Process Developer

Back Next

Declaring Extensions

An extension declaration allows you to add a new construct to a BPEL process. Process Developer ignores it, since it can not understand it.

You can extend the definition of the BPEL language by declaring an extension. An extension declaration allows you to add constructs such as a new activity type or new processing instructions that are outside of the WS-BPEL 2.0 specification.

Process Developer and the Process Server use extensions. The Process Developer extensions are:

Query handling for automatically creating XPath for Copy To targets and for disabling the bpel:selectionFailure fault. (See

Using the Process Developer Create XPath Extension

and

Using the Process Developer Disable Selection Failure Fault Extension

Suspend, break, and continue activities. (See

Overview of BPEL Activities

Process level compensation/termination .(See

Creating a BPEL Process as a Service for Another BPEL Process

Implicit scope variables.

Loopback links. (See

Using Links

When you use one of these extensions, the extension namespace is automatically added to the Outline view. However, you can add the extension namespace manually before you use the extension, if desired.

To add your own extension definition
:

From the Outline view, select Extensions, and right-click to select Add > Declaration > Extension
.

In the Extension Definition
dialog, select User Defined Extension Namespace.

Type in a namespace referencing your BPEL extension.

Check

Must understand

if required. Note that when this is selected and you use the extension in your process, Process Developer reports an error when you save the process. The process cannot be simulated or deployed. If you do not select Must understand, your extensions are ignored by the Process Server.