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Document Patterns

Document Patterns

This section describes how to use Document Patterns to create a Process Documentation. Each pattern defines, how BPMN elements are traversed and what structure they deliver to the process documentation. To use a pattern in a Word template (*.dot, *.dotx) file, a predefined variable starting and ending with %% must be defined.

Syntax:

%%PATTERN;type=<type>[;<parameter>]*%%

<parameter> := <name>=<value>

 

Example:

%%PATTERN;type=generic;recursive=true;elementfilter=4,5,6,7%%

Used in a Word template, the process documentation feature will replace this pattern with attribute values of the selected elements.

Example:

12 An Activity 1 Task
13 An Activity 2 Task
14 A Gateway Gateway

 

For each Document Pattern, several of parameters may be defined. Each parameter has to be separated by a semicolon (;). The following table shows all common Document Pattern parameters:

Parameter name Description, parameter values and samples
type This mandatory parameter defines one of the following pattern types:

  • generic
  • activity
  • pool
  • lane
  • graphics

Sample: type=graphics
description This optional parameter is used to describe this pattern. Sample: description=”List of all data objects”
sort This optional parameter is used to sort elements by attribute values. Several attributes have to be separated by a comma (,). How the attributes have to be used is described here. With [asc] and [desc] as suffix may be defined the sorting order. Samples: sort=System.*.number
sort=Bpmn.*.Name[desc],User.*.A[asc]
outlinelevel This optional parameter is used to set the uppermost outlinelevel of the generated word content. For example, if the outlinelevel is set to 3, the uppermost outlinelevel for the content that is used is Heading 3. outlinelevel=n where n=1,2,3,4,5,…
elementfilter This optional parameter may be used to define which BPMN element types have to be processed. Each type may be separated by a comma (,). The following list shows which number to use for which element type (the name of the element type can also be used instead of the number itself):

  • StartEvent = 1
  • IntermediateEvent = 2
  • EndEvent = 3
  • Task = 4
  • SubProcessCollapsed = 5
  • SubProcessExpanded = 6
  • Gateway = 7
  • SequenceFlow = 8
  • MessageFlow = 9
  • TextAnnotation = 10
  • Association = 11
  • DataObject = 12
  • Group = 13
  • Pool = 14
  • Lane = 15
  • DataObjectReference = 16
  • DataStore = 17
  • CallActivity = 18
  • DataAssociation = 19
  • DataInputAssociation = 20
  • DataOutputAssociation = 21
  • DataInput = 22
  • DataOutput = 23
  • Message = 24
  • BoundaryEvent = 25Samples:elementfilter=4,5,6
  • elementfilter=Task,SubProcessCollapsed,SubProcessExpanded
onlynumbered (default: false) This optional parameter can be either true or false. If true, all elements that do not have a System.number assigned, are ignored. Sample: onlynumbered=true
onlyvisible (default: false) This optional parameter can be either true or false. If true, all elements that are not visible, will be ignored. Sample: onlyvisible=true
recursive (default: false) This optional parameter can be either true or false. If true, the elements are traversed recursively. Meaning, if a sub-process has to be documented, also its content will be processed. Sample: recursive=true
tableautofit (default: false) This optional parameter can be either set to true or false. If true, all tables will be auto-fitted to the window. Sample: tableautofit=true
tableautofitcontent (default: false) This optional parameter can be either set to true or false. If true, all tables will be auto-fitted to the content. Sample: tableautofitcontent=true

 

The following sub-chapters describe each pattern and how it may be configured.

Generic List Pattern

This pattern is used to create a simple (non-hierarchical) list of BPMN elements. Each element is treated as a row in a table.

Syntax:

%%PATTERN;type=generic[;parameter]*%%

Parameters:

This Document Pattern has no additional parameters to the common parameters.

 

For example to create a generic list with all BPMN DataObjects sorted by the Name attribute values in ascending order:

%%PATTERN;type=generic;sort=Bpmn.DataObject.Name[asc];elementfilter=12%%

Activity Pattern

This pattern is used to create process documentation containing only activities. The optional parameter hierarchical indicates that for each activity contained in a Sub-Process, a new hierarchy will be created in the document.

Syntax:

%%PATTERN;type=activity[;parameter]*%%

Additional known parameters:

Parameter name Description, parameter values and samples
hierarchical (default: false) This optional parameter can be either true or false. If true, Sub-Processes need to be documented in hierarchical sub-chapters. This parameter makes only sense, if the recursive parameter is set to true.

Pool Pattern

This pattern shows the relationship between a pool and its content. There exist an additional parameter message. If this parameter is enabled, also all incoming and outgoing message flows are documented.

Syntax:

%%PATTERN;type=pool[;parameter]*%%

Additional parameters:

Parameter name Description, parameter values and samples
hierarchical (default: false) This optional parameter can be either true or false. If true, Sub-Processes need to be documented in hierarchical sub-chapters. This parameter makes only sense, if the recursive parameter is set to true.
messages (default: false) This optional parameter can be either true or false. If true, all Incoming and Outgoing message flows are also documented in two separate sub-chapters. To customize the output of the messages, make sure to use the Doclet, which is assigned to the MessageFlow element within the Pool Pattern.

Lane Pattern

This pattern shows the relationship between the Lanes and its content. The optional parameter hierarchical indicates that the complete Lane structure needs to be documented in hierarchial order.

Syntax:

%%PATTERN;type=lane[;parameter]*%%

Additional parameters:

Parameter name Description, parameter values and samples
hierarchical (default: false) This optional parameter can be either true or false. If true, Sub-Processes need to be documented in hierarchical sub-chapters. This parameter makes only sense, if the recursive parameter is set to true.

Graphics Pattern

This pattern is used to insert the Visio sheets as image into the process documentation. Without parameters, all sheets will be inserted, regardless of any current selection. It simply lists all sheets as bitmaps.

Syntax:

%%PATTERN;type=graphics[;parameter]*%%

Additional parameters:

Parameter name Description, parameter values and samples
ignoretitleblock (default: false) This optional parameter can be either true or false. If true, the title block needs not to be included in the bitmaps.
sheets This optional parameter is used to select which Visio sheets are inserted. Each Visio sheet to insert is separated by a comma (,). For example to insert the second and third sheet: sheets=2,3 If this parameter is missing, all Visio sheets will be listed.

Except the description parameter, all common parameters have no influence on the created output of this pattern.