Flow form
Process Modeler — Smart Shapes

The Smart Shapes menu on the Flow Shapes palette provides a set of frequently-used, pre-configured utilities and subprocesses that you can easily add to your process flows:

Attach Content — Attaches a file, URL, or note to a case
Change Stage - Provides the ability to move to the next stage or to a specific stage
Create a Case — Creates a top case, or one or more subcases
Create PDF – Creates a PDF file and attaches it to an existing case
Persist Case - Persist a work object that started out as temporary
Post to Pulse — Creates a message to post to PegaPulse
Send Email — Sends email to one or more addresses or parties
Update a Case — Updates a single case or all child cases and descendants
Cascading Approval — Routes work using a reporting structure or an authority matrix.
Duplicate Search — Performs a search for potentially duplicate cases

Each utility offers a property panel containing fields and parameters required to configure the action. Each utility also has a Status and a Tickets tab, explained at the end of this topic.

Right-click a shape and select from the context menu to access the rule that is most directly associated with that shape.

Add, delete, and edit these shapes as you would any of the other Process Modeler shapes.

You can add, remove, or edit Smart Shapes specifications as described in Working with specifications in Process Modeler and Case Designer.

Return to top

Attach Content

Use the Attach Content utility to automatically attach a file, URL, or note. Complete the Automation Details on the Attach Content property panel as described below.

Field	Description
Click one of the three radio buttons to indicate the type of file you would like to attach to the case. Below the radio buttons, the fields and parameters appropriate for your selection appear.
Attach a file	Select to attach a file to the case.
Attach a URL	Select to attach a URL to the case.
Attach a note	Select to attach a note to the case.
Reference a binary file	Appears if you select Attach a file. Select if you wish to attach a binary file.
Reference from the case type	Appears if you select Attach a file. Select if you wish to reference an attachment from the case type.
Attachment category	Select the category to assign to the attachment. The category helps identify the business purpose for the attachment.
Binary file path	Required, if you selected Reference a Binary file attachment.
Note	Required, if you select Attach a Note. Enter a note that will appear on the case.
URL	Required, if you selected Attach a URL.
Description	Required. Enter a description of the attached content.
Audit note	Optional. Select or enter the name of a field value rule to control the text of an instances added to the work item history (the "audit trail") when a flow execution completes this shape. PRPC includes a few dozen standard messages in the Work- class. (Through field value rules, the corresponding text on work item history displays can be localized. See About the Localization wizard.) Optionally, to reduce the volume of history detail instances, your application can prevent system-generated messages from being added to work item history. See Controlling the volume of generated work item history instances and the PDN article 25196 How to control history instances written to the audit trail.
Entry point	Select to indicate that this Utility shape is an entry point, which a user can return to using the breadcrumbs control or the standard flow action Previous. The default is cleared. Because a utility shape presents no user form, if a user clicks a breadcrumbs control to return to this entry point, flow processing resumes and pauses at the next assignment or other shape that requires user input.
Only going back	This checkbox appears only when you select the Entry Point checkbox. Select to restrict users at runtime from jumping ahead to this step without having completed the preceding steps. After having completed this step, users may jump back to it from steps that follow it. Leave unselected to allow users to select this entry point from anywhere within the flow. They can complete or visit an earlier or later step. For maximum user flexibility, leave this checkbox unselected if your flow accepts inputs in any order. However, this approach is typically not workable for flows that contain decision shapes, or that have intermediate tasks that are not entry points.
Post action on click away	This checkbox appears only when you select the Entry Point checkbox. Select to run flow action post-processing when you click away from this entry point.

Return to top

Change Stage

Configure the pyChangeStage utility in your flow to automatically move the case to a specified stage at run-time. This utility invokes the pxChangeStage API (activity).

You can use the pyChangeStage flow action to allow an end user to manually change the stage.

Include the Change Stage utility at a specific point in the flow to provide the run-time ability to manually change the stage.

See the Case Management Gallery for the Change Stage utility and flow action.

