13.4.5. Defining and Editing Process Nodes

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User's Guide | Chapter 13: Defining Process Templates in EKM Studio | 13.4. Defining Process Templates in EKM Studio |

13.4.4. Defining Process Variables |  | 13.4.6. Defining and Editing Process Transitions
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### 13.4.5. Defining and Editing Process Nodes

Nodes are used to define tasks or tasks that a person or machine will perform as part of a process. You can use the following types of nodes in your process template: node, batch node, iteration node, auto node, monitor node, and update analysis project node. Each type has an icon associated with it that makes it easy to identify in the diagram.

Actions associated with process nodes are presented in the following sections.

Topics in this section include:

- Inserting New Nodes
- Editing Nodes
- Renaming Nodes
- Duplicating Nodes
- Deleting Nodes
- Creating and Editing Nested Iterations

#### 13.4.5.1. Inserting New Nodes

To add a node of any type to a process diagram, expand the action menu on the toolbar and select the type of node that you want to insert. You can also access the Insert Node menu by right-clicking in the editing window.

Nodes are created in sequence unless you specify otherwise. When you insert a node it becomes the currently selected node, and the next node that you insert will automatically be placed next to it unless you specify otherwise. Also, a transition will be automatically created between the two nodes. If you want a new node to be connected to a specific node that is not the currently selected node, make sure that you select the existing node before adding the new node. Nodes are automatically named for your convenience. For example, if you add two simple Node elements to a diagram, they will be named “Node 1” and “Node 2” as shown below.

If an existing node is currently selected when you insert a new node, the new node will be placed next to the existing node, and a transition will be automatically inserted between the two nodes. If no node is selected when you insert a new node, the new node will be placed at the beginning of the diagram and can then be dragged to the desired position within the diagram. In the latter scenario you will need to manually insert a transition between an existing node and the new node.

You can drag and drop nodes to arrange them in a particular order. This is particularly necessary when a new node inserts on top of an existing node.

Note: You cannot insert a node if the current selection is a transition. If you attempt to do this, the following dialog will be displayed:

In this case, click OK and then either click in blank space or select an existing node to connect the new node to.

Nodes can be edited using the Edit context menu. See Editing Nodes for details on the settings for each node type.

##### 13.4.5.1.1. Inserting a Process Template Node

A process template node enables you to nest a saved process template within the current one.

1. Select Insert Node > Process Template Node. The following dialog box appears:

2. Select the process template to insert. By default, process templates in My Applications and Shared Applications are shown. You can also display templates in a specified repository folder by enabling the Repository Folder check box, and then clicking Browse to select the folder. Once you have selected the desired folder, click Apply to display the folder’s contents in the selection window.

   To filter the list of templates, simply disable the check box of the folder that contains the templates that you want to hide.

   Note: Ensure that the selected process template file exists in a location that the intended assignee of the nested process has permission to access. For example, a process template saved in a user’s My Data or My Applications folder is not accessible to other users, and therefore can only be executed by the owner of the personal folder in which it resides. In this case it is recommended that you copy the template file to a shared location such as Data/Shared Data or Administration/Shared Applications and use the shared version when defining the process template node.

3. Click OK.

4. If any of the templates that you selected are single-node templates, they are listed in the following dialog box:

   You will need to specify how you would like to insert single-node process templates. Select one of the following options:

   - Insert a process template that references the process template file. Inserts a node named Process template node `#` that is linked to the process template file (for example, the .pt.xml file) currently saved in the repository.

     or

   - Insert a copy of the node contained in the process template. Inserts the actual node contained in the process template. There is no link to the original template.

5. You can now define the node. See Editing a Process Template Node.

#### 13.4.5.2. Editing Nodes

Once a node of any type is inserted into a diagram (see Inserting New Nodes), you can define its properties using the Edit tool. To edit a node, simply double-click its icon in the process diagram. You can also right-click a node in the editing window or in the Elements window and select Edit from the context menu. A dialog box will open which contains properties that relate to the selected node type.

Note: For properties that require an object path, you can obtain an object’s path from its Details page (More > Display > Details). The Path is reported in the EKM Object Properties section of that page. You can then use Ctrl + C to copy the path to your clipboard, and Ctrl + V to paste it into the appropriate field.

