CS 565

Business Process Management Systems

Camunda
Tutorial

Teaching: Chrysostomos Zeginis

Teaching Assistant: Nikolaos Fanourakis
2022
Agenda
● What is Camunda ?
● BPMN 2.0 Symbols and Notations
● BPMN 2.0 Examples
● Camunda Installation Guide
● Detailed Process Modelling, Implementation and Deployment
● Order example for implementing Service and Send Tasks
What is Camunda ?

● Workflow and Decision Automation Platform

● Lightweight
● Java-based framework
● It provides Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)
BPMN 2.0 Symbols and Notations
● Check cheatsheet BPMN 2.0 Cheatsheet

● A Task is a unit of work, the job to be performed

● When marked with a symbol (activity markers) it indicates a Sub-Process, an activity that can be refined
● A subprocess is an activity that contains other activities, gateways, events, etc., which itself forms a process
that is part of a bigger process. A subprocess is completely defined inside a parent process
BPMN 2.0 Symbols and Notations

Pools (Participants) and Lanes represent responsibilities for

activities in a process. A pool or a lane can be an organization, a
role, or a system. Lanes subdivide pools or other lanes
hierarchically.
 A Data Object represents
BPMN 2.0 Symbols and Notations information flowing through the
process, such as business
documents, e-mails, or letters.
BPMN 2.0 Symbols and
Notations

● In BPMN there are start events,

intermediate events and end events
BPMN 2.0 Examples
● This diagram shows a simple process triggered by someone being hungry. The
result is that someone must shop for groceries and prepare a meal. After that,
someone will eat the meal and have his or her hunger satisfied.
Camunda Installation Guide
● Prerequisites
○ Java JDK 1.8+
○ Eclipse IDE (recommended) or another
● Install Camunda Platform
○ Download a distribution (https://camunda.com/download)
○ Unpack it inside a directory of your choice
○ Execute the script named start.bat (for Windows users) or start.sh (for Unix users)
○ The application server is at http://localhost:8080/camunda/app/welcome/default/#!/login
○ Credentials: demo/demo
○ Do not stop it until the end of the tutorial
○ If port issue, then add the following to Camunda_Platform/configuration/default.yml
server:
port: 8081

● Install Camunda Modeler

○ Download from the download page
○ Unpack it inside a directory of your choice
○ Run Camunda Modeler.exe (Windows) or camunda-modeler (Linux)
Create your first BPMN 2.0 process with the Camunda Modeler
Start of a simple example
● After running Camunda Platform and Camunda Modeler …
● Create a new BPMN 2.0 Diagram
Create your first BPMN 2.0 process with the Camunda Modeler
● Start by modelling a simple process
○ Double-click on the Start Event. A text box will open. Name the Start Event “Payment Retrieval
Requested”
○ Click on the start event. From its context menu, select the activity shape (rounded rectangle)
Create your first BPMN 2.0 process with the Camunda Modeler
● The rectangle will be placed automatically on the canvas
● Name it Charge Credit Card
● Change the activity type to Service Task by clicking on the activity shape and using the wrench button
Create your first BPMN 2.0 process with the Camunda Modeler
● Add an End Event named Payment Received
Create your first BPMN 2.0 process with the Camunda Modeler
● Configure the service task
○ Click on the service task you just created
○ Change the implementation to External and use charge-card as the topic
Create your first BPMN 2.0 process with the Camunda Modeler
● Configure the process payment-retrival
○ Give it a Process ID (payment-retrival), a Process Name (Payment Retrival) and check Executable
○ Save the BPMN Diagram File> Save File As…
Implement an external task worker
● Since modelling has completed, we should implement the service task we created
○ Using the maven project we provide you based in Java and implement the ChargeCardWorker
○ Run the java application (Run as Java). The worker should remain running throughout the tutorial
○ Documentation: https://docs.camunda.org/manual/7.16/user-guide/process-engine/external-tasks/
Deploy the process and Start a new instance
● Deploy
○ Make sure that the Camunda Platform and the implemented service worker are still running !!!
○ Click on the deploy button in the Camunda Modeler, then give it the Deployment Name “Payment Retrieval” and
click the Deploy button
Deploy the process and Start a new instance

