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Complete reference catalog of all apex: namespace extensions in Flows for APEX.
Namespace: http://flowsforapex.com/bpmn  |  Prefix: apex

apex:customExtension is a Flows for APEX development-team mechanism used to decouple engine development from the BPMN modeler. New properties are prototyped here during development and promoted to first-class apex: elements or attributes before public release. It is not available in the published modeler UI and should not be used in production models.

1. Process-Level Extensions

1.1 Process Attributes (on bpmn:process)

Attribute Type Required Purpose Example
@apex:isCallable boolean No Whether process can be called from other processes true/false
@apex:isStartable boolean No Whether process can be started directly true/false
@apex:manualInput boolean No Whether process requires manual input to start true/false
@apex:minLoggingLevel xs:integer No Minimum logging level (0-6) 0
@apex:instanceName xs:string No Template for instance name generation Order {order_id}
@apex:applicationId xs:string No Default APEX application ID 100
@apex:pageId xs:string No Default APEX page ID 1
@apex:username xs:string No Default username for process execution admin
@apex:businessAdmin xs:string No Business administrator role/user PROCESS_ADMIN

1.2 Process Extension Elements (in bpmn:extensionElements)

1.2.1 Priority Expression

<apex:priority>
  <apex:expressionType>static|processVariable|sqlQuerySingle|plsqlExpression|plsqlFunctionBody</apex:expressionType>
  <apex:expression>5</apex:expression>
</apex:priority>

1.2.2 Due Date Expression

<apex:dueOn>
  <apex:expressionType>static|interval|oracleScheduler|processVariable|sqlQuerySingle|plsqlExpression|plsqlFunctionBody</apex:expressionType>
  <apex:expression>2024-06-21 09:15:05 GMT</apex:expression>
  <apex:formatMask>YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS TZR</apex:formatMask>  <!-- Optional -->
</apex:dueOn>

1.2.3 Process Variable Declarations (In/Out Variables)

<apex:inVariables>
  <apex:processVariable>
    <apex:varName>inputVarName</apex:varName>
    <apex:varDataType>VARCHAR2|NUMBER|DATE|TIMESTAMP_WITH_TIME_ZONE|CLOB|JSON</apex:varDataType>
    <apex:varDescription>Optional description</apex:varDescription>
  </apex:processVariable>
</apex:inVariables>

<apex:outVariables>
  <apex:processVariable>
    <apex:varName>outputVarName</apex:varName>
    <apex:varDataType>VARCHAR2|NUMBER|DATE|TIMESTAMP_WITH_TIME_ZONE|CLOB|JSON</apex:varDataType>
    <apex:varDescription>Optional description</apex:varDescription>
  </apex:processVariable>
</apex:outVariables>

2. Task/Activity Extensions

2.1 Task Type Attribute (on all task types)

Attribute Type Required Purpose
@apex:type xs:string Conditional Specifies task subtype/handler

Valid values:

  • User Tasks: apexPage, apexApproval, apexSimpleForm, externalUrl
  • Script/Service/BusinessRule Tasks: executePlsql
  • Service Tasks: sendMail, apexAIGeneration
  • Message Tasks: simpleMessage

2.2 UserTask Extensions

2.2.1 APEX Page Task (apex:type="apexPage")

<apex:apexPage>
  <apex:applicationId>100</apex:applicationId>
  <apex:pageId>3</apex:pageId>
  <apex:request>Optional request value</apex:request>
  <apex:cache>Optional cache value</apex:cache>
  <apex:pageItems>
    <apex:pageItem>
      <apex:itemName>PROCESS_ID</apex:itemName>
      <apex:itemValue>&F4A$PROCESS_ID.</apex:itemValue>
    </apex:pageItem>
    <apex:pageItem>
      <apex:itemName>MY_VAR</apex:itemName>
      <apex:itemValue>&F4A$MY_VAR.</apex:itemValue>
    </apex:pageItem>
  </apex:pageItems>
</apex:apexPage>

2.2.2 APEX Approval Task (apex:type="apexApproval")

<apex:apexApproval>
  <apex:applicationId>100</apex:applicationId>
  <apex:taskStaticId>MY_TASK_STATIC_ID</apex:taskStaticId>
  <apex:businessRef>&F4A$BUSINESS_REF.</apex:businessRef>
  <apex:subject>Optional subject</apex:subject>
  <apex:taskComment>Optional comment</apex:taskComment>
  <apex:parameters>
    <apex:parameter>
      <apex:parStaticId>PARAM_NAME</apex:parStaticId>
      <apex:parDataType>String|Number|Date</apex:parDataType>
      <apex:parValue>value</apex:parValue>
    </apex:parameter>
  </apex:parameters>
  <apex:resultVariable>approvalResult</apex:resultVariable>
</apex:apexApproval>

