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Event Listener

Introduction

The event listener can be used to send out an event via a channel. Therefore, the event needs to be configured. It is also optional possible to configure a channel as a reference. Events of the same type through different channels will be received.

For sending an event the Send Event Task can be used.

For a step-by-step guide checkout the section about channels and events.

Properties

General

AttributeTypeDescriptionCategory
Model Id Text

Model Id identifies the element within the process model.

The model id, name and documentation properties can be found on any element. They are used respectively to uniquely identify the event listener, to give it a user-friendly name and to add a free-form description.

Name Expression usage possibleTranslatable to different languagesText

The name of the element. This is the name displayed in the diagram.

Documentation Multiline Text

The documentation attribute additionally adds a description to the component.

Inbound event inboundeventconfiguration

A reference to an event model.

Create or link an event model that defines the structure of the event that is received through an inbound channel.

An event model reference can be unlinked to allow another event model to be linked in its place. Note that unlinking an event model does not delete the model itself.

Inbound channel Expression usage possibleReference

Configures the channel on which the event is received

Create or link a channel model, which is a model that defines how an event is received (for example through an external messaging system) and processed before being passed to the case instance.

A channel model reference can be unlinked to allow another channel model to be linked in its place. Note that unlinking a channel model does not delete the model itself.

Control

AttributeTypeDescriptionCategory
Required Expression usage possibleBoolean

Select this option to mark the element as required (exclamation mark decorator). Required plan items must be either in the status COMPLETED, TERMINATED, or DISABLED in order for their parent stage to complete.

Check this option to mark this event listener as required, which means that it needs to be in a terminal state in order for its parent to complete. Note that event listeners, unlike plan items don't get a visual indication when they're required.

Required plan items must be in a terminal state (such as completed or terminated) in order for their parent stage to complete.

Completion neutral Expression usage possibleBoolean

Completion neutral influences the plan item's parent stage completes.

Plan items in the state AVAILABLE may prevent the parent stage (or case) from automatically completing. By checking this property, the plan item will behave neutral with respect to the completion of the parent container.

Completion neutral influences the plan item's parent stage completion.

Normally, plan item instances in the state available may prevent the parent stage (or case) from automatically completing. By checking this property, the plan item will behave neutral with respect to the completion of the parent container (i.e. it will not stop the completion).

Repetition

AttributeTypeDescriptionCategory
Repetition Expression usage possibleBoolean

Select this option to mark the element as repeatable (fencemark decorator). Repeatable plan items may exist more than once at run-time, each having their own life-cycle.

An event listener can be repeatable, in which case multiple instances will be created, resulting effecively in multiple receivers for events. The repetition can be an expression, and new instances are created as long as the expression resolves to true. This can be limited using the Max instance count. The Repetition counter variable is a local variable with a value incremented by one for each new plan item instance created.

Alternatively, a Collection variable can be passed which leads to a plan item instance per element in the collection.

The element can be captured in a variable using the Element variable and its index in the collection in the Element index variable.

Repetition counter variable Text

Name of the repetition counter variable.

Don't create repetition counter variable Boolean

Enable this flag to prevent the creation of the repetition counter variable. When a variable aggregation is defined, this flag will be ignored and a repetition counter variable will be created.

Max instance count Selection:
  • unlimited
  • one

Defines the maximum number of instances for repetition. Note that this does not mean there can be only one instance ever in the lifetime of a case instance, this will limit the instances each time when the repetition is evaluated (for example when an entry sentry evaluates to true to re-enter a stage or plan item).

Collection variable Text

Variable to be used as the collection for the repetition.

Element variable Text

Variable that will be used to store the current item value for the repetition.

Element index variable Text

Variable that will be used to store the current index value for the repetition.

Variable Aggregations List

When using repetition, there is often a need to create an aggregation of the variables created and/or updated in each instance.

With variable aggregation, a JSON variable can be created that after all instances have been completed contains the summary of all the used variables. This is needed because for repetition, variables are persisted locally, to avoid clashes on the case instance level.

Alternatively, an 'overview' variable can be created while the instances are still unfinished.

Each aggregation consists of one or multiple definitions that map instance variables of one instance of the repetition to the aggregation variable.

Advanced

Execution

AttributeTypeDescriptionCategory
Impact on parent completion Selection:
  • default
  • ignore
  • ignore if available
  • ignore if available or enabled
  • ignore after first completion
  • ignore after first completion if available or enabled

Defines how the plan item is used when the parent completion evaluation is executed.

Normally, a parent stage completes when it has no active child plan item instances and all such instances are in a terminal state. Using auto complete, this can be changed to only look at the plan items marked as required.

Using the Parent completion here, this behavior can be further specified: default will be as described above while ignore means that this event listener isn't taking into account when checking if the parent stage completes. The other options allow for even finer-grained control to determine when to ignore this event listener with regards to parent stage completion.

