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Language, style, and table review (Event Sub-Processes)
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‎content/en/docs/refguide/modeling/application-logic/workflows/event-sub-processes.md‎

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## Introduction
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An event sub-process is a separate execution flow that is not part of the normal sequence flow of its workflow. It resides inside the workflow and starts executing upon receiving a specific trigger.
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It is crucial to understand that an event sub-process is part of the same workflow instance. It is not a "separate" workflow; rather, a single workflow instance can contain multiple concurrent processes.
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An event sub-process is a separate execution flow that is not part of the normal sequence flow of a workflow. It resides inside the workflow and starts executing upon receiving a specific trigger. It is crucial to understand that an event sub-process is part of the same workflow instance. It is not a separate workflow but a single workflow instance that can contain multiple concurrent processes.
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Below is an example of what an event sub-process looks like:
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Below is an example of an event sub-process, shown inside the dashed rectangle:
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{{< figure src="/attachments/refguide/modeling/application-logic/workflows/event-sub-processes/event-sub-process-example.png" alt="Event sub-process example" width="400" >}}
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### When to Use Event Sub-Processes
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An event sub-process is like a boundary event, with the exception that an event sub-process can start at any time, whereas a boundary event can start only while the activity it is attached to is active.
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Choosing between a boundary event and an event sub-process is a common architectural crossroads.
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An event sub-process is similar to a [boundary event](/refguide/workflow-boundary-events/), with the exception that an event sub-process can start at any time, whereas a boundary event can start only while the activity it is attached to is active. Choosing between a boundary event and an event sub-process is a common architectural crossroads.
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#### Ideal Use Cases
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Event sub-processes are particularly useful in the following scenarios:
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* **Global exception handling** – Handling errors or cancellations that could occur at any point during the workflow execution.
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* **Isolated logic** – Complex steps triggered by a specific event (for example, "Change of Address") without cluttering the main flow.
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* **Isolated logic** – Handling complex steps triggered by a specific event (for example, "Change of Address") without cluttering the main flow.
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* **Inline updates** – Updating data in a long-running process without interrupting the primary state of the workflow.
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#### When Not to Use Event Sub-Processes
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### When Not to Use Event Sub-Processes
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* **Sequential logic** – If the logic must happen after a specific task, use a standard sequence flow.
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* **Conditional logic based on activity state** – You may want to execute a flow only if a certain condition is met while a specific activity is active. A boundary event should be used here because it is triggered only if the activity it is attached to is active.
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#### Lifecycle
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The event sub-process is initialized (but not started) as soon as the main process starts and remains in a waiting state until a notification is received.
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An event sub-process is initialized (but not started) as soon as the main process starts and remains in a waiting state until a notification is received.
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{{% alert color="info" %}}
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A workflow instance remains **In Progress** as long as at least one of the following conditions is met:
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A workflow instance remains **In Progress** as long as at least ONE of the following conditions is met:
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* The main process path has not yet reached its end event.
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* Any event sub-process that was started has not yet reached its end event.
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#### Triggers and Notifications
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Event sub-processes are triggered by a **Notify workflow** microflow activity. When the trigger is received, the sub-process becomes **In Progress**.
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Event sub-processes are triggered by a [Notify workflow](/refguide/notify-workflow/) microflow activity. When the trigger is received, the sub-process becomes **In Progress**.
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#### Interrupting vs. Non-Interrupting
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Event sub-processes can be configured as either interrupting or non-interrupting, depending on how they interact with the main process flow.
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* **Interrupting (solid line)** – Immediately cancels the main process flow.
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* **Non-Interrupting (dashed line)** – Runs in parallel with the main flow.
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#### Concurrency Limitation
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Mendix Workflows currently support a **single concurrent instance** per defined event sub-process. If a non-interrupting event sub-process is already active, subsequent attempts to trigger that same sub-process via the **Notify workflow** activity will return `false`. No new instances will be created for that specific sub-process while one is **In Progress**. A new instance can only be initiated once the active sub-process has completed its execution path.