2.2.3 APEX Simple Form Task (apex:type="apexSimpleForm")

<apex:apexSimpleForm>
  <!-- Similar structure to apexPage -->
</apex:apexSimpleForm>

2.2.4 External URL Task (apex:type="externalUrl")

<apex:externalUrl>
  <apex:url>https://example.com/page</apex:url>
</apex:externalUrl>

2.3 PL/SQL Execution Tasks (apex:type="executePlsql")

Can be used on: bpmn:scriptTask, bpmn:serviceTask, bpmn:businessRuleTask

<apex:executePlsql>
  <apex:engine>true|false</apex:engine>  <!-- Optional: use engine binds -->
  <apex:autoBinds>true|false</apex:autoBinds>  <!-- Optional: auto-bind process vars -->
  <apex:plsqlCode>
begin
  -- Your PL/SQL code here
  flow_process_vars.set_var(
    pi_prcs_id => flow_globals.process_id,
    pi_var_name => 'RESULT',
    pi_vc2_value => 'OK'
  );
end;
  </apex:plsqlCode>
</apex:executePlsql>

2.4 Send Mail Service Task (apex:type="sendMail")

<apex:sendMail>
  <apex:emailFrom>sender@example.com</apex:emailFrom>
  <apex:emailTo>recipient@example.com</apex:emailTo>
  <apex:emailCC>cc@example.com</apex:emailCC>
  <apex:emailBCC>bcc@example.com</apex:emailBCC>
  <apex:emailReplyTo>reply@example.com</apex:emailReplyTo>
  <apex:useTemplate>true|false</apex:useTemplate>
  <apex:applicationId>100</apex:applicationId>
  <apex:templateId>TEMPLATE_STATIC_ID</apex:templateId>
  <apex:placeholder>
    <apex:name>PLACEHOLDER_NAME</apex:name>
    <apex:value>placeholder value</apex:value>
  </apex:placeholder>
  <apex:subject>Email Subject</apex:subject>
  <apex:bodyText>Plain text body</apex:bodyText>
  <apex:bodyHTML><![CDATA[<html>HTML body</html>]]></apex:bodyHTML>
  <apex:immediately>true|false</apex:immediately>
</apex:sendMail>

2.5 AI Generation Service Task (apex:type="apexAIGeneration") (EE only)

<apex:apexAIGeneration>
  <apex:aiModel>model-name</apex:aiModel>
  <apex:aiPrompt>Your prompt here</apex:aiPrompt>
  <apex:aiTemperature>0.7</apex:aiTemperature>
  <apex:resultVariable>aiResult</apex:resultVariable>
</apex:apexAIGeneration>

2.6 Variable Expressions for Tasks

2.6.1 beforeTask Variables

<apex:beforeTask>
  <apex:processVariable>
    <apex:varSequence>0</apex:varSequence>
    <apex:varName>variableName</apex:varName>
    <apex:varDataType>VARCHAR2|NUMBER|DATE|TIMESTAMP_WITH_TIME_ZONE|CLOB|JSON</apex:varDataType>
    <apex:varExpressionType>static|processVariable|sqlQuerySingle|sqlQueryList|plsqlExpression|plsqlFunctionBody|plsqlRawExpression|plsqlRawFunctionBody</apex:varExpressionType>
    <apex:varExpression>expression value</apex:varExpression>
    <apex:varSourceType>Optional source type</apex:varSourceType>
    <apex:varSource>Optional source identifier</apex:varSource>
  </apex:processVariable>
</apex:beforeTask>

2.6.2 afterTask Variables

<apex:afterTask>
  <apex:processVariable>
    <!-- Same structure as beforeTask -->
  </apex:processVariable>
</apex:afterTask>

3. Event Extensions

3.1 Event Variable Expressions

3.1.1 beforeEvent (Start Events, Boundary Events)

<apex:beforeEvent>
  <apex:processVariable>
    <apex:varSequence>0</apex:varSequence>
    <apex:varName>variableName</apex:varName>
    <apex:varDataType>VARCHAR2</apex:varDataType>
    <apex:varExpressionType>static</apex:varExpressionType>
    <apex:varExpression>value</apex:varExpression>
  </apex:processVariable>
</apex:beforeEvent>

3.1.2 onEvent (Start Events, Catch Events)

<apex:onEvent>
  <apex:processVariable>
    <!-- Same structure -->
  </apex:processVariable>
</apex:onEvent>

