Manual events are triggered by users, for example by clicking a button. They are useful for when it is up to the user to decide and you don't want to direct the process flow only based on automated logic.
In the BPMN standard there are no manual intermediate events but there are manual tasks. However, we've found that adding the functionality for manual intermediate events, especially as non interrupting boundary events, can be really useful.
How to use Manual Events
Catching Manual Events
Are used to trigger workflows by catching an action performed by a user, for example pressing a button.
Non-interrupting Catching Manual Boundary Events
Are used to trigger workflows by catching an action performed by a user, for example pressing a button inside an active task. Non-interrupting means that triggering the event won't cancel the task itself.
NOTE: Barium Live currently supports catching manual events and catching non-interrupting manual boundary events. If you wish to use an interrupting boundary event you can instead use a timer or a signal event.
Configure a Manual Event
Manual events are not configurable in themselves but will show up in the task view of any simultaneously active user tasks.
As such, if you want to use manual events to trigger workflows, you must model your process so that a workflow has active paths containing both a user task and a manual task at the same time like in this process model where the Task is active at the same time as the Manual Event. The boundary event attached to the Task is also active and can be triggered as long as the Task is active. In order to trigger a manual event that event must be located in the same lane as the active role.
When this process reaches the Task the Barium Live task view would contain the options for the user to trigger the manual tasks and look like this:
Pressing these buttons would trigger the manual events and the process would continue along its modelled path. As the Manual Boundary Event is non interrupting, the Task would not be cancelled by triggering it and would still be active awaiting completion.
NOTE: The non-interrupting manual boundary event can be triggered as many times as you wish as long as the task is still active.