topic Re: Updating application specific variables in Alfresco Archive

Updating application specific variables

leonpennings — Tue, 08 Oct 2013 12:43:12 GMT

Hi,I would like to be able to update a defined taskform and/or the implementation classes of a Task assignment on UserTasks or implementationClasses/assignment classes on ServiceTasks for a deployed processdefinition - but couldn't find a way to do so, other than updating the bpmn file and redeployi

Re: Updating application specific variables

trademak — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 09:06:14 GMT

You want to define other class names for listeners and/or service tasks?
Currently the only way is to update the BPMN definition and redeploy it.

Best regards,

Re: Updating application specific variables

leonpennings — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 11:31:56 GMT

Hi Tijs,

thanks for the response, I was afraid that was the only option.
The problem here is that I have implementation consultants writing the bpmn files and not the developers.
Spelling errors are easily made in package names for implementation classes - so being able to correct the deployment specific variables would be a big plus.

I think from the activiti side you build the processdefinitions from the uploaded xml file every time activiti is started/restarted right?
So in order to update these variables on the existing process you'd have to modify the uploaded xml.. not a fun job…

From what I've gathered, after a processdefinition is loaded from the bpmn definition, it stays in a cache. So our team could create some sort of post load hook that will update the variables in the cache.
Not the nicest solution, but always better than having implementation consultants copy/pasting or typing classnames..

grtz,

Leon..

Re: Updating application specific variables

frederikherema1 — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 13:07:20 GMT

As of 5.13, the cache could actually evicts entries if it's full (not likely to happen, but it could). If you deploy a new process-definition (with the typo's corrected), the running instance will still point to the old definition. You can use the SetProcessDefinitionVersionCmd for this (use managementService.executeCommand(..)), AT YOUR OWN RISK So read the javadoc for that class, so you know what it does. If you are 100% sure that the "classname" change is the only thing that you have done, it's safe to just "up" the version of process-definition the processes point to.

Re: Updating application specific variables

leonpennings — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 10:08:41 GMT

Hi Frederik,

thanks for the addition, I hadn't considered the running processes.

Sound like I have a feature request then,
I would like to be able to update form names and implementation classes for tasklisteners, add and remove tasklisteners and change implementation classes for servicetasks for deployed processdefinitions without changing the version number.

functionally this sounds like something that would be desirable anyway - especially with applications that embed activiti, but since I'm the only one with this issue my guess is that the chance this will be included anytime soon is quite low right?

grtz,

Leon..

Re: Updating application specific variables

trademak — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 12:24:54 GMT

Hi Leon,

You are definitely not the only one asking for that kind of functionality. So please create a JIRA for this.

Best regards,

Re: Updating application specific variables

leonpennings — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 15:45:27 GMT

Hi Tijs,

good to hear 😉
here you go:
http://jira.codehaus.org/browse/ACT-1810

grtz,

Leon..