Edit dialog boxes for each node type are discussed in the following sections:

- Editing a Node
- Editing a Batch Node
- Editing an Iteration Node
- Editing an Auto Node
- Editing a Monitor Node
- Editing an Update Analysis Project Node
- Editing a Custom Dialog Node
- Editing a Process Template Node

##### 13.4.5.2.1. Editing a Node

If you have added a Node element to your process diagram, you can edit its properties using the Edit tool.

To edit a node:

1. Double-click the node element in the process diagram, or right-click the node in the diagram or tree and select Edit from the context menu. The Edit Node dialog box will appear. In Figure 13.11: Edit Node Dialog Box, the properties of a node named `Perform Flow Simulation` are displayed. This node is part of the sample file run-simulation.pt.xml. This file is supplied in the /Data/Shared Data/Sample Files/process templates folder.

   Figure 13.11: Edit Node Dialog Box

2. Specify the settings for the node:

   Name

     The name of the node as it appears in the process diagram and in the Elements tree. Names cannot contain these characters:

     `/ \ : [ ] % * ' " |`

   Description

     An optional description of the node. The description will be displayed when you mouse over the node in the editing window, and in the Properties window when the node is selected.

   Assignee

     The user or group to whom the task will be assigned.

     - To specify the assignee explicitly, select a user or group from the drop box, or type their name in the Assignee field.

     - To assign the user who has started the process, enter an asterisk (`*`).

     - To assign the user who is the assignee of another node in the process, enter `*` followed by the node name. For example, if you were currently defining `node2`, and wanted to assign it to the user who is the assignee of `node1`, you would enter `*node1` in the Assignee field.

     - To use a macro to specify the assignee, enter `$` followed by the macro name. For example, if a macro named `foo` were designed to extract the name of an assignee from a previous node in the process, you would specify `$foo` in the Assignee field. For information about defining macros, see Using Macros in Process Templates.

     - By default, the process creator or an `admin` user can change the task's assignee via a dropdown in the Assignee field in the Process Monitor when the process is active. To disable this capability, disable the Allow assignee to be changed check box.

       Note: The Assignee list contains the names of users who currently have accounts on the EKM server that you are connected to.

       If you have specified in the process template attributes that a custom interface will be used for selecting assignees, an edit icon will be displayed in the Assignee field instead of a dropdown. Clicking this icon will launch a custom application that you have defined. For more information, see Editing Process Attributes.

   Completion macro

     The macro that will initialize a custom dialog box and the `XHTML` file (or files if there are multiple inputs) that defines the custom user interface. By default, when a task is completed the assigned user is prompted to enter the values of all output variables in a standard dialog box. A user interface dialog box is automatically generated based on the output variables specified in the definition of the node that corresponds to the task. You can use a macro to customize the dialog box that is presented to a user on task completion using this attribute. For example, you may want the user to provide inputs that would be processed and actions executed in the background before the task completes. The completion macro must have the following two arguments:

     - an instance of `ModelObjectInterface` that specifies the task object from which the dialog box is spawned.

     - an instance of `DialogInterface` that specifies the dialog box that must be initialized.

     You must initialize the dialog box and specify the `XHTML` file associated with each step in the body of the macro as shown in the following listing:

         completionMacro(object, dialog) {
               dialog.addStep("Dialog header", "ui-file.xhtml", "");
            }

     The macro shown above adds a single step to the dialog box and specifies the user interface file that goes along with it. The third argument of the `addStep()` method of the `DialogInterface` is the name of an action macro that will be called when the dialog box is submitted by the user. If required you can specify the name of another macro that you have defined as this argument, otherwise you can specify an empty string in its place. That macro must take an instance of `DialogInterface` as argument. For the Task Completion dialog box, you do not need to define the variables in the dialog box initialization macro because EKM will automatically add all the output variables of the node as variables of the dialog box. When the dialog box is submitted by the user, the action macro if specified in the `addStep()` method will be executed. Finally all the values of the dialog’s variables will be stored in the process and the process will advance to the next tasks. See Assigning Custom Dialog Resource Files to a Process Template for details on how to upload process templates that also have resource files for custom user interfaces.

