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Process Open Client Overview

The FileNet Process Engine provides back-end services that support the creation and use of business workflow applications and related services. FileNet Process Engine services are integrated with the FileNet Open Client Web application within the framework of the ASP.NET platform.

This integrated framework allows customers and developers to use the out-of-the-box Open Client PWM (Personal Workflow Manager), Step Processor, and Launch Step Processor (launches a workflow) applications/applets that come with the FileNet Open Client installation. You may customize these applications/applets (the source code for each of these is provided with the Open Client installation), or you may develop your own. Two versions of the out-of-the-box Step Processor and Launch Step Processor are provided with the installation: sample Java Processors and HTML (ASPX-hosted) Processors. The ASPX pages, their associated code-behind files, User controls, Data Providers, and other files for these out-of-the-box Process Processors and related functions are available when Open Client is installed on the Web server. Developers who wish to customize integrated Process Open Client applications from scratch will also find the information in this section helpful.

The FileNet Process Open Client framework provides for a nearly seamless integration, except that the Process Designer, Linker, Tracker, Step Processor, Launch Step Processor, Admin, and Config must run in browser popup windows (by invoking JavaScript APIs on the client to open the popup windows). A .js file contains the JavaScript methods used to open the popup window.

Developing Process Applications/Applets for Open Client

In the FileNet Open Client model, Web server-based ASPX pages are developed to enable user-designed applets to perform customized FileNet functions in a manner that is comparable to the functionality provided for FileNet Process ActiveX clients (for FileNet Web Services 3.x). The ASPX pages host the applets so that they can be launched either from the Open Client Web application or via email notification messages. The ASPX page acts as the Controller layer of the .NET MVC model. The ASPX page provides both the View layer (incorporating the various User, Factory, and other Controls that provide the user interface) and the Model layer (the XML data provided by the Data Providers) components in the form of a .NET Web Form, which is generated by the .NET Web Form Designer and is supplied to the client browser in response to the browser's HTTP request.

For Process applets, such as an Open Client HTML Step Processor, you typically use the ASPX page primarily to define the user view. You typically do your imports, define classes, specify event handling, initialization and instantiation, declare your functions, code your business and process logic, and so on, in the ASPX code-behind file.

Modifications to the user view as provided in the ASPX page are accomplished in two ways:

  • You modify the ASPX page and its code-behind .aspx.vb file directly.
  • Through the use of User Controls supplied to the ASPX page.

The Open Client User Controls are a set of VB.NET .ascx files provided by FileNet that, in conjunction with Control Factory controls and the .NET server controls (and associated .NET classes), provide the building blocks of the Open Client user interface (the "View" part of the MVC model). Open Client User Controls either display the data, or they represent available operations for the displayed data, or some combination of these. Each User Control defines its data format (for example, XML for Process applet controls).

In addition to the Open Client User Controls, you can, if you wish, also use the standard .NET controls and .NET class libraries to help customize the user interface defined in the ASPX page. Normally, you use the .NET controls and classes in those instances where the presentation element is not already provided by an available FileNet-provided User Control.

Guidelines and Issues on Creating Process Open Client ASPX Pages

If you are developing an Process Open Client application, you must use the JiGlue COM Bridge to provide a translation layer between the Data Providers and the Java-based Process Engine services (the JiGlue COM Bridge provides the ability to make VB.NET, etc. calls to the Process Java API with the effect of native Java statements for most Win32 programming tasks). For a variety of reasons, including the fact that FileNet IDM COM objects run under the Single Threaded Apartment (STA) model whereas JiGlue runs under the Multi-Threaded Apartment (MTA) model, there are a number of guidelines and known JiGlue and other COM-related issues to keep in mind when creating your ASPX pages and User Controls.

For information on these issues and guidelines, see Using JiGlue with ASP.NET Issues.