"StationOne"

A

Workflow

Example

Please note: Reference is made here to a specific "WorkFlow" example problem. This illustrative example problem is, by necessity, very simple. Please do not treat the simplicity of the chosen example as an indication of limitations of the development system. The example has been kept simple to illustrate features of the Champagne Graphical Development Environment (GDE).

A WorkFlow Example

Consider a "WorkFlow" automation task at the primary document receive and send workstation (StationOne). The station sends letters and offers, the offers have to be checked and signed while the letters just need to be signed.

Tests might be:

What type is the next document to be processed? (nextDoc)
Is the document being sent or received? (direction)
Has the document been signed? (signed)
Has the document been checked? (checked)

Actions might be:

Send the document to the addressed dept. (SendToDept)
Send the document to the checking dept. (SndToCheck)
Get the document signed (GetSigned)
Mail the document (SendOffer)

If we imagine the treatment for an incoming letter, the first couple of example (given the above tests and actions) might look like:

which may be read as follows:

Example #1: If we received a letter (nextDoc=letter and direction=in), we don't care about if it has been check or if it is signed (checked=* and signed=*) just send it to the addressed department (StationOne=SendToDept).

Example #2: If we see an offer on its way out (nextDoc=offer and direction=out), and it has not been checked then send it to the department that checks these things (StationOne=SendToCheck).

Given the above (minimal example set) the rule generator contained within the Champagne GDE gives the following rule:

which can be read as follows:

Check the next document, if it's a letter then send it to the addressed department, otherwise send it to be checked.

This rule is definitely not sufficient, it needs to be refined. The best way to do this is to provide examples that contradict the rule until the rule displays logic that cannot be improved. e.g. the next example to be supplied might illustrate the correct behaviour upon seeing an offer letter that had been checked, as follows:

with the resulting rule:

As with the best planned demonstrations (and TV cooking shows) here's the final example set illustrating the single-level treatment of documents arriving at StationOne.

and the corresponding rule:

Now here's where some of the good stuff happens. If StationOne's example set (which is saved as a plain text file) is dragged onto the icon for the Champagne GDE the following diagram will be displayed.

This diagram is the application overview. In this case only one bubble is present but

Double-clicking on the StationOne bubble in the Champagne GDE results in the current example-set and rule being displayed (screenshots from which were used to present the information in this document).

Page Last Updated 2/22/99 (still under heavy construction)