     For more information about custom interfaces, refer to Defining a Custom User Interface.

   Input/Output variables

     The list of input and output variables that are used by the node. Select a variable from the All variables list and click Add to add it to the Input variables or Output variables list on the right. Use Remove to remove a variable from the list. Input and output variables are variables that are input and output to the node, and correspond to variables that have already been defined for the process. See Defining New Variables.

   Change display order

     Specifies the order in which output variables will be displayed in the EKM web client. Variables are displayed on the Status tab when viewing the process on the Processes page. Select a variable that has been added to the Output variables table and then click an arrow to move the variable into the desired order in the list.

   Validation expressions

     Used when you want a validation to be performed before the node task can be completed. They are used to validate the values entered by the user who is completing the task. Click the Add command link to insert an expression and associated error message. The error message that is entered will be displayed if validation fails. See Using Expressions in Process Elements for syntax you can use in expressions.

     You can edit an expression by selecting it and clicking the Edit command link. This will open the Edit Expression dialog box. See Editing Validation Expressions for details.

3. Click OK.

##### 13.4.5.2.2. Editing a Batch Node

If you have added a batch node to your process diagram, you can define its properties using the Edit action. See Defining Process Templates in EKM Studio for a definition of the batch node type.

To edit a batch node:

1. Double-click the batch node element in the process diagram, or right-click the Batch Node in the diagram or tree and select Edit from the context menu. The Edit Batch Node dialog box will appear. This dialog box is actually a wizard that will step you through the definition of the batch node.

   Figure 13.12: Edit Batch Node Dialog - General Settings

2. On the General Settings page, define the settings that control the batch process. These are described below.

   Name

     The name of the batch node as it will appear in the process diagram and in the tree.

   Description

     An optional description of the batch node. The description will be displayed when you mouse over the batch node in the editing window, and in the Properties window when the node is selected.

   Assignee

     The user or group to whom the task will be assigned.

     - To specify the assignee explicitly, select a user or group from the drop box, or type their name in the Assignee field.

     - To assign the user who has started the process, enter an asterisk (`*`).

     - To assign the user who is the assignee of another node in the process, enter `*` followed by the node name. For example, if you were currently defining `node2`, and wanted to assign it to the user who is the assignee of `node1`, you would enter `*node1` in the Assignee field.

     - To use a macro to specify the assignee, enter `$` followed by the macro name. For example, if a macro named `foo` were designed to extract the name of an assignee from a previous node in the process, you would specify `$foo` in the Assignee field. For information about defining macros, see Using Macros in Process Templates.

     Note: The Assignee list contains the names of users who currently have accounts on the EKM server that you are connected to.

     If you have specified in the process template attributes that a custom interface will be used for selecting assignees, an edit icon will be displayed in the Assignee field instead of a dropdown. Clicking this icon will launch a custom application that you have defined. For more information, see Editing Process Attributes.

   Specify job execution settings

     These are the settings that will be used to execute the job, such as the application that is launched and any command line arguments that you want to use. You have two options:

     Explicitly. This default option enables you to explicitly specify a value for each job submission setting shown: Application, Command line arguments, Number of cores and Transcript.

     Using template. Select this option if you want to use the job submission settings defined in an existing job template when executing the job. Custom interface settings may also be used if such settings are defined in the template.

     The drop box displays private and shared job templates as well as process variables. Alternatively you can enter the path to a template that resides in the repository. When you select the Using template option, the Application, Command line arguments, Number of cores and Transcript fields become disabled. These values will be extracted from the template when the job is executed. If the template defines a custom interface, and the Start job automatically option is disabled, a custom Execute Batch Job dialog box will be displayed when the user executes the job. For more information about job templates, see Creating a Custom Job Template.

   Application

     The external application that will be used to perform the job. The comprehensive list contains all applications defined for all job submission queues.

   Command line arguments

     The command line arguments for the selected application.

   Number of cores

     The number of central processing units to reserve on the execution node.

