View and Search for the Signals designed for Processes as well as those automatically created for Collections. View which assets subscribe to each Signal via its catch events.
ProcessMaker Platform displays all Signals in one location. This makes it easy to manage these Signals.
Follow these steps to view all Signals in your organization:
Ensure that you are logged on to ProcessMaker Platform.
Click the Designer option from the top menu. The Designer Welcome Screen displays.
The Signals page displays the following information in tabular format about Signals:
ID: The ID column displays the Signal ID used to internally identify this Signal. ProcessMaker Platform uses the Signal ID to internally identify this Signal. Signals associated with Collection record events derive their Signal ID values with a prefix containing that Collection's name.
Name: The Name column displays the Signal name as it appears to a Process designers when designing Processes.
Click the +Signal button. See Create a New Signal.
Use the Search setting to filter Signals that display.
Click the Edit icon. See Edit a Signal.
Use the Search function to filter all Signals from the Signals page based on your entered text.
Follow these steps to search for a Signal:
​View your Signals. The Signals tab displays.
Enter in the Search setting the text to filter Signals using any of the following criteria:
ID: Filter by the Signal ID that displays in the ID column.
Name: Filter by the Signal name that displays in the Name column.
As you enter text into the Search setting, Signals display that match your entered text.
Create a new Signal to which any Process may subscribe for use.
Follow these steps to create a new Signal:
​View your Signals. The Signals page displays.
Click the +Signal button. The New Signal screen displays.
In the Signal Name setting, enter a name for the Signal. The Signal name setting displays to the Process designers when configuring Signal-type events in Process Modeler. Therefore, provide a concise name for the Signal so Process designers understand its function. This is a required setting.
In the Signal ID setting, enter a unique ID for the Signal. ProcessMaker Platform uses the Signal ID to internally identify this Signal. Signals associated with Collection record events derive their Signal ID values with a prefix containing that Collection's name. Consider the following when entering the Signal ID value:
Signal IDs must be unique and accept alphanumeric characters only.
A Signal that corresponds with a User Signal must have the Signal ID value that corresponds with that User Signal's event. See What is a User Signal?. Ensure that the User Signal is enabled for use.
This is a required setting.
Optionally, in the Additional Details setting, enter a description for the Signal.
Click Save. The Signals page displays the new Signal in the list of all Signals.
Understand what a Signal is and how ProcessMaker Platform has extended standard BPMN 2.0 Signals with webhooks.
Signals communicate information from one isolated Process model element to another. Signals are part of the BPMN 2.0 specification to broadcast or receive data from a broadcast across Processes, and/or Pools within the same Process model. Similar to radio broadcasting, one Signal-type element designed to broadcast Request data broadcasts that data, while another Signal-type element designed to listen for that Signal from a potentially isolated Process model element receives none, all, or part of that Request data from the broadcasting element.
These are throwing Signal-type elements that broadcast Request data:
Intermediate Signal Throw Event element
Signal End Event element
These are catching Signal-type elements that listen for a broadcasting Signal to receive part of or its complete Request data:
Signal Start Event element
Intermediate Signal Catch Event element
Boundary Signal Event element
Signal Manager contains all Signals regardless of whether they are used for broadcasting or listening BPMN elements. Signal-type Process model elements may then subscribe (or use) that Signal.
Each Collection has three Signals that may independently be enabled or disabled to broadcast its Signal when each occurrence of the following functions in that Collection:
Create a Collection record: A new Collection record is created.
Edit a Collection record: A Collection record is edited.
Delete a Collection record: A Collection record is deleted.
Each Collection's Signals are created and display in Signal Manager when that Collection is created.
Any Signal-type Process model element that subscribes to (uses) a Collection Signal listens for when one of these Collection Record events occur. For example, a Signal Start Event element may listen for when a record in the Collection associated with that Signal is created.
Manage Collection Signals from Signal Manager.
User Signals broadcast information pertaining to four user-type events. User Signals may be enabled or disabled independently of one another. Follow these steps to use a User Signal:
Create a Signal in Signal Manager. In the Signal ID setting for the new Signal, use the Signal ID value for the corresponding user-type event from the following table. For example, to create a Signal that triggers each time a new user account is created, enter user_create
in its Signal ID setting.
Enable the toggle key for that user-type event. If that user-type event's toggle key is not enabled when that Signal is to trigger, that Signal does not trigger. Administrators may control when these user-type events may occur regardless of how Process Designers implement those Signals in Process models.
Any Signal-type Process model element that subscribes to (uses) a User Signal listens for when one of these user-type events occur. For example, a Signal Start Event element may listen for when a new user is created to start a Request that requisitions equipment for that user. Similarly, use a "Delete" User Signal to start a Request that offboards the deleted user's access from organizational applications, infrastructure, and resources.
Below is a description of each user-type event and the Signal ID value to use for its corresponding Signal.
When a User Signal event triggers, the following occurs:
That User Signal broadcasts the _user
Magic Variable containing the user account affected by that User Signal event. For example, the full name set in the affected user account is accessible with JSON dot notation as _user.fullname
. See the _user
Magic Variable to reference any JSON object within this Magic Variable.
