Form inputs disappearing

If what you're saying is that the inputs apparently work in Interface Designer, but have the "disappearing" issue when running from within a Process Model, then I'm 99% sure it's because you didn't map the Rule Inputs for the interface to ACP variables in the User Input Task. 

When in a running process, the rule inputs for the interface merely act as a bridge to the *actual* storage location for the on-form values, which would be the ACP variables.  So if there's no mapping, you can imagine that the on-form saves are saving into a nonexistent "vessel", and just go away.

Mike,
Really appreciate your answer. Is there any documentation that documents this process? All the training I have seen they are missing that important step... I am brand new to the platform so my apologies if some of my questions might sound a bit dumb.
Thanks again for the help.

antoniom0004 said:

Is there any documentation that documents this process?

I checked the documentation for the User Input Task itself and it doesn't seem to address this in detail.  The first thing that I could find that mentions this specifically was the Process Modelling Tutorial - skip down to "Add an Approval Step".

Honestly, Appian is easy to learn by doing - and this issue is one that I and many others have wandered into while still learning how things work.  Don't feel bad asking for help here

That makes me feel more at ease. Thanks for the help Mike, greatly appreciated.

Mike,

I actually had it setup already.
I noticed that I didn't have some fields mapped correctly so I cleared everything and called the form again and I did a Save and Publish but the issue is still there.

Can you confirm that the inputs work correctly from within the Interface Designer?

If so, can you share your form code here?  (Preferably, use the Insert -> Code feature to insert a code box for better readability and sizing, if you can)

From the interface designer it works now , not on the browser though...

a!localVariables(
  local!readOnly: ri!step="APPROVAL",
  local!labelPosition: if(local!readOnly, "ADJACENT", "ABOVE"),
  a!formLayout(
    label: if(local!readOnly, "Approve Expense Report", "Submit Expense Report"),
    contents: {
      a!columnsLayout(
        columns: {
          a!columnLayout(
            contents: {
              a!textField(
                label: "First Name",
                labelPosition: "ABOVE",
                value: ri!firstName,
                saveInto: ri!firstName,
                refreshAfter: "UNFOCUS",
                required: true,
                validations: {}
              )
            }
          ),
          a!columnLayout(
            contents: {
              a!textField(
                label: "Last Name",
                labelPosition: "ABOVE",
                value: ri!lastName,
                saveInto: ri!lastName,
                refreshAfter: "UNFOCUS",
                required: true,
                validations: {}
              )
            }
          )
        }
      ),
      a!textField(
        label: "Expense Item",
        labelPosition: local!labelPosition,
        value: ri!expenseItem,
        saveInto: ri!expenseItem,
        refreshAfter: "UNFOCUS",
        required: not(local!readOnly),
        readOnly: local!readOnly,
        validations: {},
        align: "LEFT"
      ),
      a!columnsLayout(
        columns: {
          a!columnLayout(
            contents: {
              a!dateField(
                label: "Expense Date",
                labelPosition: local!labelPosition,
                value: ri!expenseDate,
                saveInto: ri!expenseDate,
                required: not(local!readOnly),
                readOnly: local!readOnly,
                validations: {},
                align: "LEFT"
              )
            }
          ),
          a!columnLayout(
            contents: {
              a!floatingPointField(
                label: "Expense Amount",
                labelPosition: local!labelPosition,
                value: ri!expenseAmount,
                saveInto: ri!expenseAmount,
                refreshAfter: "UNFOCUS",
                required: not(local!readOnly),
                readOnly: local!readOnly,
                validations: {},
                align: "LEFT"
              )
            }
          ),
          a!columnLayout(
            contents: {
              a!fileUploadField(
                label: "Receipt Upload",
                labelPosition: "ABOVE",
                target: cons!tst_receiptCopies,
                validations: {}
              )
            }
          )
        }
      ),
      rule!TST_enterComments(
        showWhen: ri!expenseAmount > 100,
        labelPosition: local!labelPosition,
        readOnly: local!readOnly,
        required: not(local!readOnly),
        commentValue: ri!comments,
        commentSaveInto: ri!comments
      ),
      a!radioButtonField(
        labelPosition: "COLLAPSED",
        choiceLabels: {"Approve", "Reject"},
        choiceValues: {true, false},
        value: ri!approve,
        saveInto: ri!approve,
        showWhen: local!readOnly,
        required: true
      )
    },
    buttons: a!buttonLayout(
      primaryButtons: {
        a!buttonWidget(
          label: "Submit",
          submit: true,
          style: "PRIMARY"
        )
      },
      secondarybuttons: {
        a!buttonWidget(
          label: "Cancel",
          value: true,
          saveInto: ri!cancel,
          submit: true,
          style: "SECONDARY",
          showWhen: not(local!readOnly),
          validate: false
        )
      }
    )
  )
)

