About Step Labels

Software AG Designer enables you to apply a label to each step in your process model. It is possible for step labels to be empty, and for the same label value to be used more than once in the same process model. This enables a closer integration with ARIS process models and enables models to be more accurately imported from other modeling tools in XPDL format.

Note:

In version 8.2.x and earlier, each step was required to have a unique step name as indicated by the label.

You can add, remove, or modify a label value at any time by clicking the step to select it, and then editing the step Label field on the General page in the Properties view.

In those locations outside of the process design canvas where step labels are referred to, the following rules apply:

If a step has no label but generates a flow service, the step ID is used in place of the step label. You can view the step ID value by hovering the cursor over as step, or by selecting the step and clicking the General tab in the Properties view.

If there are duplicate steps of the same name, each step generates its flow service with a value of "<step label>_<stepID>".

Task, call activity, and subprocess steps are always created with a default label, for example, “Task1,” with subsequent steps numbered incrementally. Event and gateway steps can be created with or without a label. When applied, the label uses the same format, for example, Gateway1, Message Event1.

Note:

If you delete a step with a default name, that name is not reused in the process model. For example, if you add steps named Task1 and Task2 and then delete Task2, the next step is named Task3.

The Default step label location preference determines the default placement of task, call activity, and collapsed subprocess step labels (on the step or below the step). In addition, you can set the position of the step labels in a process with the Position label on step/below step button

on the tool bar. For more information, see Changing Task Label Placement.

The Automatically update step names when adding documents/services via drag and drop preference determines whether step labels change after a drag and drop action.

The Show event and gateway labels by default preference determines whether or not a label is created when an event or gateway step is added to the process.

For more information about these preferences, see Configuring Appearance Preferences.