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30. Re: Questions regarding jBPM for an evaluation
Hi there again,
many new questions arose from my actual evaluation status. I would once more be pleased if someone could take the time and answer them :)
Lets go:
- Modelling in jBPM is done via UML Activitycharts as far as i know.
Which UML standard is used?
- Is UML completely integrated or are there some proprietaer extensions?
- I somewhere read that workflow patterns are to be implemented. What is the actual status?
- Roleconcepts: The engine manages role "detection" via the identity plugin? I mean, if there are some processes related to one role and the corresponding user logs in - will the engine automatically give him all his actions?
- Once more the communication: kukeltje said that there is no communication like SOAP, RMI etc. implemented in jBPM. But how do you then actually give a process to the engine?
- What happens, if the engine/computer crashes? Does it resume from the point where it was shut down?
- Is some kind of backup integrated or is this left to the user?
Thank you once more!
Wolf -
31. Re: Questions regarding jBPM for an evaluation
"kukeltje" wrote:
Yes I agree, and I'm not even a native German speaker.
PiN, ok can you draw up the specs?
what do you mean with specs?
well i'm working on recording a "hello world" tutorial using the freeware tool wink. a step by step tutorial how to
1. create a project in eclipse
2. alter the existing simpleProcess (enter string via gui -> hello "string")
3. writing a build.xml (this is my major problem :( )
4. write a jsf to initiate my process (so people can see how to actually use the jbpm engine)
i will split it up in many tiny flash tutorials...
can i send them to you, so you can put them in the documents section?
thanks -
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34. Re: Questions regarding jBPM for an evaluation
@WolfFisher
Sure, sorry I missed it.
the jBPM designer is only loosely based on UML, just like jBPM itself has some things from activitydiagrams but jBPM is definately not 'based'' on it .
There are testcases (in the sourcecode) for the workflowpatterns. It's how we (jBPM) look at the patterns of how they can be implemented. So in our opinion they are supported. Could be that we implement some more complex node types in the future to support them more easily (at least that is what I heard Tom say once)
Regarding the role concept, the result of the identity lookup is an actorID. That is stored. If you do not use pools or so, it is just an ID. IF you want to display the users individual tasks and these group tasks, you have to implement it a loop over the id's. It is not in the api. The taskBean could be extended however with a method that accepts e.g. a string array and returns a complete list of all tasks.
For the communication you need a process instance id , task id or whatever you want to signal. If you do not want to use an id directly, you could also build something that keeps a mapping from an id generated by you to the jbpm internal ID. So you do not pass processes, you pass process references.
If your computer crashes, jBPM leaves of at the point where the last committed transaction took place. If it was the user performing a task, this task will still be in hist tasklist. If it was an external system, make sure the signalling part participates in the transaction. e.g. by using the async functionality in 3.1 or jms or (if it ever becomes a widelyaccepted standard, WS-Transaction)
Backup and housekeeping functionality (keeping the process database small) is currently left to the user -
35. Re: Questions regarding jBPM for an evaluation
@PiN
I'd love to help out, but I am not a JBoss or jBPM employee so I do not have access to the site docs. I've send a message to Koen, asking him to step in on this part. Keep you posted.
Oh... and thanks. Nice work. The first jBPM trailblazer... -
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37. Re: Questions regarding jBPM for an evaluation
I made a mistake in the question, i asked about the communication :-/ :
kukeltje said that there is no communication like SOAP, RMI etc. implemented in jBPM. But how do you then actually give an external Service/Application etc. to the engine? Isnt there anything implemented? -
38. Re: Questions regarding jBPM for an evaluation
Of course there is something. You have the ActionHandler callback mechanism. But you want might to read the docs if you want to find out about that.
Regards,
Koen