The code all looks approximately correct, assuming i'm not missing something.

To clarify further:

• What exactly do you mean by "not on the browser"?  Do you mean on a Task from the Tasks tab in /Tempo? Or something else?
• Did you start a new instance of your process after making your previous corrections or other changes?  If the Task you're trying was from a process instance initiated prior to changes/corrections, it wouldn't necessarily be correct.
• Just to confirm, do any of the form inputs currently work correctly when using it from the Task?  If some of them "stick" and others clear out, that would be different from if all of them clear out immediately after leaving the field.

• What exactly do you mean by "not on the browser"?  Do you mean on a Task from the Tasks tab in /Tempo? On a Task in Tempo
• Did you start a new instance of your process after making your previous corrections or other changes?  If the Task you're trying was from a process instance initiated prior to changes/corrections, it wouldn't necessarily be correct.
  No I did not, I think that might be the issue then.
• Just to confirm, do any of the form inputs currently work correctly when using it from the Task?  If some of them "stick" and others clear out, that would be different from if all of them clear out immediately after leaving the field.
  None of the form inputs work in Tempo, however they do work in Preview mode

antoniom0004 said:

No I did not, I think that might be the issue then.

Ok then - definitely try it out in a new instance (to utilize your newly saved-and-published changes) and report back whether or not the issue still persists.

Mike,
Once again thank for the help.

I have another issue that came up on this form:

• On the form I have a file upload filed and I keep getting a message that the target folder has not been specified.
• I did create a Document folder and then also created a Constant for it. The target folder seems to be specified correctly calling the constant however I can figure out what to put on the Save Files To field.
• That's the only error I am getting now before I can Save and test this form again...
  

Mike,
Once again thank for the help.

I have another issue that came up on this form:

• On the form I have a file upload filed and I keep getting a message that the target folder has not been specified.
• I did create a Document folder and then also created a Constant for it. The target folder seems to be specified correctly calling the constant however I can figure out what to put on the Save Files To field.
• That's the only error I am getting now before I can Save and test this form again...
  

Let me know if my reply to your private message works :)

Still no success on submitting the form. No errors on preview mode and nothing happens either... I do not see any tasks in Tempo either...

Pretty odd since errors come up at all, just no response when you hit the submit button...

I'm curious, does pressing Cancel do anything?

Can you give a little more description as to how you're currently kicking off the process instance and then accessing the form for said instance?

I am using the Interface Preview to fill out the form and click the submit button. Nothing happens with either cancel or submit.

I assume you're referring to the "preview" pane in the Interface designer, in which case we wouldn't expect anything to happen when clicking any button (other than executing any saveIntos set in the button definitions).  The "submitting" action of any button only takes effect when used from a live process instance, and will cause the process instance to proceed along its process flow lines from the node where the interface was housed, with one of two outcomes:

1. if there is no chaining or no subsequent User Input Tasks with an interface, the user will be taken back to the Site or Tempo tab from where they began the process flow;
2. if there is a subsequent task and activity chaining is enabled between the two, then the next form will load for the user pretty much immediately.

