Create process variables

You can create a process variable on the Variables tab of the process modeling bar.

Create a process variable on the Variables tab of process modeling bar

  1. Open the process map in which to create a process variable.
  2. On the process modeling bar, click Variables and click New.

    The New variable dialog box is displayed.

  3. Enter a unique Name for the variable, such as CustomerName.
    By default, the name of the variable becomes the ID of the variable; however, you can change the ID if needed.

    For naming convention of name and ID, see Name conventions.

  4. On the Type list, select the type of variable, such as Byte. (Default: String)

    See the process variable types supported by TotalAgility.

  5. Optional. To use the variable for process initialization, select Initialization.
    Note This option is not available for a business rule and complex variable.
  6. Select, enter or configure a Value for the variable.
    Note
    • To provide a dynamic value, at runtime, leave the Value empty.

    • In some nodes such as Email, C#, VBNET, and Decision, plain text is being replaced by variable with the same name. For example, if you have a variable called ID and if you type the text VOID, the plain text will be replaced by VO[ID]. This only happens at design time; at runtime the values validate and appear correctly.

  7. Click Add.

    The variable appears on the Variables list page.

  8. Similarly, create other process variables.
    By default, all the variables are sorted on Name and displayed in the ascending order. However, you can sort (ascending or descending) on the following columns: Name, ID, Type, Value and Initialization.
  9. To view the variables of a specific type, on the Type filter, select the variable type, such as String. (Default: All)
    The variables of selected type are displayed.
    Note The Type filter only contains the variable types that exist in the list for the current process.
  10. To change the initialization order for process initialization variables, perform the following steps:
    1. Click Initialization order.

      The Initialization variables dialog box is displayed.

    2. Select the variable and use or to change the order.
    3. Click OK to return to the Variables page.
  11. Click Save.

Create a process variable while configuring process properties

You can create a new variable directly from the process properties panel while configuring process properties, such as Time and cost, Predictive model and Default settings. The variable automatically gets assigned to the property for which it is created.

For example, to create a new date variable while configuring Time and cost property, do the following:

  1. On the properties panel of a process, click Time and cost.
  2. Select By a date for Duration/Expected finish time.
  3. Click
    The New variable dialog box is displayed.
  4. Configure the variable as needed.
  5. Click Add.

    The newly created variable is automatically assigned to the Duration/Expected finish time property.

Create a process variable while configuring activities

You can create a new variable directly from the configuration window of activities such as .Net, Web service and Data access, and when configuring the metadata for nodes such as SharePoint add item.

For example, to create a new variable for the .Net activity, do the following:

  1. On the Configuration tab of the .Net activity, click Configure for parameters.
  2. Click the down arrow for Value.
  3. Click
    The New variable dialog box is displayed.
  4. Configure the variable as needed.
  5. Click Add.

    The newly created variable is automatically assigned to the value field of the .Net activity.

Create a process variable while configuring activity properties

You can create a new variable directly from the properties panel of activities while configuring activity properties such as input and output variables, resource assignment and time and cost.

For example, to create a new variable while configuring resources for an activity, do the following:

  1. On the properties panel of an activity, click Resource assignment.
  2. Click Add for Resources.
  3. On the Add resources dialog box, select Process variable.
  4. Click
    The New variable dialog box is displayed.
  5. Configure the variable as needed.
  6. Click Add.

    The newly created variable is automatically assigned to the Resource assignment property.