chesterdocs

#Start a process from a catalog

A person starts a process from a catalog assigned to them, from their favourites or from the process page; a start form or the input fields open first when the process has them, and drafts keep half-filled starts.

#What happens when you click Start

flowchart LR
  S["Start"] --> N{"How many start events<br/>with Manual start?"}
  N -- "several" --> P["Pick one by name"] --> F
  N -- "one" --> F{"Form or input fields?"}
  F -- "a form" --> FO["Fill in the start form"] --> G["Start"]
  F -- "input fields" --> IN["Fill in the fields"] --> G
  F -- "neither" --> G
  G --> T["'Process started successfully'"]

#Find the process

The All catalogs page of the Execution app with one catalog assigned to Adam Admin: "Finance", with its description "Processes and assistants for the finance team." and 2 processes.

  • All catalogs in the sidebar lists the catalogs assigned to you; a catalog you have starred also appears as its own entry below it.
  • A catalog shows its processes by section. Search process … and the filters All, Favourites and Executable narrow the list.
  • A card is marked EXECUTABLE, MODEL or AGENT. An agent opens a chat instead — see Chat with an agent.
  • The star marks a process as a favourite: it then appears under Quick start on Today.

The catalog "Finance" in the Execution app: the section "Invoicing" with (1) the process "Order to invoice", marked MODEL and offering only Open because it has no production deployment, and (2) the agent "Support assistant", marked AGENT, which offers Chat. Above them the search "Search process …" and the filters All, Favourites and Executable.

A Start button appears only when the process has a production deployment and a start event with Manual start switched on — see Start a process.

⚠️ A card can say EXECUTABLE and still have no Start button, when Manual start is off.

⚠️ The search on All catalogs — "Find catalog or process …" — only finds catalogs, not processes.

#Fill in the start

Depending on the start event, Start process opens:

  • a start form — see Forms;
  • the fields of its input schema, as a form Chester generates; Start stays disabled until the required ones are filled;
  • a Start Event choice first, when there are several.

Without a form and without input fields the process starts at once.

Files you pick are uploaded when you click Start.

#Drafts

Save as draft keeps what you entered so far, for you and this process. The Drafts menu in the dialog lists them, with search, rename and delete. A draft stays after a start, so it works as a template. ⚠️ Files are not kept in a draft.

#After the start

Process started successfully confirms it. The run appears under My instances.

⚠️ There is no link to the new run.

⚠️ If the start form's input does not fit the process, the dialog only says Invalid start form input — not which field.