Activities

Activities automate processing. Activities contain a sequence of structured steps. Each step calls a method rule or contains a control instruction such as Call or Branch. Each activity has a type that characterizes its purpose and affects which other rules can call it.

When a requestor session runs an activity for the first time, the system converts information from the activity into Java, compiles the Java, and executes it. Later executions (of the same activity in the same ruleset, version, and so on) reuse the compiled Java.

After you unit test an activity, you can convert the test run into an automated test case or unit test case.

  • If you do not have the AutomatedTesting enabled, or if you have it enabled but are using the Automated Rule Testing landing page, the Test Cases tab displays automated test cases for activities.
  • If you have the AutomatedTesting enabled and are using the Automated Unit Testing framework, the Test Cases tab displays unit test cases for activities.

Except for pre-import and post-import activities, do not use an activity for calculations or property validations that you can implement as constraints rules or Declare Expression rules. Use of a declarative rule (rather than an activity) eliminates the need to control how and when an activity executes. The Pegasystems Implementation Methodology approach promotes declarative processing rather than activities when feasible.

Tabs on the Activity form

The Activity form displays the following tabs that provide configuration options for an activity: