Define in-baskets

If you will create an IBM ECM Widgets application or other custom application that uses a workflow, create in-baskets to provide a list of work items in a queue that are to be processed by users who are members of a certain role. You can define multiple in-baskets for the same queue with each in-basket showing different items, as specified by a pre-defined query. By assigning specific roles to process each in-basket. each user (role member) sees only the types of work appropriate for the role they are performing. See Application spaces, roles, and in-baskets for additional information.

To define an in-basket

  1. If the In-basket page is not already displayed, use the following steps to access the In-basket page, depending on which Process Application you are using:
  2. To add a new in-basket, Click Add on the In-baskets bar. Double-click the new item in the list of in-baskets and enter a name.

    The name must be unique for the in-baskets in the selected queue, and the name should provide a clue about what kinds of work items will be in this in-basket.

  3. Optionally, enter an Description for the in-basket. This description will be displayed as a tool tip for the in-basket on the user home page.
  4. On the Create Columns and Labels tab, specify the fields that the user will see for each item in the in-basket.
    1. Click Add to access the list of available fields, and select the fields for the items in the in-basket. The choices are the exposed fields created for the queue.

      To use system fields, such as the workflow subject or time a work item was created, select Show system fields and select the fields.

      You must select at least one field that will display for the items in the in-basket.

    2. You can optionally:
      • Specify a more friendly column label for each field.
      • Specify whether the user will be able to sort the work items in the in-basket by one or more columns. (Process Configuration Console only--this is read-only in Process Designer.)

        NOTE  Columns that will be sorted should be fields that always contain data because queries on sorted fields look for values that are not NULL. You can assign initial values to a data field in Workflow Properties > Data Fields.

      • If you specify a sortable column, you can choose a previously defined index to use to specify the order of the content. (Process Configuration Console only)
  5. On the Create filters tab, specify one or more filters that the user can use to display specific items in the in-basket.
    1. Click Add to create a new filter entry in the table.
    2. Double-click in the Name field and enter a name for the filter.

      The name should give the user a clue of what the filter will show.

    3. Click in the Field field, and select an exposed field that the user might want to use to find specific work items in the in-basket.

      The dropdown list contains the exposed fields selected as columns for the in-basket. To select from all of the expanded fields on the queue, click the "..." button and select the field.

    4. Select an operator.

      Example: For a filter named Amount of sale, you might select Field SaleAmount and Operator is less than. This filter enables the user to display only work items where the SaleAmount is less than a number the user enters.

    5. Specify a more friendly label for this filter. (Optional)
    6. Specify a tool tip for this filter. (Optional)
  6. On the Define Content tab, you can either allow all work items in the queue to be displayed in the in-basket, or you can choose to create a filter that determines which work items will be displayed. The user cannot change this filter at runtime.

    To create a filter to define In-basket contents:

    1. Select a field from the list of exposed fields.
    2. Select an operator.
    3. Enter a value.
    4. If you will add another line to this filter, select AND or OR
    5. Click ADD to move the query to the Code for filter box. Repeat steps a through e as necessary.

      You can also edit the code directly in the box.

    6. (Process Configuration Console only) Select a previously defined index.

      An index will optimize retrieval of the list of items that satisfy the filter, and also ensure that the items in the in-basket are sorted in a logical order. For example, if participants should process items in order as they enter the system, you can select the pre-defined F_fifo index. If there is a more logical order, such as shipping location, you should define an index for the shipping location value on the queue and select it here.

  7. Click Commit Changes on the Action bar of the Configuration tab if you are in Process Designer to save your configuration change