 
>>> whichever
>>> action moves to the next step. The DoAction function is passed the 
>>> action ID
>>> to invoke, and it simply calls doAction with that ID on the workflow..
>>>
>>>        <action id="202" name="Complete Step 2">
>>>          <restrict-to>
>>>            <conditions type="AND">
>>>              <condition type="class">
>>>                <arg
>>> name="class.name">com.opensymphony.workflow.util.StatusCondition</arg>
>>>                <arg name="status">JMSWait</arg>
>>>             <arg name="stepId">2</arg>
>>>              </condition>
>>>            </conditions>
>>>          </restrict-to>
>>>          <results>
>>>            <unconditional-result old-status="Finished" 
>>> status="Underway"
>>> step="3">
>>>           <post-functions>
>>>             <function type="class">
>>>               <arg 
>>> name="class.name">com.opensymphony.workflow.util.DoAction</arg>
>>>               <arg name="action">301</arg> <!-- action I want to 
>>> auto invoke -->
>>>             </function>
>>>           </post-functions>
>>>         </unconditional-result>
>>>          </results>
>>>        </action>
>>>
>>> Essentially the same as auto-action for action 301 in step 3 except 
>>> I have
>>> to put these DoAction functions all over on the source side of the 
>>> state
>>> transition.. works but not as clean as having 301 know it should be
>>> automatically performed.
>>>
>>> This technique also doesn't work in joins in the CVS HEAD (until my 
>>> patch
>>> gets put in) and doesn't work in initial actions for the workflow 
>>> because of
>>> an entry-id race condition (cant process the first real step action 
>>> before
>>> workflow is saved, chicken and egg problem).
>>>
>>> Let me know if you want my DoAction class.
>>>
>>> -Greg
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: [email protected]
>>> [mailto:[email protected]]On 
>>> Behalf Of
>>> Axel Muller
>>> Sent: Friday, May 09, 2003 9:42 AM
>>> To: Hani Suleiman
>>> Cc: [email protected]
>>> Subject: Re: [Opensymphony-developers] OSWorkflow - initial
>>> actionforsteps?
>>>
>>>
>>> You are right about the risk of additional complexity. However, 
>>> adding a
>>> rule engine on top of OSWF (as sugested by Pat) adds a lot more 
>>> complexity.
>>> I see the "auto"-action feature as improvement toward rule engine, 
>>> which
>>> might be added later. So, yes - you have to know what you do if you set
>>> "auto=yes" for actions, but you don't have to study the rule engine
>>> features just to get actions performed automatically.
>>>
>>> Right now actions have to have unique ids - a rule which has to be
>>> respected by the person implementing the workflow definition. The
>>> auto-action feature adds just one more rule: If there is more than one
>>> valid action with"auto=yes", then the one with the lowest action id 
>>> gets
>>> executed. If would say that the power this feature adds to OSWF far
>>> outweights the risk of using the attribute in a wrong context.
>>>
>>> Following the mailing list for 7 months and playing with the example I
>>> was not even aware that there are only manual actions.
>>> Whenever you have an environment with mixed computer-human-processing
>>> you need kind of a auto-action feature. For the project I'm involved
>>> with we need it even within days ... . Whatever comes out of this
>>> discussion will help to find a solution, which fits into the current
>>> OSWF but makes it more powerful. This is not theory - it's what's 
>>> needed
>>> in real-life.
>>>
>>> Axel
>>>
>>>
>>> Hani Suleiman wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> I don't agree with this, making it so that the first match is what's
>>>> done seems an arbitrary solution, and is bound to confuse a lot of
>>>> people....'I set my action to auto and I'm sure its condition passes,
>>>> but it doesn't get called..help!'
>>>>
>>>> On Friday, May 9, 2003, at 03:44 AM, Hubert Felber wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> <I don't understand how "auto=yes" would cause actions to be invoked?
>>>>> Would
>>>>> <they just happen once the step that has that action is entered in 
>>>>> the
>>>>> <workflow? What if there are two actions with auto=yes?
>>>>>
>>>>> Just some thoughts:
>>>>>
>>>>> Actions with "auto=yes" are are called every time a transition to 
>>>>> that
>>>>> step is made. It's the programmers responsability to use restrictions
>>>>> that control execution of "auto" actions.
>>>>>
>>>>> <What happens if two conditions evaluate to true? Do you have a 
>>>>> split?
>>>>>
>>>>> Same as for conditional-results, only the first "auto" action with
>>>>> restrictions that are fullfilled, is executed. Splits always must be
>>>>> defined in results.
>>>>>
>>>>> Does that make sense?
>>>>>
>>>>> Hubert
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>>> "Pat Lightbody" <[email protected]> 05/09/03 03:24am >>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>> <but does it make sense to "auto"-call more than one action?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You could have auto actions with different conditions.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hubert
>>>>>>
>>>>> What happens if two conditions evaluate to true? Do you have a split?
>>>>>
>>>>> -Pat
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -------------------------------------------------------
>>>>> Enterprise Linux Forum Conference & Expo, June 4-6, 2003, Santa Clara
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
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