Complete the Automation Details on the Change Stage property panel as described below.

Field	Description
Go to next stage	Click if you want the flow to progress to the next logical stage.
Select a stage	Click if you would like to select the stage the case progresses to. The Stage field appears. Use the drop-down menu to select the next stage. Select `Other` from the drop-down list if you want to use a parameter or a property reference to direct the flow.
Close open assignments from current stage on change	Select to stop all active processes within the stage when the case leaves the stage. The system removes any open assignments from the user form's Case Contents area.
Audit note	Optional. Select or enter the name of a field value rule to control the text of an instances added to the work item history (the "audit trail") when a flow execution completes this shape. PRPC includes a few dozen standard messages in the Work- class. (Through field value rules, the corresponding text on work item history displays can be localized. See About the Localization wizard.) Optionally, to reduce the volume of history detail instances, your application can prevent system-generated messages from being added to work item history. See Controlling the volume of generated work item history instances and the PDN article 25196 How to control history instances written to the audit trail.
Entry point	Select to indicate that this Utility shape is an entry point, which a user can return to using the breadcrumbs control or the standard flow action Previous. The default is cleared. Because a utility shape presents no user form, if a user clicks a breadcrumbs control to return to this entry point, flow processing resumes and pauses at the next assignment or other shape that requires user input.

Return to top

Create a Case

Use the Create a Case utility to create a top case, or one or more subcases. Complete the Automation Details section on the Create Case(s) property panel as described below.

Field	Description
Click one of the three radio buttons to indicate the case(s) you would like to create. Below the radio buttons, the fields and parameters appropriate for your selection appear.
Create a top Case	Select to create a top level case. This invokes the utility pxCreateTopCase.
Create a subcase	Select to create one or more subcase. This invokes the utility pyCreateSubcasesFlow.
Create multiple subcases	Select to create more than one subcase. This invokes the utility pyCreateSubcases.
For each item in list	Required, if you select Create multiple cases. Select a pagelist property. The pxAddChildWork activity creates a case for each item in the list.
Case type	Required, if you select Create a top case or Create a subcase. Select the case type you would like to create. All coverable cases appear. If you select Create multiple subcases, the field is optional. If no value is provided, the class of each subcase is determined by the class of each page in the specified pagelist. To create a case using a parameter or property value rather than specifying a case type, select Other. In the empty field that appears, select a property from SmartPrompt or enter a parameter.
Data transform	Appears if you select Create a top case or Create multiple subcases. Select the data transform rule for setting properties for all child cases. If you do not select a data transform and the CopyPageData parameter of the pxAddChildWork activity is set to true, all page data from the parent or the entry in the PageProperty parameter is copied to the child case.
Property to store ID of top case	Appears if you select Create a top case. Select the property that stores the top case ID.
Starting processes	Appears if you select Create a subCase or Create multiple subcases. Select a flow in this case type to designate it as a starting process. All inherited flows appear. When you enter at least one flow, this case type rule – not the Creates a new work object? checkbox on the Flow form's Process tab – defines the starting processes. The system disables the checkbox on all Flow rule forms in this case type; flows not in the list are designated as non-starting processes. If you leave this list empty, use the checkbox on the Flow rule form to configure starting processes.
Source page parameter name	Appears if you select Create multiple cases.
Audit note	Optional. Select or enter the name of a field value rule to control the text of an instances added to the work item history (the "audit trail") when a flow execution completes this shape. PRPC includes a few dozen standard messages in the Work- class. (Through field value rules, the corresponding text on work item history displays can be localized. See About the Localization wizard.) Optionally, to reduce the volume of history detail instances, your application can prevent system-generated messages from being added to work item history. See Controlling the volume of generated work item history instances and the PDN article 25196 How to control history instances written to the audit trail.
Entry point	Select to indicate that this Utility shape is an entry point, which a user can return to using the breadcrumbs control or the standard flow action Previous. The default is cleared. Because a utility shape presents no user form, if a user clicks a breadcrumbs control to return to this entry point, flow processing resumes and pauses at the next assignment or other shape that requires user input.
Only going back	This checkbox appears only when you select the Entry point checkbox. Select to restrict users at runtime from jumping ahead to this step without having completed the preceding steps. After having completed this step, users may jump back to it from steps that follow it. Leave unselected to allow users to select this entry point from anywhere within the flow. They can complete or visit an earlier or later step. For maximum user flexibility, leave this checkbox unselected if your flow accepts inputs in any order. However, this approach is typically not workable for flows that contain decision shapes, or that have intermediate tasks that are not entry points.
Post action on click away	This checkbox appears only when you select the Entry point checkbox. Select to run flow action post-processing when you click away from this entry point.