   Transcript

     The name of the file in the working directory that stores the transcript of the job. The transcript is used to monitor the execution of the job. If a name is not specified, the standard output and error streams of the batch job are taken as transcripts.

   Start job automatically

     Starts the batch job automatically in the process view. If disabled, the status of the job will read `Not Started` in the process view, and user will need to manually execute the job by clicking Execute. When the user executes the job, the Execute Batch Job dialog box will appear, where they will be able to specify job submission settings. If you have chosen to use a template for the job execution settings, any additional job submission settings defined in the template (such as variables) will also be used to run the job. Also, if the template defines a custom interface, a custom Execute Batch Job dialog box will appear.

   Complete work item automatically after successful execution

     Automatically completes the task in the process view after the job has executed successfully, and advances the process to the next task.

3. When you have defined the batch node’s general settings, click Next >. The Input Settings page is displayed:

   Figure 13.13: Edit Batch Node Dialog - Input Settings

4. Specify the files and folders that will be exported from EKM and used as inputs for the job. You can select files and folders from the following sources:

   - The EKM repository

   - A location on the EKM server that is outside the EKM file system

   - An upstream batch node

   Each source has an associated window pane on the Input Settings page. To add an input file or folder, click Add below the appropriate window pane. To remove a file from any pane, select the file and then click Remove below the pane.

   All variables are formatted as `${variablename}`. This formatting enables you to differentiate a variable from a user-entered value. If you want to enter any value with a literal meaning, then you will need to input it without any formatting around it. If you want to edit the value of an existing variable, select it in a table or drop-down list and edit it directly.

   You can use patterns to include or exclude specific input files/folders. Patterns are simply strings of text and may contain the `*` and `?` wildcard characters. A `?` matches any single character and `*` matches any sequence of characters.

   Note:

   - If no include or exclude patterns are specified, then by default EKM will import all files/folders produced by the batch execution.

   - If Java Runtime Environment 8 is used to launch EKM Studio, you must press Enter after typing a value in the Path or Exported Name cell in order to retain the typed value.

   The available parameters for files are described below.

   - Path. The path to a single file or folder in EKM. The path cannot contain wildcard characters. You can specify an absolute path to any file/folder in EKM which you have permission to access. The Path of an object is reported on its Details page. You can select the path and press Ctrl + C to copy the path to your clipboard.

   - Exported Name. The name of the exported file/folder when it is written to disk. If blank, the exported file/folder will have the same name as what was entered in the Path field.

   - Template. Specifies whether the file is a template or not. If it is a template, the file must be an ASCII file and “templatized” using the syntax `{$var}`, where `var` is the name of a variable defined in the batch application. When a template is exported, all instances of `{$var}` are replaced by the actual value of `var` variable. This enables you to specify a generic file as input and have the actual contents of the file be different for different process instances. You can only check this setting for files and not folders.

   - Batch Node Name (upstream batch node only). The name of the upstream batch node from which input files/folders will be taken.

   - Includes Pattern. Enables you to target specific files/folders within a folder by specifying a comma- or space-separated list of patterns. Any file/folder whose name includes any of the patterns is considered a match and will be selected as an input for the job. This setting is optional and is valid only when the value entered in the Path field is a folder. If the value in the Path field is a file, any patterns that have been defined will be ignored.

   - Excludes Pattern. Enables you to exclude specific files/folders within a folder by specifying a comma- or space-separated list of patterns. This setting is optional and is valid only when the value entered in the Path field is a folder. If the value entered in the Path field is a file, any patterns that have been defined will be ignored.

     Important: If a file/folder is matched by both an include and an exclude pattern, the exclude pattern takes precedence and the file will not be exported. For example, you specify `folder1` for Path and `folder1` contains two files: a.xml and b.xml. You specify an include pattern of *.xml and an exclude pattern of `b*`. Only a.xml will be exported. Both files match the include pattern, but because b.xml matches the `b*` exclude pattern it is excluded and will not be exported.

5. When you are finished specifying input settings, click Next >. The Output Settings page is displayed:

   Figure 13.14: Edit Batch Node - Output Settings

6. Specify an output folder for the job, then specify the names that you would like output files to have. Output settings are described below.

