write and read a variable from an object

[tomi87]

I don't know why it's doesn't work, to write the variable in the object and then to read it.

   <userTask id="chooseAddName" name="Choose add Name" activiti:candidateGroups="st">
         <extensionElements>
            <activiti:formProperty id="addName" name="Add name" expression="#{stAppInfo.addName}" required="true" />
         </extensionElements>
      </userTask>
‍‍‍‍‍‍

I test it with this input:

StAppInfo stInfo= new StAppInfo ();
Map<String, Object> variables = new HashMap<String, Object>();
variables.put("stAppInfo ", stInfo);
variables.put("addName", "Bernd Hauch");‍‍‍‍‍

If I ask which addName is inside it gives me null:
assertEquals("Bernd Hauch", stInfo.getAddName());

Why?

[frederikherema1]

Are you using runtimeService.startProcess() or formService.submitStartForm()? Because, when you're using plain "startProcess", you're just submitting RAW variables, the form-properties definitions are ignored.

[tomi87]

Ok now I'm using  FormService formService = activitiRule.getFormService();


StAppInfo stInfo= new StAppInfo ();
Map<String, Object> variables = new HashMap<String, Object>();

stInfo.setStName("June Muller");

variables.put("stAppInfo ", stInfo);
variables.put("addName", "Bernd Hauch");
 
formService.submitStartFormData(definition.getId(), variables);But how can I submit this now ?
If I select this then I have to submit a Map<String, Object> and a Map<String, String> .
But how can I submit then two with the submitStartFormData? Or how can I just submit my Map<String, Object> variables ?

The method submitStartFormData(String, Map<String,String>) in the type FormService is not applicable for the arguments (String, Map<String,Object>)

[frederikherema1]

Form-properties have a couple of string->object conversions out of the box: date, long, … If you want to use another type of "form property", you can create custom types. However, the form-properties are intended to be used in combination with form-technologies. If you want to populate the process vita stuff that does not come from a form (e.g.. a new instance of StAppInfo), you should just use startProcess(…) and pass in the map<string, object>.

Later on in the process, you can have TASK-forms that can use the stdAppInfo-pojo in their form-properties.

[tomi87]

ok. When I go back to my question:

If I ask which addName is inside it gives me null:
assertEquals("Bernd Hauch", stInfo.getAddName());

How can I fix that now, when the method submitStartFormData(String, Map<String,String>) says that I can't use my variables to submit it?
Variables:
StAppInfo stInfo= new StAppInfo ();
Map<String, Object> variables = new HashMap<String, Object>();
stInfo.setStName("June Muller");
variables.put("stAppInfo ", stInfo);
variables.put("addName", "Bernd Hauch");
I don't understand it.

[tomi87]

I tried it now like this: But I get still an error message


       FormService formService = activitiRule.getFormService();
  TaskService taskService = activitiRule.getTaskService();
  RuntimeService runtimeService = activitiRule.getRuntimeService();
 
                Map<String, Object> variables = new HashMap<String, Object>();
  StAppInfo stInfo= new StAppInfo ();
                variables.put("stAppInfo ", stInfo);

runtimeService.startProcessInstanceByKey("part1XorAdvisor", variables);     //NullPointerException
   
  Task task = taskService.createTaskQuery().singleResult();
  Map<String, String> formProperties = new HashMap<String, String>();
  formProperties.put("addName", "Bernd Hauch");
  formProperties.put("addEmail", "addr@email.de"); 
  formProperties.put("requestAccepted", "true"); // Test with input == true

formService.submitTaskFormData(task.getId(), formProperties);
 
  assertEquals("searchANameAsAdd", task.getTaskDefinitionKey());
  System.out.println("should be Bernd Hauch: " + studentInfo.getAdvisorName());  //but is null

[jbarrez]

Where is the 'studentInfo' variable coming from? It would be easier for us if you could provide a simple unit test.

