What is a Global Automatic Activity?

Global Automatic activities do not have any direct end user interaction. The applications/components invoked by the Global Automatic activity typically run on a remote server.

Global Automatic activities are useful for processing batch reports or downloading batch files at scheduled times. Global Automatic activities can also be used as event listeners in the process. They can be programmed to listen to a port or to a specific event, such as an end user mouse click or a broken connection to a remote component. And then, based on such event, they perform some type of action.

Global Automatic activities do not appear in the WorkSpace tasks list. These activity types can invoke a component or application that creates instances. But the instances are automatically created without user intervention.

Instances flowing through the process do not have any interaction with the Global Automatic activity. However, the Business Process Method in the Global Automatic activity may be run because of some action caused by an instance (Executes when an event occurs) or it may create an instance in the process.

Global Automatic activities:

Do not have any relationship with an instance.
Automatically execute the Business Process Method without receiving an instance, even though they can interact with an instance in the BP-Method. These kinds of BP-Methods do not work directly over an instance but, for example, they can send notifications to instances.
Cannot be manually launched.

Using the Global Automatic Activity

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

WorkSpace	The Global Automatic activity is not visible in WorkSpace because the activity does not require any end user intervention.
Roles	Global Automatic activities can reside in a user-defined or an automatic role lane.
Variables	The Global Automatic BP-Method can access predefined and local variables.
Pre Conditions	Polling by Interval: waits for a specified interval before launching the BP-Method. Executes when an event occurs (event listener): waits for a specified event before launching the Listening BP-Method. Automatic Scheduled: waits for a scheduled date and time before launching the BP-Method. Automatic JMS Listener: This type is applicable for J2EE Enterprise Editions. Listens to JMS message before launching a BP-Method.
Post Conditions	Post-conditions vary depending upon the type of Global Automatic activity and the BP-Method that is launched. Polling by Interval: BP-Method runs after an interval. Once the Global Automatic task finishes, the new interval of time begins to count. Any action required by the BP-Method, such as instance creation, is completed. Executes when an event occurs (event listener): BP-Method runs when a predefined event occurs. Any actions required by the BP-Method, such as instance creation, are completed. Automatic Scheduled: BP-Method runs according to a time schedule. Any actions required by the BP-Method, such as instance creation, are completed. Automatic JMS Listener: This type is applicable for J2EE Enterprise Editions. BP-Method runs when a predefined event occurs. This BP-Method has as argument a Fuego.Msg.JmsMessage that is a wrapper of the javax.jms.Message. Any actions required by the BP-Method, such as instance creation, are completed.
Transitions	There are no transitions to or from the Global activity.
Tasks	No tasks can be generated. A BP-method will be automatically created with the same name as the activity. Or, if the Global Automatic activity works when an event occurs, two BP-Methods will be generated. See below for further information.
Business Process Methods	Global activities can contain only one BP-Method if the activity is defined as "Polling by interval" or "Automatic Schedule". This BP-Method is automatically created with the same name as the activity. If the activity "Executes when an event occurs", then two BP-Methods are automatically generated. One of them has the same name as the activity and the other ends with "_Listening". The last BP-Method is the one that will be launched each time the event occurs. The first BP-Method will only execute once (at the Engine start or at the deploying time), which is used for the listener component to get initiated. Any application can be invoked from a Global activity, but the information should not impact on the movement of instances through your process.