Running, Testing, and Debugging Processes › Execution Rules

Execution Rules

Operators in a process can have multiple entry and exit links. An entry link serves as an execution order and invokes the operator. Each exit link corresponds to a particular outcome of the operator. Operators have predefined exit links (such as Aborted, Completed, Failed, or Successful). Some operators also allow you to use a Boolean expression to define a custom exit link based on the results and the value of variables accessible to operators in a process.

The execution rules of a process are as follows:

• Start operators in the main flow can have an entry link. If it has an entry link, it cannot have an exit link and act as a Reset operator (for example, used to reset a complete process).
• Stop operators have no exit and complete the execution of a process.
• All exit links with Boolean conditions evaluated as True are enabled and lead to activation of subsequent exit operators. Default exit links are mutually exclusive with one another. All custom links for which the Boolean expression evaluates to true are enabled and lead to subsequent exit operators.
• Operators (other than recapitalized operators in a looped branch of a process) are processed only once during execution of a branch of a process. When a link from a completed operator leads to an operator that has already been activated, then the activated operator is not processed a second time. After activation, the processed link is unavailable to subsequent processing of a process.

  Some operators support looped processing, in which the Workflow module executes the operator either a specified number of times or indefinitely. The exit conditions and the connecting links from the operator are evaluated only when the loop is terminated. The Loop operator further allows you to apply looped processing and its exit conditions to an embedded sequence of operators.

• Break links interrupt execution of a loop in operators that support the use of looped processing.