A shape in a flow represents a task that a user or application completes as part of a business process. By connecting different types of shapes in a flow, you can define the path that a case follows from creation to resolution.

The following table describes all flow shapes that App Studio supports. Some shapes are not available for screen flows or flows that you update in the case life cycle instead of the flow form.

Name	Description	Image
Assignment	Creates a task in a work queue or worklist so that a user can provide input to the flow. For example, you can collect income information and banking history from a customer in a loan request review process. For more information, see Collecting information from a user and Assignment shapes in processes.
Decision	Evaluates an expression or calls a rule, such as a decision tree, to determine which step is next in the flow progression. For example, in a loan request process, the case might follow multiple paths, depending on the loan amount. see Adding decisions to processes.
Subprocess	Calls another flow from the current flow. For example, in a hiring process, you can add a subprocess to run a background check. For more information, see Subprocesses
Start	Designates the start of flow processing.
End	Designates the end of flow processing.
Automations
Attach content	Attaches a file or an URL to a case. You can select different types of files to attach. For example, in a hiring process, you can attach scanned university diplomas of a job candidate. For more information, see Attaching content to a case type.
Change to a stage	Moves a case to a specific stage that you select. For example, in a hiring process, you can move a case to an optional stage for an additional interview. For more information, see Moving a case to a different stage.
Change to next stage	Moves a case to the next stage. For example, in a hiring process, after a job candidate provides necessary documents, a stage moves to the next stage in which a human resources worker reviews the documents. By default, a case moves to the next stage after all the assignments in a current stage are complete. Use this shape when you want to move the case before completing some assignments. For more information, see Stages in a case life cycle.
Create case	Creates a top-level case or one or more child cases. For example, in a car accident insurance request review, you can create a child case to review vehicle damage. For more information, see Creating contextual cases.
Create PDF	Creates a PDF file from a specified section and attaches the file to the case. For example, in a car accident review request, you can create a PDF file with information about the damage to a vehicle. For more information, see Attaching screen captures to a case.
Generate document	Generates a document that stores information from a case. You can select which fields that correspond with case data you want to include in the documents. For example, in a hiring process, you can generate a document that stores personal details of a candidate, the interview score, and a decision about accepting a candidate. For more information, see Generating case documents.
Persist case	Converts a temporary case to a permanent object in the database. For example, in a hotel booking system, an application creates a temporary case when a user logs in. If the user changes any booking details, the application persists the case to retain data. For more information, see Persisting temporary cases.
Post to Pulse	Creates a message that is sent to the Pulse social stream. For example, when a customer service representative (CSR) collects additional details from a customer, they can post a message to inform other stakeholders that the case involves. For more information, see Posting messages to a case.
Push notification	Sends a notification to an iOS or Android mobile device to indicate that a case requires a user action. For example, when a hiring process moves to a stage where a hiring manager needs to accept or reject a candidate, the manager receives a notification. For more information, see Sending push notifications from cases.
Send email	Sends an email to one or more work parties. For example, in a hiring process, a job candidate can receive an email with a summary of the process. For more information, see Sending automatic emails from cases.
Send notification	Sends a notification to users over one or more channels based on the configurations that you define. For example, in a loan request review, you can notify a customer when a case moves forward and changes its status. For more information, see Sending event notifications from cases.
Update a case	Updates a selected case or all child cases with details that you select. For example, at a certain point of a loan request review, you can update the case urgency to a higher value to ensure that the case meets the resolution on time. For more information, see Updating case information.
Approval	Routes a case to one or more reviewers for an approval, based on a user name, reporting structure, or authority matrix. For example, in a hiring process, to hire a candidate for a managerial position, a case might require an approval from multiple managers on different levels. For more information, see Requesting approval from users.
Search duplicate cases	Returns a list of cases that are similar to a current case based on criteria that you provide. For example, if a customer creates a loan request similar to another loan request from the same customer that is still in progress, you can find, and then close the second request. For more information, see Finding duplicate cases.
Wait	Pauses an assignment for a specified length of time or until at least one case reaches a specific status. For example, in a hiring process, you can pause the case until a human resources worker finishes a background check of a candidate. For more information, see Pausing and resuming processes in cases.
Other
Annotation	Adds notes or comments to the flow without affecting how the flow runs. For example, in a case of preparing a business offer for a potential business partner, case workers can add comments about possible modifications of the options that the offer includes. For more information, see Annotating a flow.

• Types of processes

  The default method of creating processes is by adding steps when you define a case life cycle. To access advanced options and configurations, you can also build your processes by using flow shapes on a flow diagram.

• Assignment shapes in processes

  Assignment shapes represent tasks that users complete in a process. To ensure that your business process meets all your unique requirements, you can add an assignment shape for each place in a business process that requires human judgment and input.

• Annotating a flow

  You can use the Annotation shape to add notes and comments to your flow. By documenting the functionality of a flow, you can share information with other developers.

• Keyboard shortcuts for flows

  You can use keyboard shortcuts in the Flow form. Using keyboard shortcuts makes creating flows easier and more efficient.

• Case life cycle elements
• Creating a stand-alone process
• Running multiple instances of different subprocesses with a Split Join shape
• Running multiple instances of the same subprocess with a Split for Each shape