3.2 Timer Event Definitions

3.2.1 Standard BPMN Timers (in bpmn:timerEventDefinition)

  • bpmn:timeDate - ISO 8601 timestamp
  • bpmn:timeDuration - ISO 8601 duration (PT2S)
  • bpmn:timeCycle - ISO 8601 repeating interval

3.2.2 Oracle Custom Timer Extensions

<apex:oracleDate>
  <apex:expressionType>static|processVariable|sqlQuerySingle|plsqlExpression|plsqlFunctionBody</apex:expressionType>
  <apex:expression>2024-06-21 09:15:05 GMT</apex:expression>
  <apex:formatMask>YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS TZR</apex:formatMask>
  <apex:date>timestamp expression</apex:date>
</apex:oracleDate>

<apex:oracleDuration>
  <apex:expressionType>static|processVariable|sqlQuerySingle|plsqlExpression|plsqlFunctionBody</apex:expressionType>
  <apex:expression>PT12H</apex:expression>
  <apex:intervalYM>Optional YEAR TO MONTH interval</apex:intervalYM>
  <apex:intervalDS>DAY TO SECOND interval</apex:intervalDS>
</apex:oracleDuration>

<apex:oracleCycle>
  <apex:expressionType>static|processVariable|sqlQuerySingle|plsqlExpression|plsqlFunctionBody</apex:expressionType>
  <apex:expression>FREQ=HOURLY;INTERVAL=1</apex:expression>
  <apex:startIntervalDS>Optional start interval</apex:startIntervalDS>
  <apex:repeatIntervalDS>Repeat interval</apex:repeatIntervalDS>
  <apex:maxRuns>Optional max runs</apex:maxRuns>
</apex:oracleCycle>

3.3 Message Event Definitions (apex:type="simpleMessage")

3.3.1 Throw/Send Message Events

<bpmn:messageEventDefinition>
  <bpmn:extensionElements>
    <apex:endpoint>
      <apex:expressionType>static|processVariable</apex:expressionType>
      <apex:expression>local</apex:expression>
    </apex:endpoint>
    <apex:messageName>
      <apex:expressionType>static|processVariable</apex:expressionType>
      <apex:expression>MyMessage</apex:expression>
    </apex:messageName>
    <apex:correlationKey>
      <apex:expressionType>static|processVariable</apex:expressionType>
      <apex:expression>messageKey</apex:expression>
    </apex:correlationKey>
    <apex:correlationValue>
      <apex:expressionType>static|processVariable</apex:expressionType>
      <apex:expression>messageValue</apex:expression>
    </apex:correlationValue>
    <apex:payload>
      <apex:expressionType>static|processVariable</apex:expressionType>
      <apex:expression>messagePayload</apex:expression>
    </apex:payload>
  </bpmn:extensionElements>
</bpmn:messageEventDefinition>

3.3.2 Catch/Receive Message Events

<bpmn:messageEventDefinition>
  <bpmn:extensionElements>
    <apex:messageName>
      <apex:expressionType>static|processVariable</apex:expressionType>
      <apex:expression>MyMessage</apex:expression>
    </apex:messageName>
    <apex:correlationKey>
      <apex:expressionType>static|processVariable</apex:expressionType>
      <apex:expression>messageKey</apex:expression>
    </apex:correlationKey>
    <apex:correlationValue>
      <apex:expressionType>static|processVariable</apex:expressionType>
      <apex:expression>messageValue</apex:expression>
    </apex:correlationValue>
    <apex:payloadVariable>returnPayload</apex:payloadVariable>
  </bpmn:extensionElements>
</bpmn:messageEventDefinition>

3.4 Terminate End Event

<bpmn:terminateEventDefinition>
  <apex:processStatus>completed|terminated</apex:processStatus>
</bpmn:terminateEventDefinition>

4. Gateway Extensions

4.1 Gateway Variable Expressions

4.1.1 beforeSplit

<apex:beforeSplit>
  <apex:processVariable>
    <!-- Same structure as task variables -->
  </apex:processVariable>
</apex:beforeSplit>

4.1.2 afterMerge

<apex:afterMerge>
  <apex:processVariable>
    <!-- Same structure -->
  </apex:processVariable>
</apex:afterMerge>

5. Sequence Flow Extensions

5.1 SequenceFlow Attributes

Attribute Type Required Purpose Example
@apex:sequence xs:integer No Execution order/priority 10

5.2 SequenceFlow Condition Expressions

Standard BPMN with language attribute:

<bpmn:conditionExpression xsi:type="bpmn:tFormalExpression" 
                          language="plsqlExpression|plsqlFunctionBody">
  :F4A$PATH = 'A'
</bpmn:conditionExpression>