Details

AttributeTypeDescriptionCategory
Available condition Expression usage possibleText

Sets an available condition, which is an expression that moves the event listener into the available state after creation if true. Also returns the event listener back to the unavailable state when the condition becomes false again.

The life cycle of event listeners is simpler than that of plan items such as human tasks: an event listener stays in the available state until the event happens. There’s no active state like for other plan items.

In some use cases however, the event listener shouldn’t be available for the user to interact with unless a certain condition is true, typically based on case instance variables. The available condition serves exactly that purpose.

Include in history Boolean

When the history level is set to "instance" or "task" level with this property it can be configured if this plan item instance should be included in the historic plan item instance data.

The Include in history flag can be used to store the historical entry of this event listener when running with a history level that normally would not store details of its execution.

Note that this flag has no effect when running with history level 'none'.

Listeners

AttributeTypeDescriptionCategory
Lifecycle listeners List

Allows you to define lifecycle listeners for a plan item. Lifecycle listeners allow you to execute an expression, a delegate expression or a class when a plan item transitions from one state to another.

With lifecycle listeners it is possible to react to state changes of the event listener instance. Lifecycle listeners allow you to execute an expression, a delegate expression or a class when the plan model transitions from one state to another.

Reactivation

AttributeTypeDescriptionCategory
Direct activation condition Expression usage possibleBoolean

Condition that expresses if the plan item should be directly activated when a case instance is reactivated.

Case reactivation is the the ability to reopen a finished case instance and continue with its execution. Case reactivation needs to be modeled using a reactivation listener and specific behavior can be configured for each plan item in the case model.

The Direct Activation Condition is the first condition to be evaluated during case reactivation. If checked or if there is an expression evaluating to true, the event listener immediately gets activated, regardless of any entry sentry or condition which might be necessary to restart at a certain state of the case (e.g. a stage).

The Ignore Condition, if checked or if there is an expression evaluating to true, means that the event listener is ignored on reactivation.

The Default Condition only gets evaluated, if the previous ones are either not checked or evaluated to false. If so, the event listener behaves like a regular one as if the case instance was started from scratch. This means that any necessary entry sentry is considered and evaluated and the engine proceeds as normal.

Please check the Flowable documentation for more details.

Ignore condition Expression usage possibleBoolean

Condition that expresses if the plan item should be ignored when a case instance is reactivated.

Default condition Expression usage possibleBoolean

Condition that expresses if the plan item should trigger when a case instance is reactivated.

Visual

AttributeTypeDescriptionCategory
Font size Selection:
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 14
  • 18
  • 20
  • 24
  • 36
  • 48
  • 72

The font size of the element in the diagram.

Visual properties that determine how the event listener is shown in the diagram.

This has no impact on the runtime execution.

Font weight Selection:
  • Normal
  • Bold

The font weight of the element in the diagram.

Font style Selection:
  • Normal
  • Italic

The font style of the element in the diagram.

Font color Color

The font color of the element in the diagram.

Background color RequiredColor

The background color of the element in the diagram.

Border color RequiredColor

The border color of the element in the diagram.

List Attribute Details

Variable Aggregations

AttributeTypeDescription
Target (Variable / Expression) RequiredExpression usage possibleText

The name of the target variable or an expression that gives the variable name

Type RequiredSelection:
  • Default
  • Custom
Delegate Expression Expression usage possibleText

Delegate Expression to be executed when the task is activated. A delegate expression must resolve to a Java object, for instance a Spring bean. The object's class must implement either PlanItemJavaDelegate or CmmnActivityBehavior.

Class String

Fully qualified classname of a class to be invoked when executing the task. The class must implement either PlanItemJavaDelegate or CmmnActivityBehavior.

Target variable creation RequiredSelection:
  • Default
  • Create overview variable
  • Store as transient variable
Variable Definitions BasicFormList

Variable Definitions

AttributeTypeDescription
Source (Variable / Expression) RequiredExpression usage possibleText

The name of the source variable or an expression that provides the value

Target (Variable / Expression) Expression usage possibleText

The name of the target variable or an expression that gives the variable name

Lifecycle listeners

AttributeTypeDescription
Source state RequiredSelection:
  • Any
  • Available
  • Active
  • Enabled
  • Disabled
  • Completed
  • Failed
  • Suspended
  • Closed
  • Terminated
  • Waiting for repetition
  • Async active
  • Async active leave
Target state RequiredSelection:
  • Any
  • Available
  • Active
  • Enabled
  • Disabled
  • Completed
  • Failed
  • Suspended
  • Closed
  • Terminated
  • Waiting for repetition
  • Async active
  • Async active leave
Class Text

Fully qualified classname of a class to be invoked when executing the task. The class must implement either PlanItemJavaDelegate or CmmnActivityBehavior.

Expression Text

JUEL Expression to be executed when the task is started. Expressions allow you to interact with the backend by calling services, making calculations etc. You can find more information about expressions in the documentation.

Delegate expression Text