Return to top

Create PDF

Use the Create PDF utility to create a PDF file and attach it to a case. Associate an existing section with this API. Complete the Automation Details section on the Create PDF property panel as described below.

Field	Description
Section name	Required. Select an existing section to associate with the API.
Description	Enter text that explains the purpose of the PDF attachment.
Attachment category	Select the category to assign to the attachment. The category helps identify the business purpose for the attachment.
PDF Orientation	Select a Landscape (default) or Portrait layout orientation.
Audit note	Optional. Select or enter the name of a field value rule to control the text of an instances added to the work item history (the "audit trail") when a flow execution completes this shape. PRPC includes a few dozen standard messages in the Work- class. (Through field value rules, the corresponding text on work item history displays can be localized. See About the Localization wizard.) Optionally, to reduce the volume of history detail instances, your application can prevent system-generated messages from being added to work item history. See Controlling the volume of generated work item history instances and the PDN article 25196 How to control history instances written to the audit trail.
Entry point	Select to indicate that this Utility shape is an entry point, which a user can return to using the breadcrumbs control or the standard flow action Previous. The default is cleared. Because a utility shape presents no user form, if a user clicks a breadcrumbs control to return to this entry point, flow processing resumes and pauses at the next assignment or other shape that requires user input.
Only going back	This checkbox appears only when you select the Entry point checkbox. Select to restrict users at runtime from jumping ahead to this step without having completed the preceding steps. After having completed this step, users may jump back to it from steps that follow it. Leave unselected to allow users to select this entry point from anywhere within the flow. They can complete or visit an earlier or later step. For maximum user flexibility, leave this checkbox unselected if your flow accepts inputs in any order. However, this approach is typically not workable for flows that contain decision shapes, or that have intermediate tasks that are not entry points.
Post action on click away	This checkbox appears only when you select the Entry point checkbox. Select to run flow action post-processing when you click away from this entry point.

Return to top

Persist Case

Use the Persist Case shape in your flow when you would like a case that started out as temporary to be stored as a permanent object in the database. You do not have to make any entries in the property panel for this shape. Optionally, you may use the Audit note, and Entry point fields in the Automation Details section.

Return to top

Post to Pulse

Use the Post to Pulse utility to automatically create a post to the PegaPulse social activity stream. Complete the Automation Details section on the Post to Pulse property panel as described below.

