Method Tasks

The Method Task allows you to define a PBL Method to perform the Task for a flow object.

A Method is a high-level scripting language used to define the business rules and the logic of flow object types and certain transitions within a process. Each flow object type initiates a very specific action and the PBL-Method provides the script for this action. PBL-Method includes statements that integrate variables, expressions, operators and components.

Using the Method Editor

The Method Editor is a free-form text editor that allows you to copy, cut and paste partial or entire PBL-Methods objects, including statements, expressions, arguments, variables, operators and components

Method Timeout

Timeouts apply to PBL-Method. Timeouts have a default value (5 minutes) that can be redefined using the predefined variable timeout. As well, no matter the defined timeout for each of them, they are all limited to the maximum specified in the Engine property Maximum PBL-Methods timeout.

See Method Timeout for more information.

Method Execution Results

When Methods are executed, several results may occur. The following information provides a complete list of possible instance behavior according to the result of the PBL-Method. The predefined variable action is used to indicate the Method result.

The Engine acts according to this variable and saves or undoes (commits or rollbacks) the changes.

The action variable is an enumeration that accepts the following valid values:

Calling Components from Methods

A number of standard components (Library Components) are available at the time of installation for you to use in your process design. You may also add your own Java, SQL, EJB, JNDI, Web Service and BPM Objects.

The syntax for calling a component is the same, irrespectively of the type of component you are using. In BPM skin, it will be as follows:

Syntax: [method name] [component name]

Example:

For example, a method name is calculateTotal and the component name is Pricing .

calculateTotal Pricing