container between before and main method with DECISION-PROCES S

Mon Aug 23 23:41:05 EDT 2004

Jocelyn,
I want to add a BOR Object to become available on the preview screen by adding it to the Attached Objects list.
This object contains useful information for processing the decision task.
This Object is related to an external server which may not have been fully updated when I first attempt to read it (in a normal task).
So, I want to attempt to add that Object (if not already there) when the user executes the decision task.

I have also found the SAP_WAPI_WRITE_CONTAINER, and can try that.
The OSS people suggested writing some ABAP OO Code to do the same thing, do you know how that would work?

-Kim

Kim Schell (Workflow Support)
"The quieter you become, the more you can hear" unknown
Phone: +61 (03) 8695 1432
Mobile: 0412 271122

-----Original Message-----
From: SAP Workflow [mailto:Owner-SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of
Dart, Jocelyn
Sent: Tuesday, 24 August 2004 12:28 PM
To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: container between before and main method with
DECISION-PROCES S

Hi Kim,
Don't write directly to SWW_CONT/SWWW_CONTOB.   If you really need to change the container then at least use SAP_WAPI_WRITE_CONTAINER (make sure you do a ...READ_CONTAINER first to retain all other details in the container).
Any update of the container is a database update so that does need a commit.

I'm a little confused about why you need to update the container on a DECISION.PROCESS step anyway.  If this is to update some variables that are being shown in the question/answer then you might consider using virtual attributes instead as these are always evaluated on use.

Can you explain further what data you are trying to change and how it is used in the DECISION.PROCESS step?
Jocelyn

-----Original Message-----
From: SAP Workflow [mailto:Owner-SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU] On Behalf Of Schell, Kim
Sent: Tuesday,24 August 2004 11:19 AM
To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: container between before and main method with DECISION-PROCES S

Jocelyn,
What I am trying to do is change the container (add some data) for the running of a dialog task.
I am changing this container with a before method, because I want to pick up this data just before the main method of the task is run (this data might be changed at anytime).

With the SAP Runtime design problems, the only way I can see this will work will be to write the container to the database in the before method.
I'm a little nervous about doing this as we shouldn't really be making manual updates to WF runtime tables.
Shall I just do an update to the database table SWW_CONT/SWWW_CONTOB? or are there other ways to do this?
will I need to use "commit work", or will that cause problems noting OSS indicated there were reasons SAP Runtime doesn't commit the container to the database between the before and main methods (I didn't get an explanaation).
Also, in the last response, OSS mentioned something about using ABAP Objects to do this.

Regards
-Kim

Kim Schell (Workflow Support)
"The quieter you become, the more you can hear" unknown
Phone: +61 (03) 8695 1432
Mobile: 0412 271122

-----Original Message-----
From: SAP Workflow [mailto:Owner-SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of
Dart, Jocelyn
Sent: Friday, 20 August 2004 3:29 PM
To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: container between before and main method with
DECISION-PROCES S

Hi Kim,
There are a few steps with special constructs that communicate directly with the workflow container thereby making the sort of thing you are trying to do not possible. The form steps are another example of special constructs.  There's no bug - its just "the way things are"...

Perhaps if you can describe what you are trying to do and why we can suggest an alternative.
Rgds,
Jocelyn

-----Original Message-----
From: SAP Workflow [mailto:Owner-SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU] On Behalf Of Schell, Kim
Sent: Thursday,19 August 2004 11:18 AM
To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: container between before and main method with DECISION-PROCESS

Workflow Gurus,
I have a very sticky technical problem with SAP Standard workflow runtime, I was hoping if somebody could clarify this for me.

I have placed a method in the before section of a workflow task.  This before method updates the container using the macro SWC_SET_ELEMENT.
The purpose of the before method is to update the container for the main method of the task.
I would like to emphasise this with the Quote....
   "However, before and after methods are called modally, i.e. as if
    they were extra steps in the same session as the work item.
    This means they can be used to manipulate the method container
    if you wish, to influence the main task-based method, or
    subsequent steps in the workflow"
 Quoting from the SAP Press book "Practical Workflow for SAP" page 470.

OSS has informed me that, between a before method and the main method, there is no database update of the container.
So if that's the case then the main method must need to read the container using the macro SWC_GET_ELEMENT instead of from the database.

Here's the twist, my main method is DECISION-PROCESS, an SAP Standard method.
DECISION-PROCESS reads the container from the Database, not using the macro.

Only one of these two designs can be correct, either containers are to be passed between methods using the macro and there's a bug in the way DECISION-PROCESS reads the container, or there must be a DB update between the before and main method, and thus DECISION-PROCESS can happily read the container from the DB.

OSS's latest response is that there is no bug, however stating that DECISION-PROCESS is a "very special construction.  This is not the way, how application methods should be implemented."

I agree with the OSS Response except that I believe this is a bug.
If you wish to lookup the OSS Query, it's 0120050409 233156.

Can anybody please calrify this for me?
It seems we have two aspects of Worfklow design which are mutually exclusive.

Regards
-Kim Schell

EOM

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EOM

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