jBPM Workflow Tutorial: 🔀 Gateway Example (Approve/Reject Flow)

🚀 Introduction

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use a 🔀 Gateway in jBPM to make your process follow different paths based on conditions.
We’ll build a simple approval workflow:

🔵 Start → 👤 Human Task → 🔀 Gateway → ✅ Approved Path / ❌ Rejected Path → 🔴 End

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🛠️ Prerequisites

• 💻 jBPM/Business Central & KIE Server bundle (7.x or 8.x community)

• ☕ JDK 11+ (JDK 17 also works)

• 👨‍💼 User with manager role

• 🌐 Browser access: http://localhost:8080/business-central

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📝 Step 1: Create a New Project

1. 🔑 Log in to Business Central

2. 📂 Create project: approval-gateway

3. ➕ Add new Business Process: ApprovalProcess

   • Id: com.example.approval

   • Package: com.example

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🎨 Step 2: Design the Workflow

1. 🔵 Add a Start node

2. 👤 Add a Human Task → configure:

   • 🏷️ Name: Review Request

   • 👥 Actors: manager

   • 📝 Task Name: review-request

3. 🔀 Add an Exclusive Gateway (XOR) after Human Task

4. ✅ Add an End node for Approved path

5. ❌ Add another End node for Rejected path

6. 🔗 Connect: Start → Human Task → Gateway → End(Approved/Rejected)

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📊 Step 3: Define Data

• Add process variable:

  • Name: approved

  • Type: Boolean

• In Human Task form, let the user set approved = true/false

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⚙️ Step 4: Configure Gateway Conditions

1. Select the Gateway → add two outgoing connections:

   • ✅ Approved Path → condition:

     approved == true
     

   • ❌ Rejected Path → condition:

     approved == false
     

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🔨 Step 5: Build and Deploy

• 💾 Save process

• 🛠️ Build & Install project

• 📦 Ensure deployment to KIE Server

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▶️ Step 6: Run the Process

1. Go to Manage → Process Definitions

2. ▶️ Start new instance of ApprovalProcess

3. 👤 Human Task is assigned → open the form → select approve or reject

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📌 Step 7: Outcome Paths

• ✅ If approved = true → flow goes to Approved End node

• ❌ If approved = false → flow goes to Rejected End node

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🛠️ Troubleshooting

• ❌ Task not visible? → Check user is in manager role

• ⚠️ Both paths trigger? → Ensure conditions on outgoing connections are mutually exclusive

• 🔄 Process not completing? → Verify at least one path has a condition set correctly

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👉Watch jBPM Gateway Example (Approve/Reject Flow) Practical in Action better: Here's a quick video to help you understand jBPM Gateway Example (Approve/Reject Flow) in Practical in Action better: jBPM Gateways Tutorial in Hindi | Exclusive, Inclusive & Parallel Explained

👉 Source code: https://github.com/LearnITWithShikha/SimpleApproval

🎯 Conclusion

The 🔀 Gateway workflow shows how business decisions drive process flow in jBPM. By branching paths based on conditions (like approval/rejection), you make workflows smarter and closer to real-world scenarios.

This simple Approve/Reject example demonstrates:

• 👤 Using Human Tasks to collect decisions

• 🔀 Using Exclusive Gateways to branch process flow

• ✅ / ❌ Different outcomes based on variables

Next, you can explore:

• 🔀 Parallel Gateways for running tasks simultaneously

• 🌀 Inclusive Gateways for multiple valid paths

• 🔗 Combining Gateways with Service or Script Tasks for complex business rules

💼 Professional Support Available

If you are facing issues in real projects related to enterprise backend development or workflow automation, I provide paid consulting, production debugging, project support, and focused trainings.

Technologies covered include Java, Spring Boot, PL/SQL, Azure, and workflow automation (jBPM, Camunda BPM, RHPAM).

📧 Contact: ishikhanirankari@gmail.com | info@realtechnologiesindia.com

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