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Mendix workflows currently support a **single concurrent instance** per defined event sub-process. If a non-interrupting event sub-process is already active, subsequent attempts to trigger that same sub-process via the **Notify workflow** activity will return `false`. No new instances will be created for that specific sub-process while one is **In Progress**. A new instance can only be initiated once the active sub-process has completed its execution path.
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If your workflow has multiple, distinct event sub-processes defined (for example, one for "Address Change" and one for "Document Upload"), each one can have its own active instance simultaneously. One being active does not prevent a different one from being triggered.
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The following table outlines how top-level workflow operations and system states affect any event sub-process that is currently **In Progress**:
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| Event or Operation | Effect on Event Sub-Process | System Behavior |
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|---------------------------|-----------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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| Abort Workflow | Aborted | The sub-process is permanently stopped and cannot be re-notified. |
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| Restart Workflow | Aborted & Reset | The active sub-process instance is aborted. It returns to a waiting state and can be notified again. |
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| Pause Workflow | Execution Halted | Execution of the sub-process halts immediately. Logic resumes from the same point once the workflow is Unpaused. |
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| Workflow Incompatible | Execution Halted | The sub-process is "frozen" due to a version conflict. Execution resumes from the current point once the conflict is Resolved. |
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| Error Inside Sub-process | Failed | The sub-process activity enters a Failed state. After the issue is fixed and the workflow is Retried, the sub-process resumes from the failed activity. |
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| Error Outside Sub-process | Execution Halted | If a failure occurs elsewhere in the workflow, the healthy sub-process stops processing. It resumes once the error is fixed and the workflow is Retried. |
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| Event or Operation | Effect on Event Sub-Process | System Behavior |
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| --- | --- | --- |
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| Abort Workflow | Aborted | The sub-process is permanently stopped and cannot be re-notified. |
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| Restart Workflow | Aborted and Reset | The active sub-process instance is aborted. It returns to a waiting state and can be notified again. |
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| Pause Workflow | Execution Halted | Execution of the sub-process halts immediately. Logic resumes from the same point once the workflow is Unpaused. |
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| Workflow Incompatible | Execution Halted | The sub-process is "frozen" due to a version conflict. Execution resumes from the current point once the conflict is Resolved. |
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| Error Inside Sub-process | Failed | The sub-process activity enters a Failed state. After the issue is fixed and the workflow is Retried, the sub-process resumes from the failed activity. |
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| Error Outside Sub-process | Execution Halted | If a failure occurs elsewhere in the workflow, the healthy sub-process stops processing. It resumes once the error is fixed and the workflow is Retried. |
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## Jump Rules
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#### Associations
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| Association | Parent Entity | Description |
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|-----------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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| `WorkflowSubProcessDefinition_WorkflowDefinition` | `WorkflowSubProcessDefinition` | Link to the parent workflow definition. |
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| `WorkflowUserTaskDefinition_WorkflowSubProcessDefinition` | `WorkflowUserTaskDefinition` | Links user task definitions to their containing sub-process definition. |
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| `WorkflowActivityRecord_WorkflowSubProcessDefinition` | `WorkflowActivityRecord` | Links historical activity records to the sub-process definition. |
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| Association | Parent Entity | Description |
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| --- | --- | --- |
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| `WorkflowSubProcessDefinition_WorkflowDefinition` | `WorkflowSubProcessDefinition` | Links to the parent workflow definition. |
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| `WorkflowUserTaskDefinition_WorkflowSubProcessDefinition` | `WorkflowUserTaskDefinition` | Links user task definitions to their containing sub-process definition. |
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| `WorkflowActivityRecord_WorkflowSubProcessDefinition` | `WorkflowActivityRecord` | Links historical activity records to the sub-process definition. |
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### WorkflowSubProcess
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#### Attributes
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| Attribute | Type | Description |
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|-------------|--------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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| `Caption` | String | The caption of the sub-process instance. |
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| `StartTime` | DateTime | The timestamp when execution began. This is set by the engine and is read-only. |
