Testing a Workflow Definition

Testing Workflow Definitions

The standalone version of Oracle Workflow provides a Web-based interface called Launch Processes for you to test any workflow definition you define and save to the database. Launch Processes is accessible only to users belonging to the Workflow Administrator role.

Note: For information about the Developer Studio testing pages in Oracle Applications, see: Testing Workflow Definitions Using the Developer Studio.

Although you can run the Launch Processes Web page against any Oracle Workflow database, we advise that you create a separate environment for testing purposes. To test a workflow definition, you should set up the following in your test environment:

Define test users and roles. You can test against the users and roles predefined in the Oracle Workflow demonstration data model. See: Installing the Requisition Data Model.
If you plan to use the Notifications Web page to view notifications, you need to define your test users and roles in your Web security system. Refer to your Web server documentation for more information.
If you plan to use e-mail to view notifications, you can send all notifications to a single test e-mail address by setting the Test Address configuration parameter when you configure a notification mailer. For more information, please refer to the Oracle Workflow Manager sections of the Oracle Enterprise Manager online help for standalone Oracle Workflow.

To Test a Workflow Definition

Use a Web browser to connect to the Oracle Workflow home page. See: Accessing the Oracle Workflow Home Page, Oracle Workflow Administrator's Guide.
Select the Launch Processes link to display the Launch Processes Web page.

Attention: Note that you can also connect to this page directly using the secured URL:
```
<webagent>/wf_initiate.ItemType
```
<webagent> represents the base URL of the Web agent configured for Oracle Workflow in your Web server. See: Setting Global User Preferences, Oracle Workflow Administrator's Guide.

Attention: This is a secured page, so if you have not yet logged on as a valid workflow administrator in the current Web session, you will be prompted to do so before the page appears.
The Launch Processes page displays all the item type definitions stored in the database except the Oracle Workflow seeded item types: Wferror, Wfmail, and Wfstd. The internal name and description for each item type also appears. Select the item type that owns the workflow process definition you wish to test.
Use the Initiate Workflow Web page to specify the details for the process you wish to launch. To initiate an instance of a workflow process, you need to specify:
- A unique item key for the process instance.
  
  Note: The item key for a process instance can only contain single-byte characters. It cannot contain a multibyte value.
- A user-defined key that you want to use to identify the process.
- The name of the process to test.
- An optional process owner.
- Values for any item type attributes associated with the item type of the process.
Select OK. To initiate the workflow process, the Initiate Workflow Web page calls the Workflow Engine CreateProcess and StartProcess APIs for the item type and item key specified. It also calls the Workflow Engine SetItemOwner and SetItemAttr APIs to set the process owner and all the item type attributes to the values specified.
The Workflow Monitor Activities List for your initiated process instance appears. The Activities List displays the status of the activities that have been executed. You can also select the View Diagram button to display the status of the process graphically in the Workflow Monitor. See: To Filter Activities in the Activities List, Oracle Workflow Administrator's Guide.
If the process you are testing contains notifications, you can navigate back to the Workflow Home page and select the Find Notifications link to find the outstanding Notifications that require responses to complete the process. Alternatively, if you prefer to test the notification responses via e-mail, you can connect to the e-mail test account you specified for the notification mailer to respond to the outstanding notifications for your process.

Testing Workflow Definitions Using the Developer Studio

The Developer Studio in Oracle Applications lets you view workflow definitions stored in your database. If you have workflow administrator privileges, you can also run a test workflow process for a workflow definition. Workflow administrator privileges are assigned in the Workflow Configuration page. See: Setting Global User Preferences, Oracle Workflow Administrator's Guide.

Although you can run a test workflow process against any Oracle Workflow database, it is recommended that you create a separate environment for testing purposes. You should set up test users and roles in your test environment before you begin.

Note: If you plan to use e-mail to view notifications, you can send all notifications to a single test e-mail address by setting the Test Address configuration parameter when you configure a notification mailer. For more information, please refer to the Oracle Workflow Manager sections of the Oracle Applications Manager online help.

Note: For information about the Launch Processes page in standalone Oracle Workflow, see: Testing Workflow Definitions.

To Search for Workflow Definitions in the Developer Studio

Use a Web browser to navigate to the Developer Studio, using a responsibility and navigation path specified by your system administrator. See: Oracle Workflow Developer Navigation Paths.
Search for the workflow definitions you want to review. The search criteria are:
- Workflow Type - Select the workflow item type you want to review. The display name for the workflow type you select populates the Workflow Type field, and the internal name for the workflow type you select populates the Type Internal Name field.
- Type Internal Name - Enter the internal name of the workflow type you want to view, if you want to enter the internal name directly instead of selecting a value. You can enter a partial value to search for workflow types whose internal names begin with that value.
If you have workflow administrator privileges, you can run a test workflow process by selecting the run icon for that workflow definition. See: To Run a Test Workflow Process.

Note: If a workflow definition does not include any runnable processes, its run icon is disabled.

Additionally, if a workflow process begins with a Receive event activity, you cannot use the Developer Studio to test the process. Instead, you should raise a test event from the Event Manager to trigger an event subscription that launches the process. See: To Raise a Test Event.

To Run a Test Workflow Process

Navigate to the Run Workflow page.
In the Workflow Identifier region, specify the identifying details for the workflow process you want to run.
- Workflow Owner - Optionally specify an owner for the process. The default value is your user name.
- Item Key - A unique item key to identify the process instance.
  
  Note: The item key for a process instance can only contain single-byte characters. It cannot contain a multibyte value.
- User Key - An optional user-friendly identifier that you can use to locate the workflow process in the Status Monitor and other Oracle Workflow user interface components.
- Process - The name of the workflow process to test. If the workflow item type includes only one runnable process, Oracle Workflow automatically displays that process. If the workflow item type includes more than one runnable process, select the process that you want to test.
The Workflow Attributes region displays any item attributes associated with the workflow item type. Enter values for any item attributes that are required to initiate the process.
Select the Run Workflow button. To initiate the workflow process, the Run Workflow page calls the Workflow Engine CreateProcess() and StartProcess() APIs for the specified workflow item type and item key. It also calls the Workflow Engine SetItemOwner() and SetItemAttr() APIs to set the process owner and all the item type attributes to the specified values.
To view the status of the workflow process, choose the Status Monitor tab and search for the process in the Workflows search page. See: Accessing the Administrator Monitor, Oracle Workflow Administrator's Guide.
If the process you are testing includes notifications, choose the Notifications tab to view and respond to the notifications in the Worklist. See: To View Notifications from the Advanced Worklist, Oracle Workflow User's Guide.

Alternatively, if you have set the notification preference of the recipients to receive e-mail notifications, you can use an e-mail reader to view and respond to the notifications. If you specified a test e-mail address for the notification mailer, you can connect to that e-mail account to access all notifications for the process. See: Reviewing Notifications via Electronic Mail, Oracle Workflow User's Guide.