Field	Description
User posting	Use the dropdown menu to select current or other operator. If you select `Other`, choose the operator that appears on the post.
Message	Required. Enter the message you would like to post to PegaPulse.
Message pertains to the current case?	Click to indicate the message is about the current case.
Make secure post?	Appears if you indicated that this message is about the current case. Click to make the post secure, or available only to those with access to the case.
Audit note	Optional. Select or enter the name of a field value rule to control the text of an instances added to the work item history (the "audit trail") when a flow execution completes this shape. PRPC includes a few dozen standard messages in the Work- class. (Through field value rules, the corresponding text on work item history displays can be localized. See About the Localization wizard.) Optionally, to reduce the volume of history detail instances, your application can prevent system-generated messages from being added to work item history. See Controlling the volume of generated work item history instances and the PDN article How to control history instances written to the audit trail.
Entry point	Select to indicate that this Utility shape is an entry point, which a user can return to using the breadcrumbs control or the standard flow action Previous. The default is cleared. Because a utility shape presents no user form, if a user clicks a breadcrumbs control to return to this entry point, flow processing resumes and pauses at the next assignment or other shape that requires user input.
Only going back	This checkbox appears only when you select the Entry point checkbox. Select to restrict users at runtime from jumping ahead to this step without having completed the preceding steps. After having completed this step, users may jump back to it from steps that follow it. Leave unselected to allow users to select this entry point from anywhere within the flow. They can complete or visit an earlier or later step. For maximum user flexibility, leave this checkbox unselected if your flow accepts inputs in any order. However, this approach is typically not workable for flows that contain decision shapes, or that have intermediate tasks that are not entry points.
Post action on click away	This checkbox appears only when you select the Entry point checkbox. Select to run flow action post-processing when you click away from this entry point.

Return to top

Send Email

Use the Send Email utility to automatically generate an email. Complete the Automation Details section on the Send Email property panel as described below.

Field	Description
Send to	Select from the following: Email address to indicate that you would like to send email to one or more specific addresses. Party to indicate that you would like to send email to one or more specific parties.
To Party	Select to indicate that you would like to send email to one or more specific parties.
Parties	Required, if you select party. Enter or select the work parties you would like to send mail to.
To	Required, if you select Email address. Enter one or more addresses, using a text string or a property reference, and a comma separator between addresses.
Subject	Required. Enter a text string or a property reference.
Message	Click the appropriate radio button to create your message with the Rich Text Editor or a Correspondence template.
Correspondence Template	Required, if you clicked the Correspondence radio button in the Message section above. Use the SmartPrompt to select the correspondence template.
Rich Text Editor window	Appears if you select the Rich Text radio button. Use rich text editing features to compose your email.
Send Attachments	Appears if you select Party. Check the box to include attachments. Click the appropriate radio button: All — Select to include all case attachments in the email. By category — Select to include only attachments that belong to categories you specify in the using the SmartPrompt in the Categories field that follows .
Audit note	Optional. Select or enter the name of a field value rule to control the text of an instances added to the work item history (the "audit trail") when a flow execution completes this shape. PRPC includes a few dozen standard messages in the Work- class. (Through field value rules, the corresponding text on work item history displays can be localized. See About the Localization wizard.) Optionally, to reduce the volume of history detail instances, your application can prevent system-generated messages from being added to work item history. See Controlling the volume of generated work item history instances and the PDN article 25196 How to control history instances written to the audit trail.
Entry Point	Select to indicate that this Utility shape is an entry point, which a user can return to using the breadcrumbs control or the standard flow action Previous. The default is cleared. Because a utility shape presents no user form, if a user clicks a breadcrumbs control to return to this entry point, flow processing resumes and pauses at the next assignment or other shape that requires user input.
Only going back	This checkbox appears only when you select the Entry point checkbox. Select to restrict users at runtime from jumping ahead to this step without having completed the preceding steps. After having completed this step, users may jump back to it from steps that follow it. Leave unselected to allow users to select this entry point from anywhere within the flow. They can complete or visit an earlier or later step. For maximum user flexibility, leave this checkbox unselected if your flow accepts inputs in any order. However, this approach is typically not workable for flows that contain decision shapes, or that have intermediate tasks that are not entry points.
Post action on click away	This checkbox appears only when you select the Entry point checkbox. Select to run flow action post-processing when you click away from this entry point.

Return to top

Update a Case

Use the Update a Case utility to update a single case or all child cases and descendants. Complete the Automation Details section on the Update a Case property panel as described below. Note that when an update to any child case fails, all changes in the hierarchy above are rolled back.

