Component - Action Step in Business Process Flow

[Axal]

Hi guys,

Anyone can lead me how to use "Action Step" in Business process flow ? 

I'm wondering when we add new record in a table, can we before write (save) the new record, run other process like checking into other table and insert other table first, but with some information getting from the original table that we inserting in the first place.

So in my mind right now, whether I can use Business process flow. for example, on the 1st stage, I will let users to fill in some fields first, and on the next stage or when they click Next stage, some process will run first to check other table and it may also insert new record to this "other" table. I would also like to lookup then to this "other table" to retrieve one of its field information and use it to my field in the original table that "in the staging process" of insertion. Until this 2nd process is done, then user can click Next stage again to save the record.

Any advices are appreciated.

Thanks

[dpoggemann]

Hi @Axal ,

We had a business case similar to this in one of my last projects.  When we moved from stage to stage in the business process flow we would create and update tasks and we did not want the user to be able to move to the next step in the process until the tasks were created or updated appropriately.  What we ended up doing was we had a read only field in the stage as a step that was only updated systematically.  The user would update a data step to "complete" and this column update would kickoff a flow that would do the processing needed.  When the flow was complete it would update the field to allow the user to move to the next stage.  They would have to refresh the screen to see the field updated to "Yes" and then they could move to the next stage.

Based on your requirement, it certainly seems like something like this might work well for you.

1.  In your stage, have a field the user would update like "ready for next N" (you could even have business rules that would drive when this field could be set :).  

2.  Once the user sets the "ready for stage N" to Yes then this could run your flow to create your record you need and then update the other record or whatever you want to do.

3.  At the end of #2 process the last step in the flow would update a read only field on that stage (that is set to required for the stage), something like "Stage N Verified" to "Yes" and then the user could refresh the screen and this will be set to Yes and they can move to the next stage.

Hopefully this makes sense.  When we did this it worked pretty well.  It still required that screen refresh which was not the best part :(.

Hope this helps.  Please accept if answers your question or Like if helps in any way.

Thanks,

Drew

[Axal]

Hi @dpoggemann ,

Yeah it looks quite similar of my issue. I will try this first and see, but you're right, I'm afraid the "need to refresh page" is not that intuitive for user and I'm afraid it will make the app "seems not working", because people always forgot about this.

I was wondering also about the flow that you're mentioned can be replaced by Javascript, all I need actually :

1. Based on some field in the original table, will search "other table".
2. When it is found and meet certain condition, then I will use its primary key to be filled in of the field in my original table
3. If it is not found, script (or flow) need to create new record and inserted into this other table.
4. The primary key of this table, either it is from existing record or new record will be filled in to my original table's field.

While it is seems  to be quite similar as your suggestion, I think whether it is using flow or Javascript, there is no other way to update the screen except to "Refresh" / reload the page then.

Can we somehow make the "Next stage" button to refresh ?

Thanks,