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## Opening and Saving Item Types

All processes are associated with an item type. An item type can include one or more processes. You can save an item type to a database or to a flat file. When you save your work to a database, you actually save everything in the current data store that has been modified. When you save your work to a flat file, you actually save everything in the current data store to the file. You can also load an item type into Oracle Workflow Builder from a database or flat file. Opening an item type automatically retrieves all the attributes, messages, lookups, notifications, functions and processes associated with that item type.

> Attention: Always save a copy of your workflow process definition as a flat file and check that file into a source control system to maintain a working version of your process definition. Avoid using the process definition stored in your database as your source controlled version, as others with access to the database can update the definition.

> Note: To connect from Oracle Workflow Builder to a database, the language of your Oracle Workflow Builder installation must match one of the available languages of the Oracle Workflow Server installation in the database.

#### To Access Process Definitions in an Existing Data Store

1. To start Oracle Workflow Builder, double-click on the Oracle Workflow Builder icon located in the Application Development folder within the Oracle - <SID NAME> program group. If you are using Windows 95 or NT 4.0 or higher, you can also select the Oracle Workflow Builder icon from the appropriate program folder from the Start menu. In Oracle Workflow Builder, select Open... from the File menu.

2. Select database or file to connect to the source containing the item type to which your process definition is associated.

3. To open a File: Provide the complete file path and choose OK, or use Browse to locate and open the file (extension .wft).

> Note: You can also drag and drop a .wft file from the Microsoft Windows 95/98/2000/NT 4.0 Explorer or Microsoft Windows NT File Manager into the navigator tree to open that file in Oracle Workflow Builder.

> Note: When you use Browse to find and open a file, the current directory that you open the file from becomes the new default directory from which you open files in the future. This default directory persists until you use Browse again to locate another file.

4. To open a Database connection: Enter the username and password for the database. Enter the name of the database alias or connect string and choose OK.

5. If you wish to retrieve a process definition that was effective at a particular point in time, you can specify a date and time in the Effective field and have Oracle Workflow Builder retrieve that data from the database. The format that you should use to specify the date and time depends on the date and time preferences defined in the Regional Settings of your Windows Control Panel.

6. If multiple item types exist in the data store, the Show Item Types window appears. Select from the Hidden list, the item type(s) you want to view, and choose << to move it into the Visible list. Choose OK to load these item types into the navigator tree.

7. If at any time you want to view and modify item types that are hidden in the current data store, you can double-click on the Hidden Item Types branch in the navigator tree to display the Show Item Types window and select the item types you want to show. You can also choose Show/Hide Item Types from the File menu to display the Show Item Types window.

> Note: You can copy item types from one store to another in any order even if the item types reference each other. However, you may get validation errors due to foreign key references. Pay attention to these errors as they may indicate that you need to also copy other item types into the new store to resolve the foreign key references. The final process definition in the new store will be valid as long as all referenced item types are copied to the new destination store.

8. When you finish working, choose Save from the File menu to preserve your changes and make them effective immediately. See: To Save Your Work.

### See Also

To Start Oracle Workflow Builder from the MS-DOS Prompt

#### To Save Your Work

1. Choose Save from the File menu to save your work and make the changes immediately effective.

When you use the Save command, you save all modified objects in the currently selected data store (even those that are hidden) back to that data store. If you want to save only specific item types, then you must create a new data store, and copy the specific item types you want to save into the new store and save the new store.

> Attention: Oracle Workflow Builder can save your work to the database using one of two modes. In the "About Oracle Workflow Builder" dialog box from the Help menu, there is a check box called "Allow modifications of customized objects". If you check this check box, Oracle Workflow Builder saves your edits in 'upload' mode, overwriting any protected objects that you have access to modify, as well as any previously customized objects. If you uncheck this check box, Oracle Workflow Builder runs in 'upgrade' mode and will only save edits to protected objects that you have access to change and will not overwrite objects that have been previously customized. These two modes match the upgrade and upload behavior of the Workflow Definitions Loader program. As the default, the check box is unchecked. See: To Set the Access Level for an Object and Using the Workflow Definitions Loader.

2. If you want to save your work to a different data store (database or flat file), or if you want to save it to a database with an effective date other than the current system date, then choose Save As... from the File menu. Use the Save As window to specify the file or database you want to save your process definition to, and the date when you want your process definition to take effect in the database. You can leave the Effective field blank to save and make the changes effective immediately. See: Version/Effective Date.

> Note: If you save your work to a database with a future effective date, and then in the same Oracle Workflow Builder session, continue to modify your process and later choose Save from the File menu, you automatically save the process definition to the same database using the previously specified effective date.

3. Note that when you save your work, Oracle Workflow automatically validates the process definition for any invalid or missing information and displays what it finds in a Workflow Error verification window. You can either correct the information before saving your work, or go ahead and save your work as is, and fix the problems later. Use the Copy button to copy the information from the Workflow Error window to the clipboard for later reference. If you save your work without correcting the problems, the Workflow Error window will reappear when you reopen your process definition.

4. Choose Close Store from the File menu to close your connection to the current database or file data store.

5. Choose Exit from the File menu to exit Oracle Workflow Builder.

> Attention: The Close Store and Exit options from the File menu are enabled only when the Navigator window is the current window.

### See Also

Item Type Definition Web Page

#### To Start Oracle Workflow Builder from the MS-DOS Prompt:

Rather than starting Oracle Workflow Builder by double-clicking on its Windows icon, you can also type in a command at the MS-DOS prompt and specify the file or database to connect to.

1. In an MS-DOS prompt window, type the following command to start Oracle Workflow Builder with a specific workflow data file, where `<filename.wft>` represents the full path and name of the data file:

    	wfbldr <filename.wft>

2. To start Oracle Workflow Builder with a specific database connection, type the following command at the MS-DOS prompt, where `<username/password@connect>` represents the database account information to connect to:

    	wfbldr -c <username/password@connect>

> Note: If you run Oracle Workflow Builder in Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 or higher, you can also double-click on a workflow data file (.wft) from the Windows Explorer to automatically open that file and start Oracle Workflow Builder.

3. To start Oracle Workflow Builder and open a specified item type in a data store, append the following to the appropriate command shown in Step 1 or 2, where `<item_type`> represents the internal name of the item type you want to open:

    	-E <item_type>

For example:

    	wfbldr wfdemo.wft -E wfdemo

4. To start Oracle Workflow Builder and open a specified process diagram in a data store, append the following to the appropriate command shown in Step 1 or 2, where `<item_type:process`> represents the internal names of the item type and process you want to open:

    	-E <item_type:process>

For example:

    	wfbldr wfdemo.wft -E WFDEMO:NOTIFYAPPROVER

### See Also

Using the Workflow Definitions Loader

Creating a Shortcut to a Workflow Process

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