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| `EndTime` | DateTime | The timestamp when execution ended (either through completion or failure). This is set by the engine and is read-only. |
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| `State` | Enumeration | The current lifecycle state of the sub-process instance (see [WorkflowSubProcessState](#workflowsubprocessstate-enumeration)). |
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| `Reason` | String (Unlimited) | A technical description providing context for the current state (e.g., error details). |
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| Attribute | Type | Description |
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| --- | --- | --- |
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| `Caption` | String | The caption of the sub-process instance. |
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| `StartTime` | DateTime | The timestamp when execution begins. This is set by the Engine and is read-only. |
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| `EndTime` | DateTime | The timestamp when execution ends (either through completion or failure). This is set by the Engine and is read-only. |
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| `State` | Enumeration | The current lifecycle state of the sub-process instance (see [WorkflowSubProcessState](#workflowsubprocessstate-enumeration)). |
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| `Reason` | String (Unlimited) | A technical description providing context for the current state (for example, error details). |
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#### Associations
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| Association | Parent Entity | Description |
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|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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| `WorkflowSubProcess_WorkflowSubProcessDefinition` | `WorkflowSubProcess` | The association to the underlying definition for this instance. |
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| `WorkflowSubProcess_Workflow` | `WorkflowSubProcess` | The association to the parent workflow instance. |
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| `WorkflowUserTask_WorkflowSubProcess` | `WorkflowUserTask` | The association to active user tasks within this sub-process instance. |
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| `WorkflowEndedUserTask_WorkflowSubProcess` | `WorkflowEndedUserTask` | The association to completed or ended user tasks within this instance. |
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| `WorkflowActivityRecord_WorkflowSubProcess` | `WorkflowActivityRecord` | The association to the historical execution records for this instance. |
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| `WorkflowCurrentActivity_WorkflowSubProcess` | `WorkflowCurrentActivity` | The association to the activities currently being executed in this sub-process (see [Jump to](/refguide/jump-to/). |
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| Association | Parent Entity | Description |
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| --- | --- | --- |
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| `WorkflowSubProcess_WorkflowSubProcessDefinition` | `WorkflowSubProcess` | The association to the underlying definition for this instance. |
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| `WorkflowSubProcess_Workflow` | `WorkflowSubProcess` | The association to the parent workflow instance. |
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| `WorkflowUserTask_WorkflowSubProcess` | `WorkflowUserTask` | The association to active user tasks within this sub-process instance. |
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| `WorkflowEndedUserTask_WorkflowSubProcess` | `WorkflowEndedUserTask` | The association to completed or ended user tasks within this instance. |
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| `WorkflowActivityRecord_WorkflowSubProcess` | `WorkflowActivityRecord` | The association to the historical execution records for this instance. |
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| `WorkflowCurrentActivity_WorkflowSubProcess` | `WorkflowCurrentActivity` | The association to the activities currently being executed in this sub-process (see [Jump to](/refguide/jump-to/)). |
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### WorkflowSubProcessState (Enumeration)
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The `WorkflowSubProcessState` enumeration defines the possible lifecycle phases of a sub-process instance:
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| Caption | Name | Description |
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| In progress | `InProgress` | The sub-process has been triggered and is currently executing. |
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| Aborted | `Aborted` | Execution was terminated, either because the parent workflow was aborted or due to an interrupting event. |
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| Failed | `Failed` | Execution ended unsuccessfully because an activity within the sub-process encountered an error. |
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| Completed | `Completed` | The sub-process reached its end event and finished successfully. |
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| Caption | Name | Description |
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| --- | --- | --- |
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| In progress | `InProgress` | The sub-process has been triggered and is currently executing. |
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| Aborted | `Aborted` | Execution was terminated, either because the parent workflow was aborted or due to an interrupting event. |
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| Failed | `Failed` | Execution ended unsuccessfully because an activity within the sub-process encountered an error. |
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| Completed | `Completed` | The sub-process reached its end event and finished successfully. |
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## Read more
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