Email User Action Issue

I have created an IPA flow, which will prompt user to enter a user action via email with requisition header, line and distribution data. If I limit the flow to only allow one action, say approval by a department head, it functions properly. If I require email approval by a manager first, then the department head, the distribution information display properly for the manager (first email). However, the email for the department head (second email) has corrupted distribution information. As though, the second User Action node did not have access to the same variables as did the first. It is puzzling as the second email is directly connected to the first.

Find more posts tagged with

Process Automation (IPA) - General Discussions

Comments

robert-canham

Make sure you store the information in start node variables. When the process breaks for a user action, anything that isn't stored in a start node variable is lost (i.e. query results).

jreese

As mentioned by rmcanham query results are lost after a user action. Because of this I found that if a requisition had more than 9 lines, I had to do another query of the requisition to pass all the line information to the next approver.

unknown

While testing, I did save my distribution information prior to the first user action node in a variety of Start variables. None of which displayed properly. However, I did not attempt performing a re-query of the distribution information. I will do so.

russel-cornelson

Good morning, when building a display for users there are two important things to remember.

1. As mentioned by rmcanham, if you are not storing the content in a variable that was declared in the start node. If the process breaks for a user action or wait node, the variables are wiped out. When the flow restarts it reads the variable values back in.

2. The maximum size limit of a variable is 2048 characters. So if you build a large display/list of data ... and you exceed 2048 characters your first user action will show everything however, when the flow restarts only the first 2048 characters will be shown.

I've instructed clients that a potential workaround for this is to use the input data field on the workunit instead of a variable. The input data field is only used when a file channel triggers a flow ... that field is used to pass the file to the flow, so in the case of a requisition approval it won't be in use already so you can hijack it.

Essentially you build the display, then make a Landmark transaction call to PfiWorkunitInputData and save the content. For the remainder of the flow, regardless of restarts you can reference that display using <!_inputData>

I have a sample process flow using this example in the Infor Knowledge Base; KB 1667935. The process flow example I created for this scenario is called IPABP-LargeHTMLContentInVariable.

unknown

I appreciate the addition information. I would like to ask an obvious question, can the 2048 size be altered?

unknown

The largehtml flow was perfect. My initial tests functioned properly. I appreciate all suggestions. Infor should consider long-term solutions to such obvious issues. Not just work arounds or hacks.

Russell, thanks.

russel-cornelson

The maximum limitation used to be 512 characters when IPA originally came out and we increased that to the maximum allowable size that the Landmark team would allow us. If my memory serves me correctly, the limitation is actually due to maximum varchar size of variable in one of the 3 databases. I want to say DB2 has the 4096 byte limit ... using UTF-16 characters I think that's a max string of 2048 characters. (2 bytes per character)

Pretty sure other databases allowed larger, but we were limited by the lowest value someone could use. So in short, it can not be altered to be higher.

Copyright © 2025 Infor. All rights reserved.