Null pointer exception exporting from Explorer

[neillamka]

I'm new to Activiti so if I'm posting this question in the wrong place, please let me know.

I am trying to create a flow using the Modeler on a Windows 7 X64 system using Activiti 5.14.

The flow is a simple test one with a couple of steps and a boundary timer event trying to model a simple escalation flow.

What I found is that if I create the flow with a boundary timer event but don't have that event connected to anything I can save and then export the flow without error.  If, however, I connect the timer event to a user task, save the flow and then try to export the flow in Explorer I get the following Null Pointer exception.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong here or what I'm not understanding but was hoping to get some guidance.

<blockcode>
INFO: 2013-11-17        09:57:07        0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1 -       0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1 8080    PUT     /activiti-explorer/service/model/10973/save
_dc=1384711024305       200     0       93741   3030    http://localhost:8080   Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTM
L, like Gecko) Chrome/31.0.1650.57 Safari/537.36        http://localhost:8080/activiti-explorer/service/editor?id=10973
09:57:14,685 [http-bio-8080-exec-6] ERROR org.activiti.editor.ui.EditorProcessDefinitionDetailPanel  - failed to export model to BPMN XML
java.lang.NullPointerException
        at org.activiti.editor.language.json.converter.BpmnJsonConverter.retrieveAttachedRefObject(BpmnJsonConverter.java:487)
        at org.activiti.editor.language.json.converter.BpmnJsonConverter.postProcessElements(BpmnJsonConverter.java:470)
        at org.activiti.editor.language.json.converter.BpmnJsonConverter.convertToBpmnModel(BpmnJsonConverter.java:373)
        at org.activiti.editor.ui.EditorProcessDefinitionDetailPanel$2.getStream(EditorProcessDefinitionDetailPanel.java:250)
        at com.vaadin.Application.handleURI(Application.java:798)
        at com.vaadin.terminal.gwt.server.AbstractCommunicationManager.handleURI(AbstractCommunicationManager.java:2289)
        at com.vaadin.terminal.gwt.server.CommunicationManager.handleURI(CommunicationManager.java:377)
        at com.vaadin.terminal.gwt.server.AbstractApplicationServlet.handleURI(AbstractApplicationServlet.java:1099)
        at com.vaadin.terminal.gwt.server.AbstractApplicationServlet.service(AbstractApplicationServlet.java:535)
        at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:728)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:305)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:210)
        at org.apache.tomcat.websocket.server.WsFilter.doFilter(WsFilter.java:51)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:243)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:210)
        at org.activiti.explorer.filter.ExplorerFilter.doFilter(ExplorerFilter.java:44)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:243)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:210)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:222)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:123)
        at org.apache.catalina.authenticator.AuthenticatorBase.invoke(AuthenticatorBase.java:502)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:171)
        at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:100)
        at org.apache.catalina.valves.AccessLogValve.invoke(AccessLogValve.java:953)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:118)
        at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:408)
        at org.apache.coyote.http11.AbstractHttp11Processor.process(AbstractHttp11Processor.java:1041)
        at org.apache.coyote.AbstractProtocol$AbstractConnectionHandler.process(AbstractProtocol.java:603)
        at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.JIoEndpoint$SocketProcessor.run(JIoEndpoint.java:312)
        at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1145)
        at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:615)
        at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:744)
</blockcode>

Thanks
Neil

[tullo1]

Have you set the timer duration?
Something in the line of: <code>
<boundaryEvent id="boundryTimerExpiresAfter14Days" attachedToRef="forApprovalTask" cancelActivity="true">
  <timerEventDefinition>
    <timeDuration>P14D</timeDuration>
  </timerEventDefinition>
</boundaryEvent>
</code>

[neillamka]

Yes, I set the timer duration to PT8H.

I'm only using the KIS BPM modeler but if I setup just the boundary timer and export I get the following.

<blockcode>
<boundaryEvent id="quoteEscalationTimer" attachedToRef="sid-211CCA37-0712-434A-9A94-4E698A486D7A" cancelActivity="true">
      <timerEventDefinition>
        <timeDuration>PT8H</timeDuration>
      </timerEventDefinition>
    </boundaryEvent>
</blockcode>

Adding the user task attached to that timer event then fails to export with the exception. I don't know if there is a way to look at something lower level since I can't export the XML.

In the designer, I captured what I added that causes the failure in case that helps. The image is here http://www.tastingmaster.com/downloads/Activiti_escalation_flow.png

[leggebroten]

Any news on this?  I am seeing the same problem.
I cannot deploy or export any model with a timerBoundaryEvent

[jbarrez]

No, that is still a bug currently. I believe there is already a jira issue for this.

[neillamka]

I took a look in Jira but did not see anything that looked like this issue.  Do you happen to have the issue Id for the item you are referencing?

Thanks

[leggebroten]

Hmmm.  K.

I'm trying to create a reminder e-mail if the user doesn't complete their task in a timely manner.

Is there another BPMN pattern or workaround for this?
Any idea on fix date?

[jbarrez]

Im afraid you'll have to use the Designer or manually write the XML.
Reminder email is basically a timer boundary event on the user task (non-interrupting).

[leggebroten]

Thanks for the response.  But I must be misunderstanding your reply. 

I cannot deploy any model with a timer BoundaryEvent no matter how I've created it (designer or hand XML) and if I understand your earlier reply from 12/19, this is a known bug.

Therefore, I was looking for a modeling work-around to do something (such as sending a reminder e-mail) if task not done in time.

Thanks,

-Lee

[jbarrez]

The bug I mentioned was Activiti Modeler only.
You do can deploy models to the engine with a timer event (eg create with the Designer).

If I understand you correctly, you are not able to do that. Could you upload your process xml so we can try it ourself?