Release Highlights 7.3.1

Project-Specific Parameters for Technical Processes

Users of X4 BPMS can now create a project-specific file in the X4 Designer, the Project Parameter Configuration, in which they can configure project parameters in ESB projects and Web Apps as well as for business rules in BPM projects. The file has the extension *.param.

Benefits of Project Parameters

• Reusability of components through parameterization is increased.

• The process can be directly influenced by parameters at runtime.

• Project parameters can be changed at runtime. This is possible via the X4 ReST API (http://localhost:8080/X4/X4Api/) or with the new adapter, the Project Parameter Management.

• User-specific access to parameter configuration: Access to project parameters can be
  restricted by defining roles.

• Project parameters can be exported or imported directly with the project.

• Project parameters, just like system and global parameters, can be used in mappings, conditions and other configurations, such as adapters, as well as in business rules and via technical processes in human tasks (BPM projects).

• Global parameters can be copied to the Project Parameter Configuration for project-specific
  use.

Overall, the Project Parameter Configuration provides a powerful way to quickly adapt and optimize processes to a company's requirements, while saving time and resources.

This feature is included in the X4 BPMS standard license.

Renaming Placeholders to Parameters

With the introduction of the project parameters, the names for parameters and placeholders have been standardized.

The following renaming was implemented:

Global Parameter Configuration

Global parameters are defined in the Global Parameter Configuration (previously: Custom Placeholder Storage Editor). The Global Parameter Configuration can be called up under Tools > Global Parameter Configuration:

Component Parameters

Component parameters (previously: custom parameters) can be defined for an adapter, mapping or report. The process module is then marked accordingly with a symbol:

Component parameters are set via the Properties view:

Parameters in Conditions

System parameters as well as previously defined global and project parameters can be set in the Condition Editor:

Parameters in Mappings

System parameters as well as previously defined global and project parameters can be set in
mappings:

Web Apps

TreeView-Controls

A TreeView Control is a flexible control element that can be used to structure data hierarchically and to display it clearly in a tree structure. This control element used in Detail Components and display data in a tree structure of nodes and subnodes with any number of levels. This allows for a clear representation of data, even with large amounts of data, and easy navigation for users. Possible use cases include the representation of file and directory systems or navigation menus in a web app.

This feature is included in the X4 BPMS standard license.

Accordion-Controls

Accordion Controls are interaction elements in Web Apps that allow users to display or hide content in a concise manner (show/ hide interaction pattern). They consist of several sections or areas filled with content, each with a title. Clicking on the title of a section displays the content of that section, while the content of the other sections remains hidden.

Advantages of Accordion Controls are space-saving display of content, clear navigation, and thus improved user experience. Accordion controls are easy to implement and suitable for responsive design. Possible use cases are the display of long article or product lists, FAQ pages, filtering and sorting data or the clear display of data in forms.

This feature is included in the X4 BPMS standard license.

Data Binding in the Grid Component

With this new feature, data from databases can be easily made visible and editable in web applications while always being up to date:

Data binding in the header elements (table headers) of a Grid Component can be used to connect data from a data source (database, external API or X4 process) to the Grid Component. This means that the data is automatically transferred to the Grid Component when the data in the data source changes. Thus, developers do not need to manually update the data, which results in easier maintainability of the web application.

Possible use cases for data binding include displaying measurement data with a table or data from database tables.

This feature is included in the X4 BPMS standard license.

URL-Parameter

URL parameters can be activated in the Web App Configuration. These are parts of a URL that pass data to Web App. URL parameters are often used to generate dynamic content on a web page, such as an e-commerce platform, or to pass data to an application, e.g. an online form. Another possible use case is deep links.

Web Apps for the X4 Control Center

Five preconfigured Web Apps have been developed for the X4 Control Center (http://localhost:8080/):
▪ App Configuration
▪ Parameter Editor
▪ Process Monitor
▪ Process Scheduler
▪ Third Party License Report

These apps can be downloaded from SoftProject website in the Resources > Software X4 BPMS section. There they are included in the installation package All-in-One - Interactive Installation and are additionally available as separate installation package for the X4 Control Center.

Additional Highlights

The following UI/UX improvements have been implemented in X4 Designer:

• The dialogs for creating new processes have been simplified.

• Overall, drag and drop behavior when drawing processes has been improved.

Benefits of the UI/UX improvements are easier development of processes in X4 Designer, higher productivity, and overall better user experience.