Workflow - wait until a specified date

[sdrzewiczewski]

I have a task where a user enters an expiration date as a string. On the activity transition it is converted to and stored to a wf date variable or it throws an exception to the user to enter the correct format.

Next I want the workflow to wait until that date until it proceeds to the next step. What would the best technique be?

I've created a Sync robot that synchronizes on an expression.

[sdrzewiczewski]

submitted too early....

the code in the sync robot is

//Get Todays Date
java.util.Date todaysDate = new java.util.Date();

if (expirationDate.equals(todaysDate))
result= "go";
else if (expirationDate.before(todaysDate))
result= "go";
else
result= null;

So if the date has already past or is today it will go to the next step, otherwise it waits. What I'm not sure if this will have a negative impact on our system's performance. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Steve D.

[tbusch]

Well, here's what I've done before - set up a loop where there is a conditional pointing to a 1day timer, and then the timer loop links back to the conditional. The conditional checks to see if that date has passed, and if it has then it proceeds with the workflow. If not, it fires the timer again to wait for another day. It doesn't have to be days, of course. However long you want the check interval to be, you can set up the timer.

[cid:image001.png@01CA7433.5463A110]

-Thomas R. Busch
Sr. Software Developer
Stryker Instruments
(269) 323-7700 x4014
tom.busch@stryker.com<">mailto:tom.busch@stryker.com>

[sdrzewiczewski]

Thanks. You don't feel that the Timer is another drain on performance?

[tbusch]

Well, the workflow I used it in isn't something that's run a hundred times a day or anything, but also with the timer being 24 hrs, it doesn't run often enough that I'm concerned with it. The synch robot would probably have a much higher performance impact, based on my experience with them in the past.

-Thomas R. Busch
Sr. Software Developer
Stryker Instruments
(269) 323-7700 x4014
tom.busch@stryker.com<">mailto:tom.busch@stryker.com>

[sdrzewiczewski]

Thanks. I could see that being an issue with the synch robot.