Create New Workflow in RCOM Gateway

In RCOM Gateway, a workflow is a dynamic sequence of actions executed in response to an event, such as a device reading, API call, or scheduled trigger. Workflows are essential for transforming raw event data into meaningful automation, enabling real-time integrations with external systems, databases, notifications, and more.

Overview

A workflow defines how incoming data is processed, from the moment it enters the Gateway to its final destination. This includes operations like:

• Extracting or transforming input data
• Triggering REST or MQTT calls to third-party systems
• Modifying object records in the platform database
• Sending emails, pushing alerts, or updating dashboards

Step 1: Open Workflow Management

To begin:

1. Log in to the RCOM Gateway Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Workflows > Manage Workflows.
3. Click + Create Workflow to launch the workflow builder.

Create new workflow

Step 2: Define Workflow Metadata

The workflow canvas appears where you can configure your logic. Start with basic settings:

Design a new workflow

• Name (Required): Give your workflow a unique, descriptive name.
• Description (Optional): Summarize what this workflow accomplishes.
• Parameters (Optional): Declare input variables that this workflow can accept, typically passed from an Event Processor.
• Execution Settings (Optional):
  • Workflow Execution Settings: Define default values for workflow process tags and process status.
    • Default Job Status: A workflow status assigned to each workflow instance that use this tempalte, at the begining of the workflow exicution. This can be updated later from workflow using SetJobStatus action.
    • Default Job Tags: Tags are used for categorization, filtering, monitoring, and reporting purposes. If you define a default it will be added to all workflows jobs using this template. New tags can be added with AddJobtags action and existing once can be removed with RemoveJobtags action.
  • Runtime Configuration : Controls how the workflow engine executes and logs this workflow.
    • Execution Timeout (ms): Maximum allowed exicution time in milliseconds. The workflow will be automatically terminated after this duration.
    • Log Level : Define the level details you want to preserve in the workflow log. The selected level and higher will only be saved.
    • Persist Final Context in DB : Save the final exicution context in database. Disable to save space.

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It is recommended to disable the Persist Final Context in DB option when deploying workflows to a production environment. If a workflow retrieves large amounts of data from the database on each execution, storing that data in the context for reference can lead to significant database storage consumption over time. For finer control, it is recommended to use the FlushContext workflow action to whitelist or blacklist specific variables. This allows you to retain only the required data in the context while excluding unnecessary or large payloads.

To add a parameter:

1. Click the Parameters tab > Add New.
2. Provide a name (e.g., batchId, timestamp).
3. Choose a data type:
   String, Int, Bool, DateTime, Decimal, Guid, List, Dictionary, GhostData, etc.
4. Click Save.

Step 3: Add and Connect Actions

Each workflow is built using Action Blocks, modular operations representing a specific task.

To add an action:

1. Open the Actions panel.
2. Drag a block (e.g., HttpRequest, SetVariables, SendEmail) onto the canvas.
3. Configure its inputs and outputs.
4. Connect blocks using arrows to define execution flow and logic.

Action blocks may receive input from previous blocks and output data to subsequent ones.

Step 4: Understand Connection Logic

RCOM Gateway uses visual connectors to represent workflow transitions. Each connection line signifies what happens based on an action’s result:

Line Type	Meaning
Green Solid	Success (Result = True) and this outcome is mandatory
Red Solid	Failure (Result = False) and must be handled
Green Dashed	Success path that is optional (not required for workflow to proceed)
Red Dashed	Optional failure branch

Use these to build branching, error handling, and conditional flows.

Step 5: Save the Workflow

Once your logic is complete:

• Verify all action blocks are connected appropriately.
• Ensure required inputs and outputs are defined.
• Click Save Workflow to persist your configuration.

Example workflow

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Action Block Categories

Action blocks are grouped by function. Below is a categorized list for easy reference:

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For detailed information on Action blocks and setup, refer to the guide:>>Workflow Actions.

🧮 Data Processing

Action Name	Purpose
AddTime	Modify datetime by adding/subtracting durations
JsonPathValue	Extract typed data using JsonPath
JsonPath	Extract strings from JSON values using path syntax
SplitString	Convert a string into a list based on a separator
JsonSerializer	Convert object to JSON format
XPath	Run XPath on XML to extract values
DecodeData	Decode structured input by command rules
Decode6Bit	Decode EPC hex to ASCII
DecodeGS1	Decode EPC to GS1 URI formats
Encode6Bit	Encode ASCII to 6-bit EPC hex
EncodeGS1	Encode EPC URN to GS1 URI format
EncodeGs1TagUri	Convert GS1 EPC URN tag format to GS1 EPC URI
GetKeyList	Extract all keys from a dictionary into a list
MatchAndSortList	Match and sort items in a list
RegexMatch	Match or extract substrings using a regular expression
ReplaceWordPlaceholders	Replace placeholders in a Word document template