The User Signal event broadcasts any User Enhanced Properties and the affected user account's corresponding values.
Manage User Signals from the User Signals tab in Settings.
Click the Signals iconfrom the left sidebar. The Signals page displays all Signals.
Click the Delete icon. See Delete a Signal.
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User-Type Event
Description of Event
Signal ID
Create
user_create
Delete
user_update
Read
A user account is accessed in either of the following ways:
user_read
Update
user_delete
Delete a Signal from being used by any subscribing Process or Collection in your organization.
When a Signal is deleted, it can no longer be referenced from other Process model elements throughout your ProcessMaker Platform instance. If a Process model element is already subscribing to a Signal, that Signal can not be deleted.
Deleting a Signal from the Signals page cannot be undone.
Follow these steps to delete a Signal:
​View your Signals. The Signals page displays.
Click Confirm. The following message displays: The Signal was deleted.
Click the Delete iconfor the Signal to delete. The Caution screen displays to confirm the deletion of the Signal.
Edit general information about a Signal.
Follow these steps to edit details of a Signal:
​View your Signals. The Signals page displays.
In the Signal Name setting, edit the name for the Signal. The Signal name setting displays to the Process designers when configuring Signal-type events in Process Modeler. Therefore, provide a concise name for the Signal so Process designers understand its function. This is a required setting.
In the Signal ID setting, edit the unique ID for the Signal. ProcessMaker Platform uses the Signal ID to internally identify this Signal. Signals associated with Collection record events derive their Signal ID values with a prefix containing that Collection's name. Consider the following when entering the Signal ID value:
Signal IDs must be unique and accept alphanumeric characters only.
A Signal that corresponds with a User Signal must have the Signal ID value that corresponds with that User Signal's event. See What is a User Signal?. Ensure that the User Signal is enabled for use.
This is a required setting.
Optionally, in the Additional Details setting, edit the description for the Signal.
Optionally, configure this Signal with webhook access if the Data Connector package is installed. See Enable Webhook Access.
Click Confirm and Save to save Signal details.
A Signal can optionally be enabled with webhook access.
A webhook automates the receiving of data from another application or third-party service when an event occurs. The data is sent or received via a unique URL that ProcessMaker Platform and that application or service can parse. Through the use of webhooks, users and other services can subscribe to events happening in your system by registering a URL to be called whenever the event occurs.
To send data to a Signal's webhook, ensure that the sender's header contains JSON content type:
content-type = application/json
Follow these steps to configure webhook access for a Signal:
View your Signals. The Signals page displays.
Use the Copy to Clipboard option to copy the webhook URL for use in other ProcessMaker Platform assets or third-party applications.
In the Authentication section, enter security details for accessing the webhook linked to this Signal. Follow these guidelines:
Restrict form fields
Use the Accepted Form Fields setting to optionally restrict form fields that can be used in a call to this Signal. If there are no form fields specified, the entire data from a third-party call will be sent to the Signal. Follow these guidelines:
In the Field setting, enter the name of the form field to allow in a call to this Signal.
Optionally, select the Required checkbox to make this a mandatory field. If the call to the Signal does not contain this field, the call will fail.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 to add additional form fields.
Select the connecting method
From the Accepted Method setting, select the method to use when connecting to this Signal. Select one of the following options:
GET/ Query String: The GET / Query String method retrieves data from the Signal using parameters passed in the URL of a call to the Signal.
POST: The POST method sends JSON data in the body of a call to the Signal.
Select authentication
Follow these steps to configure basic authentication settings when selecting the Basic Authentication option from the Authentication section:
In the Username setting, enter or edit the user name that authenticates an incoming call to the webhook linked to this Signal.
In the Password setting, enter or edit the password that authenticates an incoming call to the webhook linked to this Signal.
Restrict URLs from accessing the webhook
In the Restrict Access From setting, optionally provide a list of URLs from which to restrict any attempts to access the webhook linked to this Signal. Follow these guidelines:
Enter the URL from which to restrict access to this Signal's webhook.
Click Save to save the changes.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 to restrict additional URLs.
Click Save to save webhook settings.
View the Signal Start Event elements, Intermediate Signal Catch Event elements, and/or Boundary Signal Event elements that currently subscribe to a Signal, also called a catch event.
Follow these steps to view the elements that currently subscribe to a Signal:
​View your Signals. The Signals page displays.
Click on the Catch Events tab. The Catch Events tab displays showing the assets that are currently subscribing to this Signal. This is a view-only list for informational purposes.
Click the menu, and then select Click the Edit iconnext to the Signal to edit. The Details tab displays.
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Click the Edit iconnext to the Signal to enable its webhook. The Details tab displays.
Enable the Enable Webhook Access toggle key to activate a webhook for this Signal if that toggle key is not enabled. A webhook URL is automatically generated for the Signal.
Click the +Field button. The Add Field Security screen appears.
From the Authentication drop-down menu, select either None or Basic Authentication as the authentication method.
Click the +URL button. The Add URL Restriction screen displays:
Click the Edit iconnext to the Signal to view its catch events. The Details tab displays.