Using Camunda Business Processes

Liferay 7.4+, and all quarterly releases

Liferay’s native workflow features are designed for business processes requiring basic review and approval. If your business process management (BPM) needs are more complex, you can connect Liferay to Camunda. Its advanced automated business processes use the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) standard and its decision rules use Decision Model and Notation (DMN).

Build workflows for Liferay in Camunda.

You can use these connector templates from the Camunda Modeler:

NameDescriptionOutbound or
Inbound
Camunda Element
Liferay ConnectorCall Liferay APIs from Camunda tasks.OutboundService Task
Liferay Webhook Connector *Receive events from Liferay’s object webhook actions (e.g., trigger the workflow in Camunda when a form is submitted in Liferay).InboundEvent (varies according to need; see below)
    Start EventUse the webhook payload to start a process without checking for uniqueness.InboundStart Event
    Message StartMake sure the same payload was not already used to start a process, then start one if it’s unique.InboundMessage Start Event
    IntermediateUse the payload to advance an already running process instance.InboundIntermediate Throw/Catch Event
    BoundaryUse the payload while a task is active to either change the workflow path or trigger a parallel path.InboundMessage Boundary Event

Connecting Liferay to Camunda

To connect Liferay to Camunda, install the Liferay connector templates into Camunda Modeler:

  1. Go to https://github.com/liferay/liferay-portal/tree/master/modules/etl/camunda/element-templates

  2. For each template you want, click Download Raw File.

  3. In Camunda Modeler, open your project and click Create NewUpload File; then select the file you downloaded.

  4. Open the new connector and publish it.

The Liferay connector templates are currently available by manual upload only.