Field	Description
Click one of the two radio buttons to indicate whether you would like to update a single case or all child cases and dependants. Below the radio buttons, the fields and parameters appropriate for your selection appear.
A single case	Select to update a single case.
All child cases and descendants	Select to update all child cases and descendants.
With ID	Required, if you select A Single Case. Enter the case ID or a property reference.
Data transform	Required. Select the data transform rule for setting properties for this case. If you do not select a data transform and the CopyPageData parameter of the pxAddChildWork activity is set to true, all page data from the parent or the entry in the PageProperty parameter is copied to the child case.
Audit note	Optional. Select or enter the name of a field value rule to control the text of an instances added to the work item history (the "audit trail") when a flow execution completes this shape. PRPC includes a few dozen standard messages in the Work- class. (Through field value rules, the corresponding text on work item history displays can be localized. See About the Localization wizard.) Optionally, to reduce the volume of history detail instances, your application can prevent system-generated messages from being added to work item history. See Controlling the volume of generated work item history instances and the PDN article 25196 How to control history instances written to the audit trail.
Entry point	Select to indicate that this Utility shape is an entry point, which a user can return to using the breadcrumbs control or the standard flow action Previous. The default is cleared. Because a utility shape presents no user form, if a user clicks a breadcrumbs control to return to this entry point, flow processing resumes and pauses at the next assignment or other shape that requires user input.
Only going back	This checkbox appears only when you select the Entry point checkbox. Select to restrict users at runtime from jumping ahead to this step without having completed the preceding steps. After having completed this step, users may jump back to it from steps that follow it. Leave unselected to allow users to select this entry point from anywhere within the flow. They can complete or visit an earlier or later step. For maximum user flexibility, leave this checkbox unselected if your flow accepts inputs in any order. However, this approach is typically not workable for flows that contain decision shapes, or that have intermediate tasks that are not entry points.
Post action on click away	This checkbox appears only when you select the Entry point checkbox. Select to run flow action post-processing when you click away from this entry point.

Return to top

Cascading Approval

The Cascading Approval subprocess allows you to route cases using an approval structure consisting of either a Reporting Structure or an Authority Matrix. Cascading Approval is based on the standard subprocess shape, and most of the fields function according to the Help documentation for those fields. Only those fields that are added to support Cascading Approval are documented in the table below.

See the Case Management Gallery for the Cascading Approval flow. See PDN article Cascading Approvals.

Field	Description
Approval based on	Use the dropdown menu to select one of the following: Reporting Structure – route the case based on the value of the Work group or Reports to: field specified on the Work tab of the current operator's Operator ID rule Authority Matrix – route the case based on a decision table that evaluates a condition, then routes the case to a specified operator based on the results of that condition. For example, expense reports for over $1,000 may require a higher level of management approval than expense reports for $100.
Approval to be completed by	Appears if you selected Reporting Structure. Select: Reporting Manager – to route the case to the ID specified in the Reports to: field on the Work tab of the current operator's Operator ID rule WorkGroup Manager – to route the case to the manager of the workgroup specified in the Work group field on the Work tab of the current operator's Operator ID rule
Approval Level	Appears if you selected Reporting Structure. One — Route cases for approval only to the manager selected in the Approval to be completed by field. All — Route cases for approval up the entire management hierarchy, starting with the select manager. Custom — Route cases for approval up specific levels in the management hierarchy as determined by the evaluation of when records.
When	Appears if you selected Custom. Specify a when rule that determines the approval level required if that condition is met.
Levels of Approval	Appears if you selected Custom. For each when condition, enter a number that represents the management levels a case must be routed to based on the results of the when condition. Example Assume James Allen (current operator) reports to Bill Glover, Sales Manager, who reports to Carol Roland, Division V.P. (Level 2), who reports to Sam Scott, CFO (Level 3). All purchase requests must be approved by Bill Glover. The first when condition states that a purchase request totaling more than $25,000 must be approved by Bill Glover and Carol Roland. You enter 2 in the Levels of Approval field. The second when condition states that if the request is greater than $75,000, it must also be approved by Sam Scott. You enter 3 in the field.
Decision table for matrix	Appears if you selected Authority Matrix. Specify the decision table that determines the approver for the case. This field is not mandatory. However, if a value is not provided, you must pre-populate the following two fields: Page list property and Approver property.
Page list Property	Specify the page list property that stores the result of the evaluated decision table.
Approver property	Specify the property that stores the resulting approver.
Enable email approval	Select to send an email to the individual specified in the Approval to be completed by field. An email listener and account must be configured for the work group. See About the Email wizard.

