Workflows

A workflow (BPMN) is a business process that you draw in a diagram. A workflow can send forms to several recipients in order or in parallel, send emails and SMS messages, call web services and databases, choose a path by conditions, and wait for events. Every time a workflow is started, Cellosign creates a process: a running copy of the workflow with its own data and transactions.

A process can be started from the workflow editor, from a public link, by a signal or a call activity in another process, or from another system through the API.

To open the workflows of the selected project, click Processes in the left menu. The screen is available to implementers, project managers and organization managers (see Roles and permissions), when processes (BPMN) are included in your organization’s plan.

The workflows list

Column	What it shows
Name	The name of the workflow.
Created	When the workflow was created.
Updated	When the workflow was last saved.
Updated by	The user who last saved the workflow.
Active	The number of the workflow’s processes that are running now.

The list shows 20 workflows per page, newest updates first. Click a column header to sort by it.

To	Do this
Create a workflow	Click Create New. An empty diagram opens in the workflow editor.
Open a workflow	Click its row.
See the processes of a workflow	Click the list icon (“View Processes”) at the end of its row.
Bring a workflow from another project or server	Click Import Workflow. See Import a workflow.

Workflow elements

You build a workflow from these elements:

Element	Use it to
Start Event	Start the workflow and define its input data.
Form / Session	Send a form (template) to a recipient and wait until it’s completed.
Message (Email/SMS)	Send an email or SMS message.
Exclusive Gateway (XOR)	Choose one path by conditions.
Parallel Gateway	Run several paths at the same time, and wait for all of them.
Web Service	Call an external system, archive documents or run another built-in service.
Script Task	Calculate or transform data with JavaScript.
Database Task	Read or write the data Cellosign keeps about processes, forms and transactions.
Call Activity	Start another workflow.
Sub Process	Group steps, or repeat them for each item in a list.
Signal (Wait)	Wait for a signal before continuing.
End Event	End the process: successfully, as failed, or as canceled.
Meta Information	Change the process name and tags while it runs.

Most elements receive data from the elements before them. See Inputs and data.