Error conditions on tasks in a Workflow fork

[Raskin, Alon (Soliance)]

Hi David,
 
Every task in a workflow has an outcome. Most of the outcomes are the
exceptions that are defined on the method being called. For example, if the
method that gets the internet address returns an exception  then this will
show up in the Outcomes Tab of the Task display. You need to define a
corresponding 'path' on your workflow for that exception. To do that display
the OUTCOME tab on your task and enter some meaningful text. This will then
create a new 'path' in your workflow. If SAP Workflow encounters a task that
does not have a corresponding 'path' (I don't think that Path is the right
word but you get what I mean) then it will go to error mode. If there is a
defined path for that outcome then it will simply continue execution via
that path.
 
The other thing that I was wondering is why is the 'Get Email address' step
in parallel with the send mails task? Surely that should be the first thing
that the workflow does. Only after that is successfully achieved should the
workflow attempt to send the mail. If this fails (ie. No mail address is
determined) and no error occurs then the send mail step will error because
it did not have a recipient address. Just a thought....
 
Alon Raskin
Workflow Advisor - Soliance
(xtn. 3183)
 
 -----Original Message-----
From:   Durrant,David William [mailto:DURRAND2 at apci.com]
Sent:   January 28 2002 7:32
To:     SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject:        Error conditions on tasks in a Workflow fork
 
Dear workflow experts
 
We are using HR (PA and OM) and are new to workflow so we thought we would
start with something simple
We are using workflow to send e-mail notifications when a new employee is
hired into the company. We have the trigger events and starting conditions
figured out (so far). We built a fork into the workflow so that the emails
are sent in parallel in the belief (mistaken) that if one of the tasks
failed, then the other tasks would still execute. It seems we were wrong.
 
As an example
We are using a function to get the details of the person who is the chief of
the org unit, and then use the iinternet address stored on the
communications infotype on that person. This is one task out of seven in the
fork.
 
If the communications infotype does not exist then the whole workflow just
hangs.
 
Is there any way of setting an error trapping mechanism, to skip the task if
there is an error, and allow the other tasks to continue?
 
regards
 
Dave Durrant
Workflow Architect
Air Products PLC
 
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