Build the submission workflow

Introduction

Everything a user does in a Casewhere application runs in a workflow: a series of steps whose activities show forms, run scripts or start other workflows. Workflows run inside a process, which keeps the records of one case together: here, one grant application.

In this chapter you build:

• the process Ga Grant Application, and
• the workflow Ga Submit Application, which an applicant runs to apply:
  1. a form activity where the applicant enters the project title, the amount and a description, and
  2. a scripted activity that registers the submission: a reference number, the applicant's name and the status Submitted.

Create the process

1. Check that Grant Applications is selected in the product selector.

2. Open Processes in the menu and click Create.

3. In Name, type Ga Grant Application.

4. Click Select Data Classes, tick GaApplication and click Save in the list.

   

   A process lists the data classes its cases hold. Workflows that create cases in the process must use at least one of them.

   

5. Click Save.

Create the workflow

1. Open Workflow Definitions in the menu and click Create.

2. Fill in General:

   Field	Value
   Name	Ga Submit Application
   Display Name	Apply for a grant
   Used For Creating New Cases	☑
   Accept Input	☐
   Window Size	Medium
   Hide Step Pane	☑

   

   Used For Creating New Cases makes each run start a new case: one application. The workflow takes no input, because the applicant starts it from an empty list. With one step only, there is no need to show the step pane.

3. Open Data Classes, click Add existing, tick GaApplication and click Add.

   

4. Click Save. The workflow is created with one step, Step 1, and the Steps section opens.

Add the form

1. In Steps, select Step 1 and click Form in Add activity. The form designer opens.

2. Fill in the top of the window:

   Field	Value
   Name	Application form
   Display Name	Your application

3. Connect the form to a new application. In Fields, click Add and fill in Add Data Source:

   Field	Value
   Data Class	GaApplication
   Name	GaApplication
   Reference Type	Single Object
   Reference To	New Object

   Click Save. The data source belongs to the workflow: every activity of the workflow can use it, and the scripted activity below reads the application from it.

4. The Fields tree now lists the attributes of GaApplication. Drag ProjectTitle, RequestedAmount and ProjectDescription onto the canvas, one under the other in the left column. Each field becomes an input bound to the attribute, labelled with the attribute's title. Select a field on the canvas to see its Properties on the right, such as Required and Field Label.

   

5. Click Save And Close.

Add the script

1. Click Script in Add activity.

2. In Name, type Register submission.

3. Paste this script into the editor:

   // The application the form has just saved
   var applicationId = ctx.Workflow.GetDataSourceReference("GaApplication");
   
   // A readable reference number: GA-2026-0001, GA-2026-0002, ...
   var year = DateTime.Now.Year;
   var number = ctx.Use<ICounterApi>().Next("GaApplication_" + year);
   
   ctx.Use<IDataApi>().Update(applicationId, new
   {
       ReferenceNumber = string.Format("GA-{0}-{1:0000}", year, number),
       ApplicantUsername = ctx.User.Username,
       ApplicantName = ctx.User.GetClaim("FullName") ?? ctx.User.Username,
       Status = "Submitted",
       SubmittedAt = DateTime.UtcNow
   });
   

   

   What the script uses:

   Code	Does
   ctx.Workflow.GetDataSourceReference("GaApplication")	the Id of the application in the workflow's GaApplication data source
   ctx.Use<ICounterApi>().Next(...)	the next number of a named counter, safe when many people apply at the same time
   ctx.User	the signed-in user, with the claims from the IdP connection
   ctx.Use<IDataApi>().Update(...)	updates the record; the change is saved when the activity completes

4. Click Save And Close.

Build the workflow

Casewhere compiles the scripts of a workflow before it can run.

1. Click Build at the top of Steps. The status changes to Passed when the build succeeds; if it shows an error, open it to see the compiler's message.

   

2. Click Save And Close.

Applicants can't start the workflow yet: they need a page with a button for it. That is the next chapter.

Next: Build the applicant portal.