What is an Automatic Activity?

Automatic activities do not require any direct end user interaction. Applications and components interfaced with Automatic activities should not require any end user intervention.

Applications and components typically run on a remote server and perform work behind the scenes. For example, database maintenance, e-mail notification and so on.

Automatic activities are used in the process design where work can be performed without human intervention. Some typical uses are as follows:

Database updates.
Running batch programs.
Sending e-mail notifications.
Sending e-mail confirmation to customers.

Using the Automatic Activity

The following table outlines some of the considerations when using the Automatic Activity within ALBPM Studio.

WorkSpace	Automatic activities do not appear in WorkSpace because the Automatic activity does not require any end user intervention. Any BP-Method in Automatic activities is automatically executed.
Roles	Automatic activities can appear either in automatic roles or in the user defined role types. However, if the Automatic activity is in a user-defined role, it will not appear in WorkSpace.
Variables	The Automatic activity can access predefined, local or instance variables.
Pre Conditions	The Automatic activity is activated by an incoming instance from another activity in the process.
Post Conditions	After the BP-Method tasks in the Automatic activity have been completed, the instance flows to the next activity in the process according to transition rules.
Tasks	The task has to be defined by the developer. The automatic activity can have only one task to be completed, that is, the Main Task. See Tasks.
Business Process Methods	Automatic activities can have only one BP-Method task. The BP-Method is automatically performed. Components invoked from Automatic activity BP-Method tasks are sent incoming parameters (set by BP-Method's variables) and may return outgoing parameters (which set BP- Method's variables.) Components accessed from Automatic activities should not require any end user intervention. If user interface is required, use an Interactive activity instead. You can use a display Method statement in the BP-Method of an Automatic activity for testing purposes. Instead of being displayed to an end user, the display statement writes to the Engine log.