A comprehensive guide to integrating document creation from templates, managing uploads, and configuring workflows for document processing.
User task nodes provide a flexible framework to defining and configuring UI templates and actions for specific template config nodes, such as an upload file button.
Before you begin, ensure the following prerequisites are met:
Access Permissions: Ensure that you have the necessary permissions to use the Documents Plugin. The user account used for these operations should have the required access rights.
Kafka Configuration: Verify that the Kafka messaging system is properly configured and accessible. The Documents Plugin relies on Kafka for communication between nodes.
Kafka Topics: Familiarize yourself with the Kafka topics used for these operations (later in this section).
To upload a document using this process, follow the steps outlined below.
Step-by-step guide: uploading an previewing a document
In the previous section, you learned how to generate documents from HTML templates. This section focuses on creating a process where users can generate a document, review and sign it, and subsequently upload it.
This JSON structure represents a Kafka message sent through the ..in topic to initiate a request in the Process Engine. It includes information for generating an “AccountCreation” document with a custom ID “119237” in English. Data specifies client details extracted dynamically from user input (first name, last name, age, country) and company information (name, registration date).
This an example of a message that follows the custom integration data model.
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{ "documentList": [ { "customId": "119246", //this will match the name of the folder in the storage solution "templateName": "AccountCreation", "language": "en", "data": { "application": { "client": { "firstName": "John", "lastName": "Doe", "age": "33", "country": "AU" }, "company": { "name": "ACME", "registrationDate": "24.01.2024" } } }, "includeBarcode": false } ]}
This JSON structure represents the response received on the ..out Kafka topic, where the Process Engine expects a reply. It contains details about the generated PDF file corresponding to the custom ID “119237” and the “AccountCreation” template. The response provides file-related information such as file ID, document type, document label, storage path, download path, number of pages, and any potential errors (null if none). The paths provided in the response facilitate access and download of the generated PDF file.
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{ "generatedFiles": { "119246": { "AccountCreation": { "customId": "119246", "fileId": "f705ae5b-f301-4700-b594-a63b50df6854", "documentType": "AccountCreation", "documentLabel": "GENERATED_PDF", "minioPath": "flowx-dev-process-id-119246/119246/457_AccountCreation.pdf", // path to the document in the storage solution "downloadPath": "internal/files/f705ae5b-f301-4700-b594-a63b50df6854/download", //link for download "noOfPages": 1, "error": null } } }, "error": null}
We will configure the service task node to construct the file path for the generated document.
Configure a business rule to construct a file path for the generated document. Ensure the base admin path is specified.
Ensuring the base admin path is specified is crucial, as it grants the required administrative rights to access the endpoint responsible for document generation.
processInstanceId: Extracts the process instance ID from the input. Assumes an input structure with a generatedDocuments property containing a generatedFiles property. Retrieves the keys, converts them to an array, and selects the first element.
Swimlane: Choose a swimlane (if multiple) to restrict access to specific user roles.
Stage: Assign a stage to the node.
Data stream topics: Add the topic where the response will be sent; in this example ai.flowx.updates.document.html.persist.v1 and its key: uploadedDocument.
Topics: Kafka topic where the file will be posted, in this example ai.flowx.in.document.persist.v1.
To identify your defined topics in your current environment, follow the next steps:
From the FLOWX.AI main screen, navigate to the Platform Status menu at the bottom of the left sidebar.
In the FLOWX Components list, scroll to the document-plugin-mngt line and press the eye icon on the right side.
In the details screen, expand the KafkaTopicsHealthCheckIndicator line and then details → configuration → topic → document → persist. Here will find the in and out topics for persisting (uploading documents).
Document Type: Metadata for the document plugin, in this example BULK.
Folder: Configure a value by which the file will be identified, in this example it will be the${processInstanceId} (it will be replaced at runtime with a generated process instance id).
Advanced configuration (Show headers): This represents a JSON value that will be sent on the headers of the Kafka message, in this example:
callbacksForAction - the value of this key is a string that specifies a callback action associated with the “upload_document” destination ID (node). This is part of an event-driven system (Kafka send action) where this callback will be called once the “upload_document” action is completed.
This is necessary to create the path to display the uploaded document.
Configuring the Business Rule action
Action Edit
Order: Set to 1 so it will be processed before the second child action.
Action Type: Set to Upload File.
Trigger Type: Choose Automatic, it does not need user intervention.
Required Type: Set as Mandatory.
Repeatable: Check this option if the action can be triggered multiple times.
Parameters
Language: In this example we will use MVEL.
Body Message: Fill in the body of the message request by applying a logic similar to the one utilized in configuring the “preview_document” node. Establish a path that will be later employed to showcase the uploaded document within a preview UI component.
To initiate the document processing, a Kafka request with the following JSON payload will be sent through ..in topic:
This an example of a message that follows the custom integration data model.
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{ "tempFileId": "05081172-1f95-4ece-b2dd-1718936710f7", //a unique identifier for the temporary file "customId": "119246", //a custom identifier associated with the document "documentType": "BULK" //the type of the document }
The response, containing information about the generated and uploaded documents as mentioned earlier, is sent to the output Kafka topic defined in the Kafka Receive Event Node. The response includes details such as file IDs, document types, and storage paths.
The reply body is expected to contain the following values:
customId: A custom identifier associated with the document.
fileId: The ID of the file.
documentType: The document type.
minioPath: The path where the uploaded file is saved. It represents the location of the file in the storage system, whether it’s a MinIO path or an S3 path, depending on the specific storage solution.
downloadPath: The download path for the uploaded file. It specifies the location from where the file can be downloaded.
noOfPages: The number of pages in the document (if applicable).
filePath: The path to the file that we built in our example so we can display the document.