topic FormService.submitStartFormData thread safety issue in Alfresco Archive

FormService.submitStartFormData thread safety issue

kaech — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 09:49:27 GMT

Hi,We are developing an application in which many processes are started from multiple threads in parallel via FormService.submitStartFormData().We start different processes with different sets of form properties.Somtimes it happens that submitStartFormData starts the wrong process. The result is tha

Re: FormService.submitStartFormData thread safety issue

ronald_van_kuij — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 09:56:08 GMT

How do you start processes…? Example code?

Re: FormService.submitStartFormData thread safety issue

kaech — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 08:53:51 GMT

Hi Ronald,

we have a Web Service implemented with CXF.
In the Web Service request we do the following:

String processKey = .. obtain key from request
ProcessDefinition pd = activitiRepositoryService.createProcessDefinitionQuery().processDefinitionKey(processKey).latestVersion().singleResult();
String businessKey = UUID.randomUUID().toString();
Map<String, String> formVariables = obtain properties from request
activitiformService.submitStartFormData(pd.getId(), businessKey, formVariables);

We have two processes with one version each deployed. So all in all two procedure definitions in the database.
submitStartFormData is called with the correct parameters.

From what I see processInstance.start() in org.activiti.engine.impl.cmd.SubmitStartFormCmd.execute is called properly.

When we start at least two threads and thread 2 calls start() before thread 1 start() finished, the problem occurs.

Example:

Thread 1, Process A, Properties A
Thread 2, Process B, Properties B

Result:

Thread 1, Process B, Properties A
Thread 2, Process B, Properties B

Cheers
Kaech

Re: FormService.submitStartFormData thread safety issue

frederikherema1 — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:03:32 GMT

I've just double-checked in the code, and a submitStartFormCommand instance is completely isolated from other instances. The variables are submitted to an ExecutionEntity, created locally in the execute method. Is it possible to create a unit-test highlighting this issue (perhaps with waiting-service tasks or something to simulate waits/threading issues)?

Re: FormService.submitStartFormData thread safety issue

udoderk — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 19:52:00 GMT

Are you use the Activiti 5.8 or Activiti 5.11 engine?

Re: FormService.submitStartFormData thread safety issue

kaech — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:16:05 GMT

@udoderk: I am using 5.10

@frederikheremans: Unfortunately I don't have time at the moment. The synchonization hack works for the time being. I will create something, if I have more time.