Swimlane Management

Overview

Swimlanes set the responsibilities in your business process. Swimlanes are always contained by your pool (or workflow), representing one parallel of a process. Each swimlane communicates with other swimlanes in the same workflow. However, there are RBAC restrictions, so if you have invalid permissions for another swimlane, the submission ends. Your swimlanes show the tasks and responsibilities each department has and the interplay between them. So, your company (workflow) can have multiple departments (swimlanes) collaborating on a business process.

Authenticated Swimlanes

Use the Authenticated swimlane to hold user-type facing tasks using the Task node. Your end-user End-users, also known as Express Users, are the individuals accessing an application through Express View. In most cases, end-users are the customers using the product. can see and interact with these user-type tasks in their browser. You can have multiple user-type tasks in your workflow, but your end-user must have permission to access User Tasks.

Define these permissions using RBAC RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) is a method to control system access for authorized users. The role in RBAC refers to the levels of access employees have to a network.. When you edit your Authenticated swimlane, you'll set up your roles and permissions. If you're not sure what the role is for a swimlane, look at the blue text to the left of the swimlane. We call this blue text the Header Bar. To view what roles have access, you'll click the (Edit) button followed by Edit Roles & Permissions. Doing so takes you to the Express Role Administration page.

Automated Swimlane

By default, there is an Automated swimlane in your workflow. You can't edit or delete it, even if it's empty. Only one Automated swimlane is allowed in a workflow.

When you add a Task node to this swimlane, you'll set whether the node runs as a service or script-type task. Automated swimlanes run script and service-type tasks automatically. There's no end-user End-users, also known as Express Users, are the individuals accessing an application through Express View. In most cases, end-users are the customers using the product. interaction.

What You'll Learn

After completing this article, you’ll learn how to manage the different swimlanes in the Workflow Builder.

Here's a preview of the default swimlanes in the Workflow Builder:

Static image of workflow swimlanes.

Navigating the Swimlane Settings Menu

Let's explore the swimlane's Settings Menu. These options display when you hover over the Authenticated swimlane's Header Bar. Swimlanes have these Settings Menu options:

Setting

Description

(Add)

Adds a new swimlane to the top of the workflow pool. The swimlane's Label shows as New Lane for easy reference and location.

(Remove)

Removes the swimlane from the workflow.

(Edit)

Opens the Edit Lane window. This is where you configure the swimlane's settings, including which role has access.

Edit Lane Window Description

Click the (Edit) button to display the Edit Lane window.

Static image of a swimlane Edit Lane settings panel.

And here's a breakdown of the available settings:

Setting

Description

Label

Sets the name of your swimlane. By default, the Label displays as Authenticated. The label you enter is optional and displays to the left of the lane in the Header Bar.

Assign Role(s)

Lets you select the role assigned to this lane. Roles determine end-user End-users, also known as Express Users, are the individuals accessing an application through Express View. In most cases, end-users are the customers using the product. access. By selecting a role, you're giving a group of end-users permission to access this swimlane.

The drop-down menu populates with the roles defined for your environment. If a role doesn't populate as expected, check Express Role Administration.

Use Anonymous Role

When set to  (ON), only anonymous users can access the swimlane.

By default, this setting is set to (OFF).

Edit Roles & Permissions

Takes you to Express Role Administration. From Express Role Administration, you can add roles and permissions to your environment.

Allow Access to Role Ancestors

When set to (ON), users with a role higher in the role hierarchy (role ancestors) can access the swimlane.

When set to (OFF), only users with the specified lane's role can access the swimlane.

All new workflows have this setting (OFF) by default. Pre-existing workflows behave as if this setting is (ON).

X (Close)

Closes the Edit Lane window, returning your focus to the pool.

Adding an Authenticated Swimlane

To add an Authenticated swimlane:

1. Hover your mouse over the Header Bar of any swimlane.
2. Click (Add).
3. Click Save....
4. Click  Save  .

You can also add a swimlane by clicking the + Add Swimlane button. This button displays at the bottom right of the User swimlane. This adds a new Authenticated (user) swimlane after your Automated swimlane.

Modify an Authenticated Swimlane

Renaming an Authenticated Swimlane

Now, let's rename your swimlane. To change the name of the Authenticated swimlane:

1. Hover your mouse over the Header Bar of the swimlane.
2. Click (Edit).
3. Enter a new Label.

Ensure your label is user-friendly and well-associated with the role of your swimlane.

4. Click X (Close).
5. Click Save....
6. Click  Save  .

Repositioning an Authenticated Swimlane

You can also change the position of your Authenticated swimlane using workflow's drag-and-drop interface. To reposition a swimlane:

1. Hover your mouse over the Header Bar of the swimlane.
2. Drag and drop your swimlane up or down into a new position.
3. Click Save....
4. Click  Save  .

Assigning a Role to an Authenticated Swimlane

Now, let's assign your Authenticated swimlane a role. Remember, if your end-user End-users, also known as Express Users, are the individuals accessing an application through Express View. In most cases, end-users are the customers using the product. is not part of the group assigned to that role, they cannot access your workflow. To assign a role:

1. Hover your mouse over the Header Bar of the swimlane.
2. Click (Edit).
3. From the Assign a Role drop-down, select a role.
4. To add or edit a role in your environment, click Edit Roles & Permissions. In Express Role Administration, you can add a new role or adjust existing roles as needed.
5. Click Save....
6. Click  Save  .

Deleting an Authenticated Swimlane

To remove an Authenticated swimlane:

1. Hover your mouse over the Header Bar of the swimlane.
2. Click (Remove).
3. Click Save....
4. Click  Save  .

You cannot remove a swimlane that is running Timer Start node. Stop any Timer Start nodes in the swimlane before you delete the swimlane.

Resources