   Note: If Java Runtime Environment 8 is used to launch EKM Studio, you must press Enter after typing a path on this page in order to retain the typed value.

   Output Folder (required)

     The path to the folder in the EKM repository where all the output files from the batch process will be exported once the process completes. This is a required setting.

   Output files and folders

     Specifies which files and folders produced as outputs from the batch process should be exported to the Output Folder.

     - Path Pattern. This is an optional setting that provides for backward-compatibility with previous EKM releases. Path pattern is a pattern matching string that may contain wildcards. It can be used to specify which output files produced by the batch node should be imported back into the EKM repository. For example, if a batch execution creates a folder on disk named `myfolder` and Path Pattern is set to `myfolder`, then the folder `myfolder` will be imported into the EKM repository.

       Note:

       - It is recommended not to specify a value for Path Pattern and instead use Includes Pattern. In the above example, leaving Path Pattern blank and specifying `myfolder` as an Include Pattern would have the same result.

       - Files that reside within a sub-folder of the job working directory cannot be exported to the Output Folder. They must be at the working directory level.

     - Includes Pattern. Enables you to target specific output files/folders by specifying a comma- or space-separated list of patterns. Any file/folder whose name includes any of the patterns is considered a match and will be imported into the EKM repository. This setting is optional.

     - Excludes Pattern. Enables you to exclude specific output files/folders by specifying a comma or space-separated list of patterns. Any file/folder whose name includes any of the patterns is considered a match and will be not be imported into the EKM repository. This setting is optional.

       Important: If a file/folder is matched by both an include and an exclude pattern, the exclude pattern takes precedence and the file will not be imported. For example, your batch execution produces two output files: a.xml and b.xml. You specify an include pattern of `*.xml` and an exclude pattern of `b*`. Only a.xml will be imported. Both files match the include pattern, but because b.xml matches the `b*` exclude pattern it is excluded and will not be imported.

     - Retrieve on Failure. If a batch job fails or is cancelled, this will export any matching files that are produced by the batch process to EKM. If this setting is not checked, no files will be exported to EKM even if matches exist.

   Type association for output files and folders

     Specifies the type of an output file or folder. The type of the file is usually determined by its extension. If the extension is used by multiple file types then in some cases EKM can determine the correct file type by reading a section of the file type. If it is unable to make an accurate determination, it will use the type mapping specified by this element. Finally, if type mapping for a file is not specified in this setting, EKM will use the default type association defined in the Preferences of the user who is assigned to the batch node.

     - Path Pattern: specifies the relative path pattern of files or folders in the working directory that you want to associate with a type. You can use wildcards `?` and `*` to match a single or multiple arbitrary characters. For example: *.dat will match all files whose extension is `dat` no matter where they occur in the folder where the batch application is launched, while fluent-files/*.dat will match only files with extension dat in a sub-folder named fluent-files.

     - Type: Specifies the type name of the file or folder.

7. When you have finished specifying the output settings, click Finish in the wizard.

##### 13.4.5.2.3. Editing an Iteration Node

If you have added an iteration node to your process template, you can define its properties using the Edit tool.

To edit an iteration node:

1. Double-click the iteration node in the process diagram, or right-click the node in the diagram or in the tree and select Edit from the context menu. This will open the Edit Iteration Node dialog box.

   The iteration node shown in the example is named `Check Mesh Approval` and is defined in the sample file named run-simulation.pt.xml. This file is supplied in the /Data/Shared Data/Sample Files/process templates folder.

   Figure 13.15: Edit Iteration Node Dialog Box

2. Specify the settings for the iteration node, as described below.

   Name

     The name of the iteration node as it appears in the process diagram and in the Elements window. The name cannot contain the following characters:

     `/ \ : [ ] % * ' " |`

   Iteration expression

     The condition that must be satisfied for the iteration to continue. See Using Expressions in Process Elements for syntax you can utilize in expressions.

   Description

     An optional description of the iteration node. The description will be displayed when you mouse over the node in the editing window, and in the Properties window when the node is selected.