🔁 Control Flow

Action Name	Purpose
Condition	Branch logic based on Boolean expression
While	Execute steps while a condition holds
ForEach	Iterate over list/dictionary elements
CustomScript	Execute a custom script using RCOM Gateway Interpreter
Sleep	Pause workflow execution for a specified duration
FlushContext	Flush intermediate workflow context data

🌐 External Interaction

Action Name	Purpose
WebRequest	Send configurable HTTP requests
WebRequest3	Lightweight HTTP request block
MQTTPublisher	Publish messages to an MQTT broker
SendEmail	Send emails via configured or custom SMTP
CustomSQL	Execute SQL queries against a SQL Server database
CustomMySQL	Execute SQL queries against a MySQL database
CustomPostgresSQL	Execute SQL queries against a PostgreSQL database
MQTTChallengeResponse	Handle MQTT challenge-response authentication
PublishRabbitMQ	Publish messages to a RabbitMQ broker

🧱 Object/Storage Management

Action Name	Purpose
CreateObject	Create a new object
SetObjectAttributes	Update object attributes dynamically
SetStorageLocation	Modify object's storage location
SetGeoLocation	Update object’s latitude and longitude
ReadObject	Get attributes of a specific object
ReadObjectGroup	Retrieve metadata of an object group
GetObjectsOfObjectGroup	Retrieve all objects from a group
GetObjectsOfAttributes	Retrieve objects that match specified attributes
GetObjectsOfStorage	Retrieve objects from storage using location filters
LookUpAttribute	Look up a specific attribute of a matched object
LookUpAttributes	Look up all/specific attributes of a matched object
DeleteObject	Delete an object (optionally with history)
DeleteObjectInstant	Instantly delete an object from an Object Group
CheckStorageExists	Verify whether a storage entity exists at a given level
CreateStorageLocation	Create a new entry in the storage hierarchy
GetAttachment	Retrieve a file attachment linked to an object
GetGroup	Retrieve a group name by its ID
GetObjectChangeHistory	Retrieve historical attribute changes for an object
GetObjectGroupSchema	Retrieve the schema definition of an Object Group
GetStorageAreas	Return all defined storage areas with parent IDs
GetStorageBins	Return all defined storage bins with parent IDs
GetStorageLocations	Return all defined storage locations with parent IDs
GetStorageNumbers	Return all top-level storage numbers
DeleteAttachment	Delete a file attachment from an object
SaveAttachment	Save a file as an attachment to an object
SetObjectInstant	Instantly update object attributes during execution
SetStorageLocationByID	Set an object's storage location using numeric IDs

🔄 Casting / Conversion

Action Name	Purpose
CastBool	Cast value to Boolean
CastDateTime	Cast value to DateTime
CastDateTimeOffset	Cast value to DateTimeOffset
CastDecimal	Cast value to Decimal
CastInt	Cast value to Integer
CastString	Cast value to String
CastObject	Cast value to generic Object
CastObjectList	Cast value to List of Objects
CastDictionary	Cast value to Dictionary
CastDictionaryList	Cast value to List<Dictionary>
ConvertToGhostData	Convert to GhostData object (custom structured)
GenerateGuid	Generate a new globally unique ID

🛠️ Utility

Action Name	Purpose
SetVar	Assign values to variables
StartTimer	Start a timer and execute logic after it ends
GetDate	Retrieve current date and time
GetDateOffset	Retrieve current date with timezone offset
Log	Log messages with different severity levels
UpdateGlobalVar	Update a client/global-level variable
SetHttpResponse	Define HTTP response for web-triggered workflows
AddJobTags	Assign one or more tags to the current workflow job
RemoveJobTags	Remove one or more tags from the current workflow job
SetJobStatus	Set the logical job status of the current workflow job
SetDictionary	Create or populate a dictionary variable
ValidateDecimalLimits	Validate a decimal value against defined min/max limits

📁 File Operations

Action Name	Purpose
CreateExcelSheet	Create an Excel file from structured data as a byte array
CreateTemporaryFile	Save a file (byte array) to the database and return a File ID
LoadCsv	Parse CSV content (bytes) into structured workflow data
LoadExcelSheet	Parse an Excel file (byte array) into structured workflow data
LoadTemporaryFile	Retrieve a stored file from the database by its File ID

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For detailed information on Action blocks and setup, refer to the guide:>>Workflow Actions.

Next Steps

Once you've created and saved your workflow, you can test it by triggering the associated event processor. Monitor the logs and data flows to ensure the workflow behaves as expected.

Related Articles

• REST API Endpoint Configuration in RCOM Gateway
• Set up Event Based Workflow
• MQTT Client Configuration in RCOM Gateway
• Workflow Actions