Specifying Referenced Process Start and Return Documents

When you configure a call activity step to statically invoke a webMethods referenced process, you must also specify start and return documents. Start documents are sent to the referenced process, and return documents are returned from the referenced process to the original process. Start and return documents are not needed when calling a BPMN callable process. A BPMN callable process requires a Global Process Specification in order to be called by a call activity step. See Defining a Global Process Specification.

Important:

Although still available, the ability to invoke a referenced process from a call activity step is deprecated. You are advised to implement all of your steps that invoke another process with a call activity step that invokes a callable process.

As with other steps, the inputs of a call activity step configured to invoke a referenced process can be any available pipeline process data from upstream in the process. Such a call activity step must also publish the specified receive document to invoke another process.

If the call activity step input document(s) matches the selected start document(s) (and has values for all the required fields in the receive document), then no mapping is required after the process is built. If the input document does not match the start document, then you must map the data manually. Click the Edit Data Mapping links on the Inputs / Outputs page in the Properties view, or right-click a step and select Edit Input Data Mapping or Edit Output Data Mapping.

For more information about data mapping in Designer, see in webMethods Service Development Help.

Similarly, the outputs of a call activity step can be any process data you choose to include. But if the outputs do not match the selected return document(s), they will require mapping after you build the process.

Available start documents are the sum of the subscription documents for all of the start event steps in the referenced process that can start new instances of the process. Available return documents are the sum of all the publication documents in the referenced process.

1. Select a call activity step in the process editor. The step must be configured to statically invoke a webMethods reference process. For more information, see Call Activity Concepts.

2. In the Available Input Documents section on the Start / Return Documents page in the Properties view, select the referenced process subscription documents that should be used to invoke the referenced process (CTRL + click to select multiple documents), and click Add to move them to the Inputs section.

3. In the Available Output Documents section on the Start / Return Documents page in the Properties view, select the referenced process publish documents you want returned to the parent process (CTRL + click to select multiple documents), and click Add to move them to the Outputs section.