3. Click OK.

##### 13.4.5.2.4. Editing an Auto Node

If you have added an auto node to your process, you can define its properties using the Edit tool.

To edit an auto node:

1. Double-click the auto node in the process diagram, or right-click the node in the diagram or in the tree and select Edit from the context menu. This will open the Edit Auto Node dialog box.

   The example below shows the settings for a node named `Iteration End Node`. This node is part of the sample file run-simulation.pt.xml that is supplied in the /Data/Shared Data/Sample Files/process templates folder.

   Figure 13.16: Edit Auto Node Dialog Box

2. Define the auto node settings. These are described below.

   Name

     The name of the auto node as it appears in the diagram and in the Elements window. The name cannot contain the following characters:

     `/ \ : [ ] % * ' " |`

   Macro

     The name of the macro that defines the logic needed to be executed for the auto node. If this setting is not specified then the auto node does nothing and immediately proceeds to the next step. See Using Macros in Process Templates for information on how you define macros in EKM Studio.

     There may be scenarios where you want the process to wait for concurrent activities to complete before making a decision on the next paths to take. You can use an auto node to model this wait stage. The auto node does nothing and simply waits for all the preceding paths to complete. Then, using trigger expressions on the transitions leading out from the auto node, you can decide the next paths to take.

     If you specify a macro for an auto node, the following rules apply:

     - The macro must not contain any arguments

     - The macro can directly access any process variable as a global variable

     - If the macro needs to change the value of a process variable, it should return a map of variable names and their new values. If it does not need to change the value of any variable; it can simply return null.

   Description

     An optional description of the auto node. The description will be displayed when you mouse over the node in the editing window, and in the Properties window when the node is selected.

   Assignee

     Determines the EKM user session in which the automated task will run. You can choose the session of either the Process Creator or the Previous Node Assignee. Note that 'previous node' refers to the node that initiates the auto node. In the case where the auto node is the first node in an iteration node, selecting Previous Node Assignee assigns the task to the assignee of the iteration node.

   Input variables

     Defines a macro that is used by more than one auto node in a process, or by auto nodes in more than one process. Because auto nodes require variable values to execute the logic and because the variable names may be different in different contexts, you may want to define the macro using a particular set of variable names. The Input variables setting can be used to provide a mapping between the names of variables in the process (process variables) and the names of variables used by the macro (item variables). You can specify any number of input variables.

     Click Add to add a new process variable to the table. Click in the Process Variable cell and select an existing process variable from the drop-down list. Either use the existing name, or enter a new name for the variable in the Item Variable cell. You can remove variables from the table by clicking Remove.

   Output variables

     Used when you want the auto node to set the values of process variables after execution.

     Click Add to add a new variable to the table. Click in the Process Variable cell and select an existing process variable from the drop-down list. Either use the existing name, or enter a new name for the variable in the Item Variable cell. You can remove variables from the table by clicking Remove.

##### 13.4.5.2.5. Editing a Monitor Node

The Edit Monitor Node dialog box can be used to edit the settings for a node of type monitor node.

To edit a monitor node, select the node in the process diagram or tree, and then select Edit from the context menu. This opens the Edit Monitor Node dialog box (Figure 13.17: Edit Monitor Node Dialog Box).

Figure 13.17: Edit Monitor Node Dialog Box

Name

  The name of the monitor node as it appears in the diagram and in the Elements window. The name cannot contain the following characters:

  `/ \ : [ ] % * ' " |`

Description

  An optional description of the node. The description will be displayed when you mouse over the node in the editing window, and in the Properties window when the node is selected.

Monitored processes variable

  The variable that stores references to processes or batch tasks that will be monitored by the monitor node. Only the `Reference` type variable will be shown in the drop-down list. This setting is required.

##### 13.4.5.2.6. Editing an Update Analysis Project Node

If you have added an update analysis project node to your process, you can define its properties using the Edit tool.

To edit an update analysis project node:

1. Double-click the node in the process diagram, or right-click the node in the diagram or the tree and select Edit from the context menu. The Edit Update Analysis Project Node dialog box will appear.

