Method Robot
The Method robot node
lets you select a predefined robot type for use within a workflow template. You can drop the robot into a workflow template and then select the specific type from the properties window.
1. Enter a robot label in the Name field.
2. Select the type of robot in the Robot Type drop-down list.
3. Select a option from the Parameter drop-down list. The parameter should be the workflow variable set to the object upon which the Method robot is to act.
4. Select either the state of the robot in the Specific State drop-down list or complete the field for the Ordinal Location.
The following list describes the robot types:
| The examples below assume the robot is set to act on the "primaryBusinessObject" variable, though it could be set to any variable that references a business object. |
• The Check In robot checks the primary business object back into the Windchill database.
• The Check Out robot checks out the primary business object to the specified user. The primary business object, specified by the primaryBusinessObject variable, is checked out to the user specified in the properties dialog. This user can be a user, an actor, or a role that will be resolved to a user at runtime.
• The Demote robot causes the primary business object to transition to a predecessor phase, with an associated state change and the application of new business rules, such as those for access control.
• The Deny robot removes the primary business object from the gate and returns it to the submitter.
• The Drop robot removes an object from its current life cycle and sets its state to Dropped.
• The Promote robot causes the primary business object to transition to a successor phase, with an associated state change and the application of new business rules, such as those for access control.
• The Set State robot sets a life cycle-managed object to an ordinal state or a specific state. The ordinal state is entered as any non-zero integer. Select the specific state from the Specific State drop-down list. Specific states are enumerated types. They are defined in wt.lifecycle.StateRB.
• The Submit robot moves the primary business object to the phase gate.
| When a robot node fails, it will cause a queue entry to fail, which will cause the workflow process to stop executing, or stall. For example, if a checked-out object is passed to the Set State robot, it will cause a queue entry failure, which will cause the workflow to stop executing. For better error handling, consider using an Expression robot instead of a Method robot. |
