Overview

An outcome allows a flow user to move from one step to another, or from one step into another flow.

Outcomes connect one step to another. All steps on the flow canvas can have an outcome connected to them.

• All flows begin with the Start step, which is fixed on the flow canvas. The first outcome in a flow is the outcome that leads from the Start step to the first step placed on the flow canvas. This first outcome is typically named "Go". You can have only one outcome connected to the Start step – this begins your flow. See The Start step.

• Subsequent steps can have multiple outcomes connected, and business rules can be added to these outcomes to determine the path a flow should take based on pre-determined logic. For example, if you have multiple outcomes coming from a single step, business rules allow you to define which path a flow should take, depending on the conditions defined in the business rules. See Business rules.

• When a flow is run or published as a web application, outcomes are converted into clickable buttons. Some steps (such as database load or database save that handle backend database actions and so are not visible in a flow to a user) are not converted to buttons, but must still be connected using outcomes.

• Steps can have an outcome connecting both to and from the same two steps. A simple use case for this would be Previous/Next buttons between two pages in a flow.

• If you are using navigation in a flow to provide non-linear access to steps at any point within a flow, not all the steps in the flow canvas need to be connected using outcomes. For example, you can have a flow web application that contains unconnected steps, with these steps made available to a user through a navigation bar. See Navigation.

• Outcomes can also be set as fault outcomes, to provide greater error handling options within a flow. If an error occurs during a call to an external connector, such as on a message step, the flow will automatically be routed along this fault outcome path. This outcome could route to a specific error handling section, subflow or integration process.

• You can add browser Back button functionality to a flow, by setting an outcome to a “Back” action.

  1. Add or edit an outcome on the flow canvas, and select “Back” from the What kind of action is this? drop-down menu.
  2. When the flow is run in a browser, using the browser Back button triggers the Back outcome, directing the flow back along the outcome path you have defined. For example, you could add an outcome to the previous step or step in the flow, and set this to be a Back outcome. If you have multiple Back outcomes set on a step, the back outcome that is highest in outcome order on the step is used. For example, if you have two Back outcomes on a step, the Back outcome with an Order of “0” is used, instead of the Back outcome with an Order of “1”.

Adding an outcome

1. Add an outcome to a step. You can add outcomes to steps either directly on the flow canvas or on the step configuration panel.

   • To add an outcome on the flow canvas, see Joining steps with outcomes on the flow canvas.

   • To add an outcome on the step configuration panel, click New Outcome in the Outcomes section.

2. Once you have created an outcome, the Outcome configuration panel is displayed. Configure the outcome as required:

   • Name: Enter a name for the outcome. This is not displayed to end users of the flow.

   • Label: Enter the label that is displayed to users, i.e. when an outcome is converted to a clickable button this is the text that is shown on the button.

   • This Outcome leads to: Select the step you wish to connect to with the outcome. If you have added an outcome via the flow canvas, this is automatically populated with the step the outcome was connected to.

   • When this Outcome is selected: Specify the behaviour of the outcome regarding any values involved:

     • Save Changed Values: All values will be saved, and a user needs to provide input for any 'reuired' fields to continue with the flow.

     • Do Not Save Changed Values: No values will be saved and the flow will continue even if a user does not provide input on 'required' fields.

     • Partially Save Changed Values: Any values that were changed will be saved and the flow will continue, even if not all the 'required' fields were completed by a user. For example, a user could continue moving through the flow even if they do not fill out all the 'required' fields on a page step.

   • The order in which this Outcome should be evaluated: Specify an order in which the outcome should be evaluated. For example, a value of "0" will result in an outcome being performed before an outcome with a value of "1".

   • Place this Outcome with a Component on the Page: Select a component from the drop-down that the outcome should be placed in, such as an outcomes, table, or datagrid component.

   • This Outcome should appear at the top of the Component: If the outcome is placed within a component, specify the location of the outcome button. By default, outcome buttons are placed at the bottom of a component, but if this option is selected, the outcome button is placed at the top of the component.

   • Create Business Rules: Add business rules to the outcome, to determine the path of a flow where there are potential multiple outcome paths. See Business rules.

   • Use this Outcome for Faults: Click this button to set the outcome as a fault outcome, to provide greater error handling options within a flow. If an error occurs during a call to an external connector, such as on a message step, the flow will automatically be routed along this fault outcome path.

     • Only one fault outcome can be connected to a step.

     • The outcome is automatically labelled as "FAULT" on the flow canvas.

3. Click Add to save the outcome and close the Outcome configuration panel. The outcome is displayed as an arrowed line between the two steps it was created against.

   • See Joining steps with outcomes on the flow canvas.