So my guess here is you're not actually using your process model yet.  The quick and easy way to experience essentially what a user would experience from your interface is, from the Process Model Editor, press CTRL+D (or, File -> Start Process for Debugging).  If you have a start form or activity chaining leading to an initial User Input Task, then you should immediately be shown a pop-up window with that interface loaded; otherwise you might need to right-click on the User Input Task (which would show up as green once the process flow reaches it), and click "View Form".  From here, pressing your "submit" buttons should take effect essentially the same way that they would for an end-user accessing the process in one of the normal ways.

a!localVariables(
  local!readOnly: ri!step="APPROVAL",
  local!labelPosition: if(local!readOnly, "ADJACENT", "ABOVE"),
  a!formLayout(
    label: if(local!readOnly, "Approve Expense Report", "Submit Expense Report"),
    contents: {
      a!columnsLayout(
        columns: {
          a!columnLayout(
            contents: {
              a!textField(
                label: "First Name",
                labelPosition: "ABOVE",
                value: ri!firstName,
                saveInto: ri!firstName,
                refreshAfter: "UNFOCUS",
                required: true,
                validations: {}
              )
            }
          ),
          a!columnLayout(
            contents: {
              a!textField(
                label: "Last Name",
                labelPosition: "ABOVE",
                value: ri!lastName,
                saveInto: ri!lastName,
                refreshAfter: "UNFOCUS",
                required: true,
                validations: {}
              )
            }
          )
        }
      ),
      a!textField(
        label: "Expense Item",
        labelPosition: local!labelPosition,
        value: ri!expenseItem,
        saveInto: ri!expenseItem,
        refreshAfter: "UNFOCUS",
        required: not(local!readOnly),
        readOnly: local!readOnly,
        validations: {},
        align: "LEFT"
      ),
      a!columnsLayout(
        columns: {
          a!columnLayout(
            contents: {
              a!dateField(
                label: "Expense Date",
                labelPosition: local!labelPosition,
                value: ri!expenseDate,
                saveInto: ri!expenseDate,
                required: not(local!readOnly),
                readOnly: local!readOnly,
                validations: {},
                align: "LEFT"
              )
            }
          ),
          a!columnLayout(
            contents: {
              a!floatingPointField(
                label: "Expense Amount",
                labelPosition: local!labelPosition,
                value: ri!expenseAmount,
                saveInto: ri!expenseAmount,
                refreshAfter: "UNFOCUS",
                required: not(local!readOnly),
                readOnly: local!readOnly,
                validations: {},
                align: "LEFT"
              )
            }
          ),
          a!columnLayout(
            contents: {
              a!fileUploadField(
                label: "Receipt Upload (up to 5 files)",
                labelPosition: "ABOVE",
                target: cons!tst_expenseReceipt,
                value: ri!receiptUpload,
                saveInto: ri!receiptUpload,
                validations: if(length(fv!files) > 5, "Only 5 attachments are allowed", "")
              )
            }
          )
        }
      ),
      rule!TST_enterComments(
        showWhen: ri!expenseAmount > 100,
        labelPosition: local!labelPosition,
        readOnly: local!readOnly,
        required: not(local!readOnly),
        commentValue: ri!comments,
        commentSaveInto: ri!comments
      ),
      a!radioButtonField(
        labelPosition: "COLLAPSED",
        choiceLabels: {"Approve", "Reject"},
        choiceValues: {true, false},
        value: ri!approve,
        saveInto: ri!approve,
        showWhen: local!readOnly,
        required: true
      )
    },
    buttons: a!buttonLayout(
      primaryButtons: {
        a!buttonWidget(
          label: "Submit",
          submit: true,
          style: "PRIMARY"
        )
      },
      secondarybuttons: {
        a!buttonWidget(
          label: "Cancel",
          value: true,
          saveInto: ri!cancel,
          submit: true,
          style: "SECONDARY",
          showWhen: not(local!readOnly),
          validate: false
        )
      }
    )
  )
)

Yep, that works great. Thanks again. With said 3 fields with data are empty when I view the task in Tempo - the first and last name and file uploaded...
Mike do you have any ideas why? I do get an error when I submit the form (see attached) and see the code attached as well.

antoniom0004 said:

With said 3 fields with data are empty when I view the task in Tempo - the first and last name and file uploaded...

Are you expecting something other than these fields being empty when the process is first initiated?

antoniom0004 said:

I do get an error when I submit the form (see attached)

I'm a bit stuck on this one - I might be able to help if I saw more detail as to your current process setup, testing steps, etc, but nothing immediately comes to mind.

I was expecting First and Last Name to be in the results...

This was just a test form Mike. Let's not spin out wheels here right now. I am building a form that will be part of a workflow testing and I will be using that formula you sent me to display other fields. I will be posting a few more questions on that.

Cool, hope things go well for you with that effort.