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 Domino Volt 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.
  • End – The final state of every form. Once a form transitions to the End stage it's lifecycle is complete. The form cannot be submitted again and cannot be transitioned to another stage.
Additional stages can be added and configured by the application designer using the Stages tab; however, the Start and End stages are always required and are unique.
Each stage, except for the End 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 Stages tab also allows the application designer to disable or hide any form item, or entire page, within a specific stage for a particular form. Domino Volt 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 the application designer using the Access tab. For more information, see Application and Security overview.