Start and End Events

This article explains the concept of start and end events in a workflow definition.

Data-Driven Workflows, available in Semarchy xDM 2023.1 and later, are subject to specific licensing requirements; please confirm your eligibility to use such new functionality by consulting your license agreement or by contacting your Semarchy account representative prior to use.
All customers can still use the workflow feature available in previous versions (now known as legacy workflows). Refer to Workflows (Legacy) for more information.

Start and end events represent the starting and ending points of the workflow. All workflow definitions must have at least one start and one end event.

Between the start and end events, a workflow will also have some user tasks, automations, and control flows, linked together by transitions.

Add a Start Event

To add a start event in a workflow definition:

In the workflow editor, click . The Add a Step dialog displays.
From the Type drop-down list, select StartEvent.
In the Name field, enter a name for the step.
Click Create. The step is added to the workspace:
Select the step. The side panel sweeps in from the right.
In the side panel, set the Start Event Properties.

Start Event Properties

Start event properties allow you to define how the workflow should start and progress.

General Properties

The general properties allow you to set a display name for the step, define the required user roles for initiating the workflow, and set a priority for the workflow.

Table 1. General Properties
Property	Required	Description
Label	Optional	Label to be displayed in the diagram.
Initiator Required Role	Optional	User role that can initiate the workflow. Selecting <None> allows all user roles to initiate the workflow.
Default Priority	Required	Default priority of the workflow. Possible values are: Low Normal High Critical By default, this field is set to Normal.

Startup Context Properties

The Startup Context properties allow you to define how the workflow is used to author records.

Table 2. Startup Context Properties
Property	Required	Description
Context Type	Required	Determines how the workflow will be used to author records. Possible values are: Start From Empty Selection: For authoring new records from a root entity. This option is suitable for both Application Actions in the navigation drawer and Actions in the action menu. Start From Selection: Only for authoring an existing record from a root entity. This option is suitable for Actions in the action menu.
Authored Entity	Required	Only available if Context Type* is not set to Start From Empty Selection.* Entity on which the workflow is based.
Reference To Parent	Required	Only available if Context Type* is set to Start From Empty Selection (Child Records) or Start From Selection (Child Records).* Name of the reference to the parent entity in the model.
Condition on Parent	Optional	Only available if Context Type* is set to Start From Empty Selection (Child Records) or Start From Selection (Child Records).* SemQL condition on the parent entity for the start action to be enabled. Click to use the SemQL editor. Refer to Workflow Attributes for more information on all the attributes.
Condition on Selection	Optional	Only available if Context Type is set to Start From Empty Selection (Child Records) or Start From Selection (Child Records. SemQL condition on the selected record(s) for the start action to be enabled. Click to use the SemQL editor. Refer to Workflow Attributes for more information on all the attributes.

Startup Parameter Properties

The Startup Parameter properties allow you to select the parameters that are displayed to users in a dialog before the workflow begins.

workflow startup dialog

Table 3. Startup Parameter Properties
Property	Description
Enable Description	Allows business users to add a description for the workflow instance.
Enable Comment	Allows business users to write a comment.
Mandatory Comment	If the Enable Comment option is selected, then this option makes entering a comment mandatory.
Enable Priority	Allows business users to select a priority for the workflow.
Enable Due Date	Allows business users to specify a due date for completing the workflow.
Mandatory Due Date	If the Enable Due Date option is selected, then this option makes specifying the due date mandatory.
Enable Next Task Assignee Selection	Allows business users to specify the next user in the workflow.
Mandatory Next Task Assignee Selection	If the Enable Next Assignee Selection option is selected, then this option makes specifying the next user in the workflow mandatory.
Enable Attachments	Allows business users to add attachments in the workflow.
Mandatory Attachment	If the Enable Attachments option is selected, then this option makes adding attachments mandatory.
Show the Wait	Displays a dialog informing the user that the workflow is being created. This dialog is visible until the user hides it, a user task is initiated, or the workflow is complete.

Transition Property

The Transition property allows you to specify the step that should immediately follow the start event.

Table 4. Transition Property
Property	Required	Description
Target Step	Required	Step to transition to after the start event is triggered and the startup dialog is submitted.

Add an End Event

To add an end event in a workflow definition:

In the blank workspace, click . The Add a Step dialog displays.
From the Type drop-down list, select EndEvent.
In the Name field, enter a name for the step.
Click Create. The step is added to the workspace: