Importing a Process

The import feature makes it easy to move individual processes from a test environment to a production environment. This allows you to ensure that a process runs as expected before deploying it to your users. On the Manage page, you can import a process by clicking Import (import process button).

Importing a New Version of an Existing Process

If you are importing processes from a test environment to a production environment, you can update an existing process in the latter by making the imported process a new version of the existing process. The update and all previous versions will be preserved in the process' version history.

To upload a new version of a process

  1. On the Manage page, click Import.
  2. The Designer dialog box will appear. Select Browse in the main section of the dialog box.
  3. Find and select the .xml file containing the process you want to upload, then click Open.
  4. If the process you want to upload already exists, the Upload Options dialog box will appear. Select Overwrite to upload a new version of the existing process.
  5. Select Open to open the process designer, where you can edit the uploaded process. Edit the process as desired, then click Publish to publish it as the latest version of the process that you wanted to overwrite.

    Note: If you do not publish the process, but merely save and exit the process designer, you will be able to edit the unpublished draft the next time you try to edit the process. However, the unpublished draft will not appear in the version history, as only published versions do so.

  6. If the process has running instances, you will be prompted to select which versions of the running instances you want to update to the latest version of the process. Make your selection, then click Publish.

Workflows

If you are importing a process that contains a Workflow service task, the import process will try to match the information contained in the task with what exists in the environment. In order to use the process, click the validation button () and correct any issues within the task before being able to publish the process.

If the process was created with another version of Laserfiche software, the following message may be displayed during the import process:

This process includes one or more Workflow service tasks from an incompatible version of Workflow. Please reconfigure the Workflow service tasks in order to use this process.

In this case, the task will appear on the canvas as an empty workflow service task and needs to be completely reconfigured.

Lookup Rules

If you are importing a process that contains lookup rules, and the environment that you are importing the process into does not have the same data sources as those in the process' former environment, your lookup rules may not work properly. Lookup rules in imported processes will be automatically enabled if the two environments have identical values for the following:

  • The server containing the data
  • The business rule type
  • The business rule
  • The variable(s) being looked up.

If the values of any of these parameters differ between environments for the relevant lookup rules, the lookup rule will be automatically disabled when the process is imported into the new environment. To edit and use a disabled lookup rule, manually enable it and change the parameters in the rule to match the information in your new data sources.

Settings

If you are importing a process that contains custom work schedules or email display names, and the environment that you are importing the process into does not have the same settings, you will be able to either match these to existing items in the environment or create them at this point.

Importing a New Process

If you don't want to update an existing process, but simply want to upload a new process from an .xml file, select New instead of Overwrite in step 3 of the previous instructions. You will be taken to the process designer, where you can edit and publish your process. If you leave the designer without publishing the process, your process will still appear on the Manage page as an unpublished process.