Visual creation of computer-based workflows

• US 8,689,131 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2009
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ali, Alnur, Malek, Alexander, Allen, Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matt
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARRETT, RYAN S
• Application Number:
  US12/357,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20100185973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,896 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.27
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for creating and executing a custom action in a workflow generated by an application program executing on a computer system. The application program may receive a selection of a custom action to execute in the workflow in a user interface generated by the application program. The application program may translate the custom action into a user interface button for executing the custom action in the workflow. The application program may display the button for executing the custom action in the workflow. The application program may also resolve references to external content in a shared workflow document by communicating with a workflow engine to register a callback function for receiving a location of the shared workflow document on a remote computer system. The workflow engine may send the location of the shared workflow document to the application program to enable access to the external content.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for creating and executing a custom action in a workflow generated by an application program executing on a computer system, comprising:

receiving, in a user interface generated by the application program, a selection of the custom action to execute in the workflow by receiving at least one preference for defining the custom action in the user interface;

translating, utilizing a translation module, the custom action into a button for executing the custom action in the workflow, the translation module utilizing a form schema and a dynamically generated mapping between data types and one or more user interface controls for each of the data types, the custom action comprising one or more of the following;

conditional approval and abstain, wherein translating the custom action into a button for executing the custom action in the workflow comprises passing the at least one preference defining the custom action to a translation module in the application program to create the button corresponding to the custom action, wherein creating the button comprises consulting mapping data to identify a user interface control for a data type field specified by the form schema, the mapping data comprising the data type field and a user interface control field, the translation module being configured as a form generator to programmatically generate a layout for an electronic business process form, the translation module being utilized to add the button to the electronic business process form; and

displaying, in the workflow generated by the application program, the button for executing the custom action in the workflow, the workflow comprising one or more user interface buttons representing predefined tasks which are automatically populated in an internal action list when the workflow is generated by the application program.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an input to execute the custom action represented by the button in the workflow;

in response to receiving the input to execute the custom action represented by the button, receiving a callback from the executed custom action in the application program; and

in response to receiving the callback, confirming that the custom action was executed in the application program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving at least one preference for defining the custom action in the user interface comprises receiving a preference to make a conditional approval of the workflow, the workflow comprising an electronic form defining a business process.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving at least one preference for defining the custom action in the user interface comprises receiving a preference to abstain from submitting an approval or a rejection of the workflow, the workflow comprising an electronic form defining a business process.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving at least one preference for defining the custom action in the user interface comprises receiving at least one preference to add the custom action to a plurality of actions previously defined for the workflow.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving a callback from the executed custom action in the application program comprises:

registering a callback function with the button for executing the action in a workflow engine in the application program; and

receiving the callback in the workflow engine, wherein the workflow engine maintains a current state for the workflow.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein confirming that the custom action was executed in the application program comprises updating the current state for the workflow in the workflow engine to reflect that the custom action was executed.

8. A device comprising a processor and computer-executable instructions which, when executed on a computer, will cause the computer to perform a method of displaying on a display device a user interface for creating a custom task in a workflow generated by an application program executing on the computer, the method comprising:

displaying a first window in the user interface comprising a button for adding at least one custom task to the workflow, wherein the application program utilizes a translation module to translate the at least one custom task into a button for executing the at least one custom task in the workflow, the translation module utilizing a form schema and a dynamically generated mapping between data types and one or more user interface controls for each of the data types, the at least one custom task comprising one or more of the following;

conditional approval and abstain, wherein translating the at least one custom task into a button for executing the at least one custom task in the workflow comprises passing the at least one preference defining the at least one custom task to a translation module in the application program to create the button corresponding to the at least one custom task, wherein creating the user interface button comprises consulting mapping data to identify a user interface control for a data type field specified by the form schema, the mapping data comprising the data type field and a user interface control field, the translation module being configured as a form generator to programmatically generate a layout for an electronic business process form, the translation module being utilized to add the button to the electronic business process form; and

displaying a second window in the user interface comprising a list of options associated with adding the at least one custom task to the workflow, the workflow comprising one or more user interface buttons representing predefined tasks which are automatically populated in an internal action list when the workflow is generated by the application program.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the at least one custom task comprises a vote an end user makes concerning the workflow.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the list of options associated with adding the at least one custom task to the workflow comprises an option for defining an exit condition for the at least one custom task after the at least one custom task has been completed.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the list of options associated with adding the at least one custom task to the workflow comprises an option for defining task form buttons for displaying in the workflow.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the list of options associated with adding the at least one custom task to the workflow comprises an option for defining task form fields for displaying in the workflow.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the list of options associated with adding the at least one custom task to the workflow comprises an option for defining task behaviors associated with the workflow.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the exit condition comprises ending a business process defined by the workflow.

15. A device comprising a processor and computer-executable instructions which, when executed on a computer, will cause the computer to perform a method for creating and executing a custom action in a workflow generated by an application program executing on a computer system, the method comprising:

receiving, in a user interface generated by the application program, a selection of the custom action to execute in the workflow by receiving at least one preference for defining the custom action in the user interface;

translating, utilizing a translation module, the custom action into a button for executing the custom action in the workflow, the translation module utilizing a form schema and a dynamically generated mapping between data types and one or more user interface controls for each of the data types, the custom action comprising one or more of the following;

conditional approval and abstain, wherein translating the custom action into a button for executing the custom action in the workflow comprises passing the at least one preference defining the custom action to a translation module in the application program to create the button corresponding to the custom action, wherein creating the button comprises consulting mapping data to identify a user interface control for a data type field specified by the form schema, the mapping data comprising the data type field and a user interface control field, the translation module being configured as a form generator to programmatically generate a layout for an electronic business process form, the translation module being utilized to add the button to the electronic business process form;

displaying, in the workflow generated by the application program, the button for executing the custom action in the workflow, the workflow comprising one or more user interface buttons representing predefined tasks which are automatically populated in an internal action list when the workflow is generated by the application program;

receiving an input to execute the custom action represented by the button in the workflow;

in response to receiving the input to execute the custom action represented by the button, receiving a callback from the executed custom action in the application program; and

in response to receiving the callback, confirming that the custom action was executed in the application program.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein receiving a callback from the executed custom action in the application program comprises:

registering a callback function with the button for executing the action in a workflow engine in the application program; and

receiving the callback in the workflow engine, wherein the workflow engine maintains a current state for the workflow.