6. Call Activity Extensions

6.1 CallActivity Attributes

Attribute Type Required Purpose Example
@apex:manualInput boolean No Whether requires manual input false
@apex:calledDiagram xs:string Yes Name of called diagram Called Diagram
@apex:calledDiagramVersionSelection enum Yes Version selection strategy latestVersion\|namedVersion
@apex:calledDiagramVersion xs:string Conditional Specific version (if namedVersion) 1.0

6.2 CallActivity Extension Elements

6.2.1 Input Variables

<apex:inVariables>
  <apex:processVariable>
    <apex:varSequence>0</apex:varSequence>
    <apex:varName>Called_Invar_Name</apex:varName>
    <apex:varDataType>VARCHAR2</apex:varDataType>
    <apex:varExpressionType>static|processVariable|sqlQuerySingle|sqlQueryList|plsqlExpression|plsqlFunctionBody|plsqlRawExpression|plsqlRawFunctionBody</apex:varExpressionType>
    <apex:varExpression>value</apex:varExpression>
  </apex:processVariable>
</apex:inVariables>

6.2.2 Output Variables

<apex:outVariables>
  <apex:processVariable>
    <apex:varSequence>0</apex:varSequence>
    <apex:varName>Called_Outvar_Name</apex:varName>
    <apex:varDataType>VARCHAR2</apex:varDataType>
    <apex:varExpressionType>static|processVariable|sqlQuerySingle</apex:varExpressionType>
    <apex:varExpression>returnValue</apex:varExpression>
  </apex:processVariable>
</apex:outVariables>

7. Subprocess Extensions

7.1 SubProcess Variable Expressions

  • <apex:beforeTask> - Same structure as regular tasks
  • <apex:afterTask> - Same structure as regular tasks

7.2 Ad Hoc SubProcess Extensions (EE only)

<apex:completionCondition>
  <apex:expressionType>plsqlExpression|plsqlFunctionBody</apex:expressionType>
  <apex:expression>completion logic</apex:expression>
</apex:completionCondition>

<apex:adhocVisibility>none|subprocess|activities|all</apex:adhocVisibility>

<apex:startingActivities>
  <!-- List of activity IDs -->
</apex:startingActivities>

8. Iterator/Loop Extensions

8.1 Multi-Instance Loop Characteristics

On bpmn:multiInstanceLoopCharacteristics:

<bpmn:multiInstanceLoopCharacteristics isSequential="true|false">
  <bpmn:extensionElements>
    <apex:inputCollection>
      <apex:expressionType>processVariable|sqlQueryList|plsqlFunctionBody</apex:expressionType>
      <apex:expression>collectionName</apex:expression>
      <apex:insideVariable>loopItem</apex:insideVariable>
    </apex:inputCollection>
    
    <apex:outputCollection>
      <apex:expressionType>static|processVariable</apex:expressionType>
      <apex:expression>outputCollectionName</apex:expression>
      <apex:insideVariable>outputItem</apex:insideVariable>
    </apex:outputCollection>
    
    <apex:completionCondition>
      <apex:expressionType>plsqlExpression|plsqlFunctionBody</apex:expressionType>
      <apex:expression>completion logic</apex:expression>
    </apex:completionCondition>
    
    <apex:description>Optional description</apex:description>
  </bpmn:extensionElements>
</bpmn:multiInstanceLoopCharacteristics>

8.2 Standard Loop Characteristics

On bpmn:standardLoopCharacteristics:

<bpmn:standardLoopCharacteristics>
  <bpmn:extensionElements>
    <apex:inputCollection>
      <!-- Same structure as multi-instance -->
    </apex:inputCollection>
    
    <apex:completionCondition>
      <!-- Same structure -->
    </apex:completionCondition>
    
    <apex:description>Optional description</apex:description>
  </bpmn:extensionElements>
</bpmn:standardLoopCharacteristics>

9. Lane/Role Extensions

9.1 Lane Attributes

Attribute Type Required Purpose Example
@apex:isRole boolean No Whether lane represents a role true
@apex:role xs:string Conditional Role name (if isRole=true) ROLE_A2

9.2 Lane Extension Elements

<bpmn:extensionElements>
  <apex:beforeTask>
    <apex:processVariable>
      <apex:varSequence>0</apex:varSequence>
      <apex:varName>laneRole</apex:varName>
      <apex:varDataType>VARCHAR2</apex:varDataType>
      <apex:varExpressionType>static</apex:varExpressionType>
      <apex:varExpression>ROLE_A2</apex:varExpression>
    </apex:processVariable>
  </apex:beforeTask>
</bpmn:extensionElements>

10. Collaboration Extensions

10.1 Participant Extensions

Use supported apex:* process attributes and extension elements on the enclosed bpmn:process element.