[tomi87]

"studentInfo" variable is a writing mistake.

here again my bpmn20.xml, my test and the error message:

bpmn20.xml:
<process id="part1ChooseAdd">
  <startEvent id="start"></startEvent>
  <sequenceFlow id="flow129" sourceRef="start"
   targetRef="searchAPrAsAdd"></sequenceFlow>
  <userTask id="searchAPrAsAdd" name="search a pr as add"
   activiti:candidateGroups="student">
   <extensionElements>
    <activiti:formProperty id="addName" name="Add name"
     expression="#{stAppInfo.addName}" required="true" />
    <activiti:formProperty id="addEmail" name="Add Email"
     expression="#{stAppInfo.addEmail}" required="true" />
   </extensionElements>
  </userTask>
  <sequenceFlow id="flow2" name="" sourceRef="searchAPrAsAdd"
   targetRef="theEnd"></sequenceFlow>
  <endEvent id="theEnd"></endEvent>
My Test:
public class ChooseAddTest {

@Rule
public ActivitiRule activitiRule = new ActivitiRule("activiti.cfg-mem.xml");
@Autowired
private RuntimeService runtimeService;

@Autowired
private TaskService taskService;

@Autowired
private FormService formService;
@Test
// deploys process with form properties
@Deployment(resources = { "part1Application/chooseAdd.bpmn20.xml" })
public void testChooseAdd() {

  Map<String, Object> variables = new HashMap<String, Object>();
  stAppInfo studentInfo = new stAppInfo();
  variables.put("stAppInfo", studentInfo);
  runtimeService.startProcessInstanceByKey("part1ChooseAdd", variables);

  Task task = taskService.createTaskQuery().singleResult();

  Map<String, String> formProperties = new HashMap<String, String>();
  formProperties.put("addName", "Bernd Hauch");
  formProperties.put("addEmail", "advisorATemail.com");
  formService.submitTaskFormData(task.getId(), formProperties);
 

  System.out.println("sould be Bernd Hauch: " + studentInfo.getaddName());
}
}
error message:  (ChooseAddTest.java:66) is runtimeService.startProcessInstanceByKey("part1ChooseAdd", variables);
java.lang.NullPointerException
at org.bpmwithactiviti.part1ApplicationTest.ChooseAddTest.testChooseAdd(ChooseAddTest.java:66)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Unknown Source)
at org.junit.runners.model.FrameworkMethod$1.runReflectiveCall(FrameworkMethod.java:44)
at org.junit.internal.runners.model.ReflectiveCallable.run(ReflectiveCallable.java:15)
at org.junit.runners.model.FrameworkMethod.invokeExplosively(FrameworkMethod.java:41)
at org.junit.internal.runners.statements.InvokeMethod.evaluate(InvokeMethod.java:20)
at org.junit.rules.TestWatchman$1.evaluate(TestWatchman.java:48)
at org.junit.runners.BlockJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(BlockJUnit4ClassRunner.java:76)
at org.junit.runners.BlockJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(BlockJUnit4ClassRunner.java:50)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$3.run(ParentRunner.java:193)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$1.schedule(ParentRunner.java:52)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.runChildren(ParentRunner.java:191)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.access$000(ParentRunner.java:42)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$2.evaluate(ParentRunner.java:184)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.run(ParentRunner.java:236)
at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit4.runner.JUnit4TestReference.run(JUnit4TestReference.java:50)
at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.TestExecution.run(TestExecution.java:38)
at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.runTests(RemoteTestRunner.java:467)
at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.runTests(RemoteTestRunner.java:683)
at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.run(RemoteTestRunner.java:390)
at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.main(RemoteTestRunner.java:197)

For my test:
I think that I need to submit the
Map<String, Object> variables = new HashMap<String, Object>();
stAppInfo studentInfo = new stAppInfo();
variables.put("stAppInfo", studentInfo);
because the bpmn20.xml file want to store the variable addName and addEmail in the stAppInfo Object.

Then I think I also need to submit the variable values/names
Map<String, String> formProperties = new HashMap<String, String>();
formProperties.put("addName", "Bernd Hauch");
formProperties.put("addEmail", "advisorATemail.com");

Can you explain me how this works in the right way with the "double" submitting ?

[jbarrez]

@Autowired
   private RuntimeService runtimeService;

You are trying to inject the runtime service using a Spring autowired annotation. But you arent using a spring container, but Activiti standalone.

Remove the lines above and use activitiRule.getRuntimeService() where needed.

[frederikherema1]

You're doing it the right way, only your "runtimeService" is null, that the only thing that can cause NPE on that line…

error message: (ChooseAddTest.java:66) is runtimeService.startProcessInstanceByKey("part1ChooseAdd", variables);