Return to top

Duplicate Search

Include the Duplicate Search flow in your application to locate potentially duplicate cases. No configuration is required on the subprocess.

On the Case Designer, edit the Duplicate Search field to specify conditions that must match. Create weighted match conditions and specify a threshold for the sum of the conditions. When a case meets all of the Must Match conditions and the threshold for the sum of the weighted conditions, it meets the criteria for being a potentially duplicate case.

A standard flow, pyDuplicateSearchCases, compares the current case to already-created cases of the same type to search for potential duplicates. The flow action, pyDuplicateSearchCases, presents the list of potential duplicate cases to the user who can determine if the cases are duplicates.

See the Case Management Gallery for the flow and flow action.

Return to top

Advanced

Complete the Status and Tickets sections.

Status

Field

Description

Work Status

Enter a work status in this field to set the status for the work item. This allows you to easily change the status at multiple points in the life cycle of a work item without adding a Utility shape to the flow for each status change. Similar to setting work item status using a Utility shape, setting the status invokes the UpdateStatus activity. Any defined tickets dependent on the status are raised, as appropriate. The selected status updates .pyStatusWork when the flow execution reaches this assignment shape.

A status indicator appears on connectors to shapes that change a work item status. For example, if the shape status is set to Pending-External, the connector to that shape displays a small red flag. All transitions connecting to the shape will display the status indicator. Following are the status indicators for the four status prefixes.

New

Open

Pending

Resolved

Tickets

Add a Ticket Name to indicate the ticket(s) available at runtime. Use the Ticket to mark the starting point for exceptions that may arise at any point in the flow, such as a cancellation. The ticket is a label for a point in a flow, much like a programming "GOTO" destination.

An activity executing anywhere in your entire PRPC application can raise this ticket by executing the Obj-Set-Tickets method with this ticket name as a parameter. See Ticket help for other ways to raise a ticket.

The scope of a raised ticket includes all flows on the current work item that contain this ticket. If found, processing stops on that flow promptly, and resumes at the ticket point.

The system adds to the assignment shape to indicate one or more tickets are associated with this assignment. The name(s) of assigned tickets appear beside this icon on the flow.

Field

Description

Ticket Name

add row Optional. Select one or more tickets that are to be available at runtime from this assignment. Add a row for each ticket. Use SmartPrompt to display all tickets available to flows in this work type. The ticket name will appear beside the icon on the flow.

Tip Creating ticket rules is recommended but not required. You can enter here a name that does not correspond to a ticket rule.

If a shape has more than one ticket associated with it, then processing continues with that task only after all tickets are set.

Example

Processing is connected to a ticket to respond to an exception, error flow or event. For example, if a mortgage application is withdrawn after some, but not all, of the application processing is completed, a mortgage processing flow can:

Include a ticket named Withdrawn on a utility shape that computes the fees due for work done so far, and any refund amount
Follow the utility shape with another that produces correspondence, to alert all parties working on the mortgage that it was withdrawn
Connect to external systems to back out (rollback) changes or void accounting entries as appropriate

Display Name

Optional. The Ticket Name appears by default. Enter a name to display other than the ticket name.

About Flows

Flow formProcess Modeler — Smart Shapes

Attach Content

Field

Description

Change Stage

Field

Description

Create a Case

Field

Description

Create PDF

Field

Description

Persist Case

Post to Pulse

Field

Description

Send Email

Field

Description

Update a Case

Field

Description

Cascading Approval

Field

Description

Duplicate Search

Advanced

Status

Field

Description

Tickets

Field

Description

Example

Flow form
Process Modeler — Smart Shapes