10.2 Message Flow Extensions

<bpmn:messageFlow>
  <bpmn:extensionElements>
    <apex:messageName>
      <apex:expressionType>static</apex:expressionType>
      <apex:expression>MyMessage</apex:expression>
    </apex:messageName>
  </bpmn:extensionElements>
</bpmn:messageFlow>

11. Expression Types Reference

All expression elements support these <apex:expressionType> values:

Expression Type Purpose Example
static Static/literal value StaticValue
processVariable Reference to process variable MY_VAR_NAME
sqlQuerySingle SQL query returning single value select 'value' from dual
sqlQueryList SQL query returning multiple values select col from table
plsqlExpression PL/SQL expression with substitutions '&F4A$VAR.' = 'A'
plsqlFunctionBody PL/SQL function body with substitutions return '&F4A$VAR.';
plsqlRawExpression PL/SQL expression with bind variables :F4A$VAR = 'A'
plsqlRawFunctionBody PL/SQL function body with bind variables return :F4A$VAR;
interval ISO 8601 duration PT12H, P1D
oracleScheduler Oracle DBMS_SCHEDULER syntax FREQ=HOURLY;INTERVAL=1
jsonPath JSONPath expression (v26.1+) $.customer.email

12. Data Types Reference

For <apex:varDataType>:

Data Type Purpose Example Value
VARCHAR2 Variable-length string Hello World
NUMBER Numeric value 42, 3.14
DATE Date/time (no timezone) 2024-02-23 01:02:03
TIMESTAMP_WITH_TIME_ZONE Timestamp with timezone 2032-06-21 23:59:59 GMT
CLOB Character large object <long text>
JSON JSON data {"key":"value"}

13. Substitution Strings

Available in string values (with substitution):

Substitution Purpose Example
&F4A$PROCESS_ID. Current process ID 12345
&F4A$SUBFLOW_ID. Current subflow ID 67890
&F4A$STEP_KEY. Current step key Activity_123
&F4A$SCOPE. Current scope 0
&F4A$PROCESS_PRIORITY. Process priority 3
&F4A${varName}. Process variable substitution &F4A$MY_VAR.
&F4A$LOOP_COUNTER. Iterator loop counter 1, 2, 3
&F4A$TOTAL_INSTANCES. Total iterator instances 10
&F4A$ACTIVE_INSTANCES. Active iterator instances 5
&F4A$COMPLETED_INSTANCES. Completed instances 3
&F4A$TERMINATED_INSTANCES. Terminated instances 1

14. Bind Variables

Available in PL/SQL code (with bind):

Bind Variable Purpose Type
:F4A$PROCESS_ID Current process ID NUMBER
:F4A$SUBFLOW_ID Current subflow ID NUMBER
:F4A$STEP_KEY Current step key VARCHAR2
:F4A$SCOPE Current scope NUMBER
:F4A${varName} Process variable bind (type varies)
:F4A$LOOP_COUNTER Iterator loop counter NUMBER

15. Custom Extension Format

The <apex:customExtension> element is a development-team mechanism for prototyping new engine properties. Content must be a valid JSON structure. Properties introduced here are promoted to first-class apex:* schema elements before public release.

<apex:customExtension>
{
  "customProperty": "value",
  "nestedObject": {
    "key": "value"
  },
  "arrayProperty": ["item1", "item2"]
}
</apex:customExtension>

Usage contexts:

  • Process level
  • Any task/activity
  • Events (start, end, intermediate, boundary)
  • Gateways
  • SubProcesses
  • CallActivities
  • Lanes
  • SequenceFlows
  • Collaboration elements

16. Complete Namespace Declaration

For BPMN files using Flows for APEX extensions:

<bpmn:definitions 
  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
  xmlns:bpmn="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/MODEL"
  xmlns:bpmndi="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/DI"
  xmlns:apex="http://flowsforapex.com/bpmn"
  xmlns:dc="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DC"
  xmlns:di="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DI"
  id="Definitions_1"
  targetNamespace="http://bpmn.io/schema/b"
  exporter="Flows for APEX"
  exporterVersion="26.1">

Summary Statistics

  • Process-level attributes: 9
  • Process extension elements: 4 types
  • Task subtypes: 10
  • Event extension types: 8
  • Expression types: 11
  • Data types: 6
  • Iterator types: 2
  • Substitution variables: 11+
  • Total unique apex: elements: 80+
  • Total unique apex: attributes: 15+

Updated: