Signals & events – processes that listen to each other
Sometimes a workflow depends on what another workflow has done. That is exactly what signals are for. A process sends a named signal once it reaches a certain point – and another process can wait for exactly that signal. This way workflows coordinate across process boundaries, without you having to hard-wire them to each other.
The typical case is waiting for a follow-up process: the main process pauses at a step until the triggered follow-up process returns its result as a signal. Or two independent workflows exchange information – for example, an item only continues once an approval from another process has arrived. You decide whether to wait until the first expected signal arrives or until all of them have.
Processes that listen to each other
With signals and events, linqi connects processes across their boundaries. A process sends a named signal at a step – for example when it is completed or a certain state has been reached. Another process waits at a wait step for exactly that signal and only resumes once it arrives. You can wait for a single signal or for several at the same time, and decide whether the workflow continues after the first expected signal or only once all of them have arrived. Also configurable: whether signals that have already been sent are counted, or only new ones. This lets you turn separate workflows into a cleanly orchestrated overall process – from the main process waiting for its follow-up process, to two independently running workflows that exchange information.
How processes exchange signals
- Send a signal:
A process sends a named signal at a step. This happens automatically in the run – for example when a step is completed or a condition has been met. - Subscribe to a signal:
Another process waits at a wait step for one or several signals by name. It stays paused until the wait condition is met. - First or all signals:
You decide whether the workflow continues after the first expected signal or only once all expected signals have arrived. - New or past:
You determine whether signals that have already been sent are also considered – or whether the workflow waits only for new signals.
This creates seamless links between processes: follow-up processes, parallel workflows and separate workflows interlock, without you having to cram them into one single large process.
Frequently asked questions about signals & events
What is a signal?
A signal is a named event that a process sends and that other processes can wait for. It carries a name and a timestamp – the sending and the waiting process do not need to know about each other.
Can a process wait for several signals?
Yes. You define several signals and decide whether the workflow continues after the first expected signal or only once all expected signals have arrived.
Is waiting possible across process boundaries?
Yes – that is the core of it. Processes exchange signals per mandator, even if they are independent of each other. Typical is a main process that waits for a signal from its follow-up process.
Does it also wait for signals that have already been sent?
You determine this via the search type: either signals sent before the wait are also considered, or the workflow waits only for new signals.