   Figure 13.18: Edit Update Analysis Project Node Dialog Box

2. Define the node’s settings. These are described below.

   Name

     The name of the node as it appears in the diagram and in the Elements window. The name cannot contain the following characters:

     `/ \ : [ ] % * ' " |`

   Description

     An optional description of the node. The description will be displayed when you mouse over the node in the editing window, and in the Properties window when the node is selected.

   Analysis Project Variable

     The variable to be used to execute the update analysis project batch task. Select the name of the variable from the drop-down list. This setting is required.

##### 13.4.5.2.7. Editing a Custom Dialog Node

To edit a custom dialog node, double-click the node in the process diagram, or right-click the node in the diagram or the tree and select Edit from the context menu. This opens the Edit Custom Dialog Node graphical editor. For details on editing a custom dialog node, see Defining Custom Dialog Boxes and Wizards in EKM Studio.

##### 13.4.5.2.8. Editing a Process Template Node

Once you have inserted a process template node you can edit its properties and specify input/output variables.

To edit a process template node:

1. Double-click the node in the process diagram, or right-click the node in the diagram or the tree and select Edit. The following dialog box appears:

2. Define the node’s settings. These are described below.

   Name

     The name of the node as it appears in the diagram and in the Elements window. The name cannot contain the following characters:

     `/ \ : [ ] % * ' " |`

   Description

     An optional description of the node. The description will be displayed when you mouse over the node in the editing window, and in the Properties window when the node is selected.

   Process template reference

     The full path to the saved process template that the node references. This setting is required. Ensure that the selected process template file exists in a location that the intended assignee of the nested process has permission to access. For example, a process template saved in a user’s My Data or My Applications folder is not accessible to other users, and therefore can only be executed by the owner of the personal folder in which it resides. In this case it is recommended that you copy the template file to a shared location such as /Data/Shared Data or /Administration/Shared Applications and use the shared version when defining the process template node.

   Input variables

     Provides a way to map the names of variables in the current process template to the names of variables used by the nested process template. You can specify any number of input variables.

     Click Add to add a new process variable to the table. Click in the Process Template Variable cell and select an existing process variable from the drop-down list. Either use the existing name, or enter a new name for the variable in the Nested Process Template Variable cell. You can remove variables from the table by clicking Remove.

   Output variables

     Use when you want the nested process template to set the values of process variables after execution.

     Click Add to add a new variable to the table. Click in the Process Template Variable cell and select an existing process variable from the drop-down list. Either use the existing name, or enter a new name for the variable in the Nested Process Template Variable cell. You can remove variables from the table by clicking Remove.

Note: Output files generated from batch nodes in nested process templates are not accessible.

#### 13.4.5.3. Renaming Nodes

To rename a node, right-click it in the diagram or tree, then select Rename from the context menu. You can then edit the name in the Rename dialog box.

#### 13.4.5.4. Duplicating Nodes

You can duplicate an existing node to create a new node in your process. The new node will have the same properties as the original. This is an efficient way to reuse inputs and other properties without having to specify them again.

To duplicate a node:

1. Select the node that you want to copy, then right-click and select Duplicate. A copy of the node is created, and the phrase "Copy of" will be appended to the node name.

2. Double-click the node to edit its name and other properties.

#### 13.4.5.5. Deleting Nodes

To delete a node in a process diagram, select it in the diagram or in the tree and either press the [Delete] key on your keyboard or right-click and select Delete from the context menu. When you delete a node, the transitions connected to it will also be deleted.

#### 13.4.5.6. Creating and Editing Nested Iterations

An iteration loop starts and ends with an “iteration node", and you construct the loop by adding one or more nodes of any type in between, and then connect each node with a transition. EKM Studio enables you to create a “nested iteration”, which is an iteration loop that is nested within an iteration loop. You can create simple nested iterations with only a single nested loop, or more complex ones that contain multiple nested loops. The example below shows the creation of a nested iteration in 3 stages. Then, an iteration loop is added to Iteration Node 2.

##### Sample Creation of a Nested Iteration

In the first image, Node 3 loops back to Iteration Node 1.

Next, an iteration loop is added to Iteration Node 2.

Finally, an iteration loop is added to Iteration Node 3.

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