Adding Stages to an application

It is often desirable to have an application, or form, transition through a set of phases or stages. At each stage the form might be used by different people in different roles. The form also might be presented in a slightly different manner in each stage, such as having some items or pages hidden, or in a read-only state.

Each form in an HCL Leap application can have multiple stages. By default, a newly created form has two stages:
  • Start – The initial state of every form. Once the form transitions away from the Start stage it cannot return.
  • Submitted – A submitted form is stored in this stage. Forms in this stage may be updated by users with permission.
Additional stages can be added and configured by clicking the plus (+) icon that appears when hovering over a Stage box or by clicking the Add Stage button in the Properties panel; however, the Start stage is always required and is unique.
Each stage can have multiple stage actions. Each stage action presents itself as a button in the form's footer area and therefore the terms stage action, and stage button are used interchangeably. There are three types of stage actions:
  • Submit – Submits the form data, and transitions the form to the next stage. A single stage can have multiple Submit buttons; each Submit button may have different settings, and may transition the form to a different next stage. Every stage, except the End stage, must have at least one Submit button.
  • Save Draft – Temporarily stores the form's data so the user can return later to complete the rest of the form. A single stage can have multiple Save Draft buttons. Each button may have different settings, such as a unique message for the user. A stage is not required to have a Save Draft button. For more information, see Saving work as Draft.
  • Cancel – Returns the form to its original state before the end-user started making modifications. The form remains within the same stage. A single stage can have only one Cancel button. A stage is not required to have a Cancel button.
By default, every newly created stage, including the Start stage, is given a single Submit button and Cancel button as a starting point.

During the transition from one stage to the next, there are several activities that can take place: Send an Email, Call a Service, and Assign Users. The Visibility tab also allows the application designer to disable or hide any form item, or entire page, within a specific stage for a particular form. Leap provides control over which users can access or modify the Form's data at any particular stage. The setting of these permissions is done by clicking on a stage and navigating to Permissions, or by clicking the Visibility tab. For more information, see Application and Security overview.