● You should see a success message in the Camunda Modeler

Deploy the process and Start a new instance

● Verify the Deployment with Cockpit (monitoring tool)

○ Visit http://localhost:8080/camunda/app/cockpit/
○ Login with the credentials demo / demo
○ Your process Payment Retrieval should be visible on the dashboard
Deploy the process and Start a new instance
● Start the first process instance
○ Send the following POST request to Camunda REST API using Postman
■ Download postman https://www.postman.com/downloads/ and install
○ Request to URL: http://localhost:8080/engine-rest/process-definition/key/payment-retrieval/start
○ JSON Body:
■ {"variables": {"amount": {"value":555,"type":"long"},"item": {"value": "item-xyz"}}}

Postman

1. 2.
6.
3. 4.

5.
Deploy the process and Start a new instance

● As long as you send the request …

○ The instance will be started and executed/completed immediately
■ externalTaskService.complete(externalTask) in our code
○ The following message will appear in worker’s console

End of the simple example

Add a user Task
● … Extending the simple example by involving humans
● The objective is an human to approve the payment and not to charge immediately
○ Select the activity shape (rounded rectangle)
○ Drag it into position between the Start Event and the “Charge Credit Card” Service Task
○ Name it Approve Payment
Add a user Task
● Change the activity type to User Task by clicking on it and using the wrench
button menu.
Configure a User Task
● Click on User Task
● In Property Panel complete Assignee to “demo”
● In Forms tab add “camunda-forms:deployment:payment.form” in the key
Configure a User Task
● Create an empty form File > New File > Form
● Add the specified input fields and the checkbox
Configure a User Task
● Select Camunda as execution platform
● Apply and save as payment.form
● Deploy the process and select the payment.form
Start a new instance
● Send again the same request with postman, in order to start a new instance with amount =
355 and item = item-xyz
● In the Cockpit you will see the instance pending for approvement
Approve Task
● In the Tasklist (http://localhost:8080/camunda/app/tasklist/) you will see the form completed and the human
needs to approve the request
● As long as you click, complete you approve the request and the instance is completed
Dynamic
● Making the process dynamic
○ Select the gateway shape (diamond) and drag it into position between the Start Event and the Service Task
○ Move the User Task down and add another Gateway after it
Dynamic
● Open the properties panel and select the <1000 € Sequence Flow after the Gateway on the canvas
● Scroll to the property named Condition Type and change it to Expression
● Set input ${amount<1000} as the Expression
Dynamic
● For the >=1000 € Sequence Flow, use the Expression ${amount>=1000}
● For the Yes Sequence Flow, use the Expression ${approved}
● For the No Sequence Flow, use the Expression ${!approved}
Dynamic
● Deploy again the process
● Send again the request with Postman
○ In case that amount < 1000, we do not need to approve
○ In case that amount >= 1000, we need to approve
Order Example

we must implement as external tasks,

otherwise we cannot deploy
 Order Example - Implementation
using Java API
see the “order” project for the whole example
Order Example - Implementation
using Java API
● Run the project as java application and the tasks are waiting for POST request
Postman

Console Java Application

BPMN 2.0 Shipment Example
Useful Links
Getting Started Guide

● https://docs.camunda.org/get-started/quick-start/
● import maven project to eclipse: link

Documentation and Examples of BPMN 2.0 Symbols and Notations

● https://camunda.com/bpmn/examples/
● https://camunda.com/bpmn/
● https://camunda.com/bpmn/reference/
● https://docs.camunda.io/docs/components/best-practices/development/routing-events-to-processes/

Implementation

https://docs.camunda.org/manual/7.16/reference/bpmn20/

https://docs.camunda.org/manual/7.16/user-guide/process-engine/external-tasks/
Questions ?