Working with specifications in Process Modeler and Case Designer

You can add, update, remove, or replace specifications that are associated with Process Modeler shapes and flows, or with steps on the Case Designer Stages & Processes tab, or with shapes in Process Outline.

Accessing specifications

Access the dialogs and fields in which you manage specifications as described here.

• In Process Modeler, open a shape's properties panel by doing one of the following:
  • Right click a shape and select View Properties from the menu.
  • Select a shape and click on the toolbar.
  • Double-click the shape.

  For flow-wide specifications, place the mouse pointer on the diagram canvas, right click, and select Specification to open the Flow Properties panel.

• On the Case Designer Stages & Steps tab, select a step and select the Configure step behaviors menu to open the Step Configuration panel.
• In Case Designer Process Outline, select the shape (other than a flow shape) on the tree to display its properties.

Creating specifications

The methods for creating specifications are described here.

Creating specifications in Process Modeler

To create specifications for Process Modeler shapes:

1. Open the shape’s properties panel.
2. Enter a name in the Specification field. If you replace the default shape name (for example, [Assignment]), the name appears in the field.
3. Enter a description in the rich text editor. Optionally, select Specification Actions > View/Edit in Microsoft Word to create the specification in a Word document.
4. Click OK to create the specification.

To create a flow-wide specification:

1. Open the Flow Properties panel
2. Either keep or update the default specification name (<flow name>_EntireFlow).
3. Enter a description in the rich text editor or in a Word document.
4. Click Save & Close to create the specification.

Creating specifications in Process Outline

To create a specification in the Process Outline:

1. On the tree, select the shape to display its properties.
2. Enter a name in the Specification field. If you edit the shape's default name on the tree, the system updates the shape name and enters the name in the field.
3. Enter a description in the rich text editor. Optionally, select Specification Actions > View/Edit in Microsoft Word to create the specification in a Word document.
4. Click the Save button on the Case Designer tool bar to create the specification.

Creating specifications in a stage step

When creating a specification to a step in the Stages & Processes tab, do the following:

1. In the Step Configuration dialog, enter a description in the rich text editor. Optionally, select Specification Actions > View/Edit in Microsoft Word to create the specification in a Word document
   
   By default, the specification name uses the step name and cannot be edited. You can use an existing specification by selecting
   

2. Click OK to create the specification.
   

About the new specification record

The system creates a specification record in the flow's application, case type, and RuleSet version. The Specification value you entered is used for the specification record's name and concatenated for the Name key part.

Adding existing specifications

Open the

1. Leave the Specification field blank.
2. Select Specification Actions > Choose another specification.
3. In the pop-up field, use autocomplete to select one in your current or a built-on application. The specification list is organized into four columns. From left to right, the row displays the specification's short description, Name key part, case type, and application.
4. Click OK or Save to add the specification.

Managing specifications

After you have added a specification to a shape, in addition to the description editor options, the following options appear in the Specification Actions menu.

• Remove from step — Remove the specification from the step. The message "Choose another specification option from Specification Actions menu to add a specification" appears.
• Choose another specification — Replace an existing or removed specification with another specification. To use an existing one, select it from the autocomplete field. To create a new specification, enter a new name. Click OK to close the pop-up. Click OK in the shape's properties panel, or click Save in the process outline.
• View full details — Open the specification's form. See Application Specifications — Completing the Details tab
• View/Edit in Microsoft Word— Use the Edit in Word feature. When clicked, the system opens Microsoft Word and you can use it to enter and edit the description text, and save it as a Word file which is attached to the specification. If the specification is locked, the file is read-only; the option View in Microsoft Word appears.
• — Open a Pega Pulse dialog to read or add messages to the specification. To add a message, enter your text and then click Share to add the message. You can add attachments to your posts, including documents, images, and links on the File and Link tabs.

Locked and referenced specifications

The Specialize button appears at the top of the panel if either the process containing the shape or the specification associated with the shape is referenced from a built-on application. Click the button to copy the process or specification into the current application.

The Copy button appears if the specification is locked because it is in a locked RuleSet version or is checked out. Click the button to create a copy in an unlocked RuleSet version.

About Flows