You can store data about the instance in instance variables. We will define an instance variable of type ExpenseReport to store the expense report data in each instance.
Instance variables can be of any type, such as a string or a decimal, and there is no requirement that an instance variable be a BPM object. We use a BPM object here to keep things simple, as we only need to keep track of one variable and handle all of our information in one place. In a real-world process, you may or may not find this to be the best strategy, depending on your particular situation.
Note that while BPM object definitions are a part of the project, instance variables are defined for each process. If you had another process where you want to use the ExpenseReport object, you would have to define another instance variable for that process.
To create the instance variable:
- Make sure the
Variables window is visible. It is usually on
the right side of the screen. If it is not visible, click
(
).
The
Variables window has two sections:
Project, for project variables, and
Instance, for instance variables.
- In the
Instance section of the
Variables window, click on the Add icon (
).
A variable entry is added to the instance variable list.
This variable will have a default name, such as
instanceVar1, and properties.
- Still in the
Variables window (see image below), right-click
on the report instance variable, and click
(
).
This allows the process to receive an expense report object (as
created by the Create Expense Report global creation activity) into the
report instance variable.
After completing this task, the Variables window should look like this:
In the following task you will define a presentation to expose the BPM object to the users who will input the expense report.