Reply system function

Use the Reply system function to send a response to a request that was previously accepted through a Receive system function. The reply message is sent to the Invoke step.

Before you begin

Before you begin
Workflow properties - Web Services. Specify the partner links in the workflow properties. Here are some properties that might need to be configured:
  • Data fields and attachments that are required for input to the services
  • Any data fields or XML fields that are required for returned values
  • The default folder in your object store or library where returned attachments are to be stored

About this task

You can have more than one Reply step corresponding to a Receive step. For example, you might have a message that indicates 'success', and one or more Reply steps that indicate faults. You can have only one message, but you can have more than one fault. If you define a Reply step as a fault, there must also be a related Reply step with a message.

Procedure

To specify a Reply system function:

  1. From the Web Services Palette, drag a Reply step onto the workflow map where you want to send a reply message that is related to a previous Receive system function. If you use a system step instead of a pre-defined Reply step, you can include the Reply system function in the same system step as the Receive.
  2. On the Reply General tab, select the Partner Link that is used in the related Receive system instruction.
  3. Select the operation that is specified in the related Receive system instruction.
  4. Specify one of the message types: Message or Fault. (If you have a Reply step in the workflow, you must specify either a message or a fault message for the reply.)
    Message

    Parameter mode

    If the related Receive step uses parameter mode, specify one or more parameters and appropriate data field expressions for the reply message.

    For more information, see Specify operation parameters.

    Restriction:
    • The name of a parameter cannot contain numbers, special characters, or spaces.
    • The parameter type determines the processes that can communicate with a P8 web service. If you set the parameter type to be attachment by value, a web service can communicate with another P8 workflow process only. That is, the other participant in the conversation cannot be an external web service. For an example of setting the parameter type, see Using Web Services: Parameter example.

    XML mode

    If the related Receive step uses XML mode, select a previously defined schema and element, then click Create Message Template to display the template version of the schema. You can use any schema for the Reply.

    Edit the outgoing message to replace placeholders with previously defined data expressions.

    Any field of a type other than string must be converted to a string in the message. You can use convert(fieldname,string).
    Fault
    • Specify a fault name.
    • Enter the outgoing message, such as a double-quoted string literal, a string variable, or an XML data field.
  5. Optional: Correlating web conversations.