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I can read how to use an ad-hoc subprocess #4729

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75 changes: 75 additions & 0 deletions docs/components/modeler/bpmn/ad-hoc/ad-hoc.md
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@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
---
id: ad-hoc
title: "Ad-hoc"
description: "The ad-hoc marker is only available for embedded subprocesses, allowing more flexibility while executing inner elements."
---

The ad-hoc marker (represented by a **~** tilde character) is only available
for [embedded subprocesses](../embedded-subprocesses/embedded-subprocesses.md), and are therefore called **ad-hoc subprocesses**.
Compared to regular subprocesses, ad-hoc subprocesses allow more flexibility for executing inner elements.

![A demo process with an ad-hoc subprocess. Some elements inside the subprocess are active.](assets/ad-hoc-subprocess.png)

The inner elements of an ad-hoc subprocess are not connected to a start or end event. Each element can be executed
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multiple times, in any order, or skipped.

If elements depend on each other, the elements can be connected by a sequence flow to build a structured sequence
within the ad-hoc subprocess.

When a process instance reaches an ad-hoc subprocess, it [activates the inner elements](#activate-an-element) and waits
for their completion. After the last element is completed, the process instance completes the ad-hoc subprocess and
takes the outgoing sequence flows.

### Constraints

An ad-hoc subprocess has the following constraints:

- Must have at least one activity
- Must not have start events or end events
- Any intermediate catch event must have an outgoing sequence flow

## Activate an element

An ad-hoc subprocess can define an expression `activeElementsCollection` that should return a
[list](../../feel/language-guide/feel-data-types.md#list) of strings. Each string in the list should match to an ID of
an inner element of the ad-hoc subprocess. Usually, the expression accesses a process instance variable that was
created before and holds the list of element IDs.

![A process with an ad-hoc subprocess that shows how a variable is used to active the inner elements.](assets/ad-hoc-subprocess-activation.png)

When a process instance reaches an ad-hoc subprocess, it evaluates the expression `activeElementsCollection` and
activates all elements whose element IDs are in the list.

If the list is empty or the expression is not defined, no element is activated and the ad-hoc subprocess remains active.

If the expression doesn't evaluate to a list of strings, or the list contains other values than inner element IDs, the
process instance creates an incident.

:::note
Currently, it is not possible to activate elements dynamically after the ad-hoc subprocess is activated, only on
entering the subprocess.
:::

## Variable mappings

An ad-hoc subprocess can define input and output
[variable mappings](../../../concepts/variables.md#inputoutput-variable-mappings).

**Input variable mappings** are applied on activating the ad-hoc subprocess and before evaluating the expression
`activeElementsCollection`. They can be used to create local variables for the ad-hoc subprocess.

**Output variable mappings** are applied on completing the ad-hoc subprocess. They can be used to propagate local variables
from the ad-hoc subprocess into the process instance. By default, no local variables are propagated.

## Additional resources

### XML representation

```xml
<bpmn:adHocSubProcess id="ad-hoc-subprocess" name="Ad-hoc subprocess">
<bpmn:extensionElements>
<zeebe:adHoc activeElementsCollection="=activeElements" />
</bpmn:extensionElements>
... more contained elements ...
</bpmn:adHocSubProcess>
```
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14 changes: 14 additions & 0 deletions docs/components/modeler/bpmn/assets/bpmn-symbols/ad-hoc.svg
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4 changes: 4 additions & 0 deletions docs/components/modeler/bpmn/bpmn-coverage.md
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Expand Up @@ -122,6 +122,7 @@ import MultiInstanceParallelSvg from './assets/bpmn-symbols/multi-instance-paral
import MultiInstanceSequentialSvg from './assets/bpmn-symbols/multi-instance-sequential.svg'
import LoopSvg from './assets/bpmn-symbols/loop.svg'
import CompensationSvg from './assets/bpmn-symbols/compensation.svg'
import AdHocSvg from './assets/bpmn-symbols/ad-hoc.svg'

<div className="bpmn-symbol-container">
<a href="../multi-instance/">
Expand All @@ -136,6 +137,9 @@ import CompensationSvg from './assets/bpmn-symbols/compensation.svg'
<a href="../compensation-handler/">
<CompensationSvg className="implemented" />
</a>
<a href="../ad-hoc/">
<AdHocSvg className="implemented" />
</a>
</div>

## Data
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1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions docs/components/modeler/bpmn/markers.md
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Expand Up @@ -14,3 +14,4 @@ Currently supported markers:

- [Multi-instance](multi-instance/multi-instance.md)
- [Compensation](compensation-handler/compensation-handler.md)
- [Ad-hoc](ad-hoc/ad-hoc.md)
1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions sidebars.js
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Expand Up @@ -289,6 +289,7 @@ module.exports = {
"components/modeler/bpmn/markers",
"components/modeler/bpmn/multi-instance/multi-instance",
"components/modeler/bpmn/compensation-handler/compensation-handler",
"components/modeler/bpmn/ad-hoc/ad-hoc",
],
},
],
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