Form Activity
The Form activity allows user-created forms and displays to be exposed in the Task List of a running workflow.
Forms are added and created in the Global Displays model. The Form activity binds to the form that is located in this model. Forms are visible in a user's Task List when a workflow is running. Logic can also be included in a form that allows it to recognize an event occurrence and respond to it. For example, a form can either prompt an operator to perform an action, such as entering information in a form, or it can ensure that an action performed by an operator, such as scanning a bar code, automatically submits the form. It is the event handler in the Form activity that ensures these operations. For more information, see Event Handlers.
Electronic signatures can be configured for a form and those signatures are collected at run time and stored in your SQL Serverdatabase for audit trailing purposes. For more information, see Purpose of Electronic Signatures.
During run time, when a Form activity is reached in a task step, execution pauses until the form is completed by an operator. Forms can be submitted or cancelled by the personnel or location assigned to the subprocess. However, for some types of forms, you can configure them to be automatically submitted or cancelled. You can also choose to allow a user to cancel a form.
For information on forms, see:
- Forms, for creating forms in the Designer
- Form Development in Visual Studio
- Form Templates, for using pre-existing forms
Form Types
A Form activity used in a workflow can either be configured to use a regular, hard-coded form, or it can be dynamic, where the form shown is determined at run time.
Therefore, you can use the Form activity in two ways:
- Regular Form
- Specify a form or display in the system to be revealed at run time.
- Dynamic Form
- Bind the form to a directory resource variable in the workflow, allowing the workflow to determine the form to show at run time. The Form activity must specify a template form that describes the metadata (parameters and events) that the run-time form requires.
General Settings
The following table describes the available attributes for the Form activity. To clear any field, select Reset to Default using the arrow next to the field.
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Form | User-defined |
Regular Forms: To select a specific form or display to be shown at run time, click the ellipsis button to select a resource from the Forms or Displays folder. Dynamic Forms: To allow the workflow to determine the form or display to show at run time, click the arrow to bind the form to a directory resource variable, and then select a template. Note: You must select a template; otherwise, your workflow will receive a validation
error at run time.
|
| Template | User-defined |
Dynamic Forms: Click the ellipsis button to select the template that defines the input and output parameters. You must select a template when you perform a bind. Note: The form and template form must have matching parameters, including matching
display names; otherwise, the running workflow will fail.
|
| Allow user to cancel form | N/A | Select this check box if you want users to have the option of cancelling the form during run time. If this check box is selected, a Cancel button appears at the bottom of the form. |
| Maintain form record upon completion | N/A | Select this check box if you want to receive completed form data after a form
has been submitted or cancelled. Note: If this box is not checked:
|
| Electronic Signature Settings | N/A | Specifies personnel with the authority to sign and verify forms. |
| Add Event Handler | N/A | Click this button to add an event handler. An event handler can be used both in
regular preconfigured forms or in dynamic forms. For more information, see Event Handlers. |
General Inputs and Outputs
The Form activity input and output parameters are based on the selected form or display.
The following table describes the default output properties for this activity.
| Output Property | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled | Boolean | If the Allow user to cancel form check box is selected, this property value is returned. |
| E-Signature | String | Returns a record of the completed electronic signature if one was collected for the form activity. |