The ValidateTransitionOut validator finds activity conditions with no exit transitions.

Validation summary

  • Risk: Activity conditions might not transition to the next activity, which could cause the workflow to hang.
  • Severity Level: Warning
  • Valid Result: Valid
  • Valid Message: All conditions have transitions.
  • Invalid Result: Invalid
  • Invalid Message: This workflow contains <condition count> activity conditions without an output transition.
  • Suggested Action: If this is a conscious design decision, there is no corrective action. Otherwise, find the condition cited in the validator and add an appropriate transition to the next activity.
  • Publishable: Yes
  • Runnable: Yes
  • Related Information: None

Troubleshooting

Design choices made when creating a workflow on the canvas might legitimately use an activity without an exit condition. In the first example, the Notification and Timer activities both execute at the start of the workflow. The Timer is the entity that decides when the workflow ends. In this situation, executing the Notification, but not transitioning away, keeps the design simple and adds no risk. The validator finds and reports the missing transition from the Notification activity as a Warning that the designer can ignore.

Figure 1. Condition with no valid transition

In the second example, the Notification activity has no exit transition. The designer missed this because of the layout. The transition from the Timer activity passes behind the Notification activity and appears to connect the exit from the Notification activity to the End. In workflows with more than 10 or 15 activities, it might be difficult to see all the transitions clearly. This workflow's designer intended for the Notification activity to transition to the End.

Figure 2. No condition out

This validator directs the designer to the specific activity and condition that does not have an exit transition. The designer then makes the decision whether or not to respond to the warning.