Building a client-side human service

To create a user interface for a new case instance or process instance, create a client-side human service. To build the client-side human service, use the IBM® Process Designer to define the logic for the client-side human service, which consists of a series of interconnected steps. You can then test and run the client-side human service in the web browser.

About this task

In the client-side human service diagram, you use coaches, which are web-based forms that provide data to users and collect input from the users. To create the coaches, you can add views such as text fields, drop-down menus, and buttons.

In the creation wizard, you can specify whether you want the new client-side human service to be used on multiple device types. When you create a client-side human service that is intended for use on multiple devices, only responsive views will be used for all the new coaches and coach content that are added to that client-side human service. You can also specify how you want to use the new client-side human service, whether you want it to be a nested service or a root service that includes other nested services.

For information about data validation practices in client-side human services, see the topic Validating data in client-side human services.

To build the client-side human service:

Procedure

  1. Open the appropriate process application in Process Designer.
  2. Click the plus sign next to User Interface and, under New, select Client-Side Human Service. Complete the wizard.
    1. Use Intended for use on multiple devices to specify whether you want the new service to be used on multiple device types.
      • Select Intended for use on multiple devices to use responsive views for all the new coaches and coach content that is added to the client-side human service.
      • Clear Intended for use on multiple devices to use deprecated coach views for the new coaches and coach content if a dependency to the Coaches toolkit already exists in the toolkit list.
    2. Select Use as a nested service to create a nested client-side human service that can be reused in other client-side human services. Clear Use as a nested service to create a root client-side human service, which is a top-level, stand-alone service that can contain one or more nested services. See Client-side human services.
      • Nested client-side human services can be reused in one or multiple other client-side human services, either root or nested, but cannot be used for a task or instance user interface directly.
      • Root client-side human services can be used for tasks, cases, or dashboards, cannot be nested, but can contain one or more single- or multi-layered nested services.
        Restriction: To avoid unexpected behavior at run time, do not use a circular nesting pattern when you model your client-side human services. For example, if your model includes a client-side human service A that nests a client-side human service B, do not configure B to circle back and nest A.
      The new client-side human service opens in the web editor in the form of a diagram that includes a start node, a coach, and an end node. The coach in the diagram might have a button that provides the boundary event that you can use to wire the coach to the end node. You can use the default button or you can replace it.
  3. Optional: You can revisit the usage selections that you made in the wizard in the Overview properties.
  4. In the Diagram view, add more elements and wire them together to build the client-side human service.
  5. In the Variables view, add input, output, and private variables to support your client-side human service flow.
  6. In the view for the coach, create the user interfaces to be used in the client-side human service.
  7. Click Save or Finish Editing.
  8. To run the client-side human service in the web browser, click Run Run.
  9. If errors occur during the client-side human service execution, click Debug Debug to review the code and make the necessary corrections.
  10. Iterate through steps 5 to 8 until the client-side human service flows correctly.
  11. To use the client-side human service outside of the business process (for example, as a page in Process Portal), set the usage settings in the Overview properties.

    You can use the client-side human service as a dashboard in Process Portal. For more information, see Defining usage settings for client-side human services.