Workflow Sample: Episode 516: Method of Starting Workflow by "Email"

Happy New Year

New Year 's Days in Japan are "almost like holidays" from January 1 to 3, and will gradually return to "normal" from the 4th.

"Stock exchange", for example, it is decided to start trading (unless Saturdays and Sundays) on January 4th. (December 31 to January 3 are all closed holidays) Also, in the "Act on Holidays of Administrative Organs", December 29th to January 3rd is stipulated as "administrative organs holidays".

So, today (January 2), many workers in Japan are spending a lot of time doing nothing.

Whereas, if you are working as (*) a planner, you might want to put "inspired idea" on workflow even if you are on such a holiday.
* Reporter, Composer, New product planner, etc.

Business Process that can also be started by email

In the following Workflow, you can separately start [1x. Idea registration] by emailing, besides starting a Process" from [1. Idea registration] like other general application Workflow.

The point is where the person in charge of handling of the first processing Step (person in charge of Swimlane in which the first Step is) is decided by using the "From address" of the email.

Even though somebody might say 'if it is 'inspired idea', it is enough to just email to oneself'... If you understand this mechanism, for example, it can be applied to "Email linkage with other systems" etc. Taking advantage of consecutive holidays, you ought to try out "Business modeling" with the free version of Cloud based Workflow.

[Email Starting]

[Email Starting:"1x. Registration of ideas" screen]

Method of determining the person in charge of handling by referring to incoming email

A circle icon at the top left corner of this Process diagram labeled [Incoming mail] is a modeling element referred to as "Message Start Event". By placing this Event, Issues are automatically created every time an email arrives at a certain email address. (Then, it will flow through the workflow as an Issue.) (Please refer to the property of the event for the actual email address.)

Here, referring to the incoming mail, it inserts data, such as

Mail from ⇒ From address (String type single line)
Mail body ⇒ Contents of idea (String type multiple lines)
Attached file ⇒ Related file (File type)

[Event setting screen]

After that, the Issue reaches the automatic processing Step referred to as [Converter Email to Quser"]. There, "From address (String type single line)" is referred to, and the data is assigned to the data item of

Idea registrant (User type)

(* M415 "Converter (Email to Quser)"

[Setting screen of Addon]

And then the Issue reaches to a human Step of [1x. Registration of ideas], which has been set a rule (Swimlane setting) that

the User who is designated by "Idea registrant (User type)" undertakes it.

So the processing of [1x. Registration of ideas] will be displayed in the sender's own [My Tasks].

[Allocation rule setting screen]

Attachment files can also be imported

As a mechanism, we will go through a little complicated procedure, but it is convenient to be able to activate the first Step by "Send email".

For example, even in businesses such as expense reimbursement application or construction progress report you can greatly save labor for information input by attaching an image taken with a smartphone to email.

Please try by all means.

Processing performed inside the automatic processing Step "Converter (Email to Quser)" (Server side JavaScript)

//// == Data Retrieving == 
var quserEmail = data.get( dataIdA ) + ""; // Email-Address 

//// == Calculating == 
var quser = quserDao.findByEmail( quserEmail ); 

//// == Data Updating == 
retVal.put( dataIdB, quser );

*converter-email2quser-20161221-addonxml

[Data Items list]