Adding Stages to an application

It is often desirable to have an application, or form, transition through a set of phases or stages. At each stage the form might be used by different people in different roles. The form also might be presented in a slightly different manner in each stage, such as having some items or pages hidden, or in a read-only state.

Each form in an HCL Leap application can have multiple stages. By default, a newly created form has two stages:
  • Start – The initial state of every form. Once the form transitions away from the Start stage it cannot return.
  • Submitted – A submitted form is stored in this stage. Forms in this stage may be updated by users with permission.
Additional stages can be added and configured by clicking the plus (+) icon that appears when hovering over a Stage box or by clicking the Add Stage button in the Properties panel; however, the Start stage is always required and is unique.

Actions

Each stage can have multiple stage actions. Each stage action presents itself as a button in the form's footer area and therefore the terms stage action, and stage button are used interchangeably. There are three types of stage actions:
  • Submit – Submits the form data, and transitions the form to the next stage. A single stage can have multiple Submit buttons. Each Submit button may have different settings, and may transition the form to a different next stage. A stage that does not have any Submit buttons will be depicted as an "End" stage with a red square icon, however stage buttons may be added at any time.
  • Save Draft – Temporarily stores the form's data so the user can return later to complete the rest of the form. A single stage can have multiple Save Draft buttons. Each button may have different settings, such as a unique message for the user. A stage is not required to have a Save Draft button. For more information, see Saving work as Draft.
  • Cancel – Returns the form to its original state before the end-user started making modifications. The form remains within the same stage. A single stage can have only one Cancel button. A stage is not required to have a Cancel button.
Every newly created stage, including the Start stage, is given by default a single Submit button and Cancel button as a starting point.

Activities

During the transition from one stage to the next, there are several activities that can take place: Send an Email, Call a Service, and Assign Users. The Visibility tab also allows the application designer to disable or hide any form item, or entire page, within a specific stage for a particular form. Leap provides control over which users can access or modify the Form's data at any particular stage. The setting of these permissions is done by clicking on a stage and navigating to Permissions, or by clicking the Visibility tab. For more information, see Application and Security overview.

Branching

Each stage action may define one (or more) conditional branch by clicking on the diamond icon below the stage object in the workflow diagram, or with the action selected by clicking on + Add conditional branch. A branch defines an alternate path the form takes when submitted. A branch must define a condition that determines when it will be followed. Branch conditions may be based on a user in/not in a role or the value of an item on the form. Each branch may have its own distinct activities that are executed when followed.