Timer Events Introduction to Controlling the Process Flow

Adding Delays, Deadlines, and Time Based Cycles to Your Process 18-3 4. If you want to delay the process until a specific date, then you must configure the timer event as time date. If you want to delay the process for a certain period, then you must configure the timer start event as cycle. See Section 18.7.1, How to Configure a Timer Event To Use a Specific Date and Time for more information on how to configure a timer event as time date. See Section 18.7.3, How to Configure a Timer Event to Use an Interval for more information on how to configure a timer event as cycle.

18.2.2 What Happens When You Add a Delay to the Process Flow

A token that arrives to the intermediate timer event remains in the timer event until the time specified by the timer event arrives. If you configure the timer event to use a date, then the token remains in the timer event until the specified date. If you configure the timer event to use a cycle, then the token remains in the timer event until the specified time passes.

18.3 Designing a Process to Start Based on a Time Condition

You can add a timer start event to your process to configure it to be triggered based on a time condition. When the time condition specified in the timer start event evaluates to true, the BPMN Service Engine creates a new instance in the process. For example, in a process to report working hours you can add a timer start event that creates an instance in the process one time a day. You can configure your process to start on a specific date or to periodically create an instance. In both cases you can choose to use a fixed value or to use an expression that specifies the corresponding date or interval When deploying a process containing a timer start event specifying a past date, the BPMN Service Engine automatically creates an instance of the process. Figure 18–2 Starting a Process Based on a Time Condition This diagram shows a process that starts with a timer event. The timer start event creates an token each time its time condition evaluates to true.

18.3.1 How to Design a Process to Start Based on a Time Condition

You can design your process to start when a specific date arrives or to periodically start after a certain elapsed time. To design a process to start based on a time condition: 1. Open the BPMN process.

2. If you want your process to have a single start event, then you must right-click the

start event and select Change Trigger Type and then Timer. 18-4 Modeling and Implementation Guide for Oracle Business Process Management If you want your process to have multiple start events, then you must select a timer start event from the Start Events section in the Component Palette. Drop the timer start event on you process. Right-click the timer start event and select Properties . 3. If you want the process to start on a specific date, then you must configure the timer start event as time date. If you want the process to start after a certain period, then you must configure the timer start event as cycle. See Section 18.7.1, How to Configure a Timer Event To Use a Specific Date and Time for more information on how to configure a timer event as time date. See Section 18.7.3, How to Configure a Timer Event to Use an Interval for more information on how to configure a timer event as cycle.

18.3.2 What Happens When You Design a Process to Start Based on a Time Condition

The BPMN Service Engine creates an instance in the process each time the time condition in the timer start event evaluates to true. If you configure the timer start event to use a specific date, then the BPMN Service Engine creates an instance when the specified date arrives. If you configure the timer start event to use a cycle, then the BPMN Service Engine periodically creates an instance in the process.

18.4 Configuring a Deadline for an Activity

You can configure a deadline for an activity using an interrupting timer catch event configured as a boundary interrupting event that leads to another point of the process. If the token remains in the activity for longer than expected or beyond a certain date, then the timer catch event gets triggered and interrupts the process flow. You can configure the deadline to happen on a specific date, or after the token spends a certain time in the activity. In both cases you can specify a fixed date or interval or an expression that calculates the corresponding date or interval. For example, in an purchase order process, you might want to configure the activity that gets the credit card approval to wait the approval for a day. And if the approval takes longer, then direct the token to an activity that sends a message to the customer. Figure 18–3 Activity Deadline This diagram shows a BPMN process that contains an activity that has a deadline. If the token stays in the activity longer than the timer event specifies, then the timer event fires and the token moves to the next activity in the process.

18.4.1 How to Configure a Deadline for an Activity

You can configure a deadline for an activity so that the token moves to another activity after the deadline expires. You can specify to which activity the token moves after the deadline expires.