Step Palettes

The palette in the steps section contains collections of pre-defined steps that represent different types of activities in the workflow. When working with the steps palette, you can work with the docked palette or you can work with the floating palette.

Process Designer provides the following palettes of steps:

  • BPM Palette - steps for designing general business processes.
  • CheckPoint Palette - steps that use the checkpoint system functions to roll back work item data field values to the values held at a previous point in processing.
  • General System Palette - steps that provide logic-control and other functionality in the workflow.
  • Timer Palette - steps that use the timer system functions to control work item processing time.
  • Web Services Palette - steps for including Web Services functionality in workflows.

Your FileNet® license agreement determines the level of functionality that you see in Process Designer. As a consequence, some of the options described here might not be available for your system. See your system administrator for more information.

If your system includes an expansion product, such as IBM® FileNet Web Services Site Manager, you might have additional palettes with steps that provide specific functionality.

Assemble a custom palette

In addition to FileNet -supplied steps and palettes, you can use My Palette to assemble your own palette of steps. My Palette can contain steps copied from any palette, as well as steps copied from a workflow map. Steps copied from a map contain all of the parameters defined for the original step on the workflow map.

The following option is available on Steps menu for the selected step on an FileNet -provided palette, such as BPM Palette, or on a workflow map:

  • Add to My Palette - Copy the selected step on the workflow map or step palette to My Palette.

The following options are available on the following menus when you select Palette menu >> My Palette. These options enable you to save a palette of custom steps for use in other workflows:

  • My Palette
    • Delete from My Palette- Right-click on the step, and select Delete. Remove the selected step. (Steps in My Palette only)
    • New Palette - Create a new empty palette. This clears all steps from the current My Palette.
    • Open - Open a palette saved in the local file system.
    • Close - Close the current palette. This clears all steps from the current My Palette.
    • Save - Save the current palette as an xml file in the local file system.
    • Save As - Save the current palette with a new name in the local file system.
  • FileNet
  • FileNet Open/Checkout - Open a palette saved in an object store.
  • FileNet Add New - Save a palette for the first time (or with a new name) in an object store.
  • FileNet Checkin - Check in a previously checked out palette to the same object store.
  • FileNet Cancel Checkout - Cancel a previous checkout.
  • FileNet Save - Save a previously checked out palette, but do not update the version number of the file.

If you change steps in My Palette, Process Designer prompts you to save your palette changes as well as your workflow changes when you close the workflow definition.