BPMN Designer

Use the Flowset BPMN Designer to edit BPMN diagrams in IntelliJ IDEA. The BPMN Designer will appear when you open an existing .bpmn file. If you create a new diagram via Flowset Studio, it will open automatically in the Designer.

The BPMN designer interface consists of:

Canvas

Workspace for creating a process diagram.

BPMN Palette

(1)

The BPMN Palette provides a complete set of elements for building BPMN diagrams.

Process Actions

(2)

Panel of available actions for the process.

Editor Modes

(3)

Panel for selecting the view mode. Three view modes are available: XML only, XML and model, model only.

BPMN Inspector

(4)

The inspector panel displays the attributes of the selected element and allows editing them.

Visibility Button

(5)

Visibility toggle for the inspector.

BPMN Editor

The BPMN editor allows building processes directly in the IDE.

The feature to run the JCEF browser in a separate process was implemented in IntelliJ IDEA 2025.1+ to improve stability (so that browser issues do not affect the main IDEA process). However, currently, there are a number of unresolved problems that interfere with the JCEF browser’s operation.

Flowset Studio disables this option by default. This is a necessary measure for stable JCEF operation until JetBrains releases an appropriate patch. This option is available for editing in Settings: Language & Frameworks | Flowset → Enable JCEF in separate process.

Basic Operations

Add Element

Two methods:

Drag’n’drop a new element from the palette to the Canvas
Add an element after an existing one via the pop-up menu

Change Element Type

Select the element on the diagram (click on element)
Click the wrench icon in the pop-up menu
Select the new element type from the pop-up menu

Change Element Fill Color

Select the element on the diagram (click on element)
Click the paintbrush icon in the pop-up menu
Select the fill color

Delete Element

Select the element on the diagram (click on element)
Click the trash can icon in the pop-up menu

Properties Panel (BPMN Inspector)

The properties panel allows changing the parameters of the selected diagram element. If no element is selected, the process properties are displayed.

Search

(1)

Search for an attribute by name; clicking the icon shows a dropdown search history.

<empty> link

(2)

Opens a dialog for editing multi-line text. If text is already set, the first line is displayed as a link.

v (chevron down)

(3)

Opens a drop-down list of available options.

+ (plus)

(3), (4)

Opens a dialog for setting a property (Inputs, Outputs, Field injection, etc.) or a wizard for generating an element (Java Delegate, Execution Listeners, etc.)

> (chevron right)

(3)

Navigation to code.

Selecting User Form / DMN / Java Delegate from drop-down list

The BPMN Inspector allows selecting existing project forms, tables, and classes from the corresponding drop-down lists in the properties.

User Form

Select an element (e.g., a start event)
Set Form → Form type to Camunda form
Click in the Form → Form reference field
Select a form from the drop-down list

DMN

Select a Business Rule Task on the diagram
Set Implementation → Task Type to DMN
Click in the Implementation → Decision reference field
Select a DMN table from the drop-down list

Java Delegate

Select a Service Task on the process diagram
Set Implementation → Task Type to Java Class
Click in the Implementation → Class field
Select a Java Delegate from the dropdown list

Generating Task Listener / Execution Listener

Flowset Studio allows generating Task Listener and Execution Listener class templates.

Step 1. Select an element on the process diagram

Step 2. Click the + icon in the Execution Listeners or Task Listeners field (for User Task)

Task Listener

Execution Listener

new task listener wizard

new execution listener wizard

Step 3. Specify the value for the Event parameter:

Task Listener

Assignment

The event occurs when a task is assigned to a user or group. Used for sending notifications or logging the assignment.

Create

Generated after a task instance is created. Used for initializing variables, setting deadlines, or preparing data.

Complete

Called when a user completes a task. Intended for post-processing: updating data, starting the next process steps, or logging results.

Delete

Occurs when a task is deleted (e.g., when a process is interrupted). Used for releasing resources or canceling related actions.

Execution Listener

Start

Occurs when a process element starts (e.g., process start, activity, or transition). The listener performs variable initialization or logs the operation start.

End

Occurs when a process element ends (e.g., activity or process end). Used for cleaning up resources, committing results, or updating statuses.

Take

Activated when passing through a sequence flow (transition). Used for tracking the process execution path or validating transition conditions.

Step 4. Specify the type of Task Listener / Event Listener to generate:

Java class

Direct specification of a class implementing the ExecutionListener interface. The full class name must be available in the classpath. Used for complex logic requiring full Java code.

Expression

An expression to be executed when the event occurs. A DelegateTask object and the event name (using task.eventName) can be passed as parameters to the called object. Allows calling a bean method or accessing execution context data without creating a separate class. Example: ${myObject.callMethod(task, task.eventName)}

Delegate expression

A reference to a bean (e.g., a Spring Bean) implementing the ExecutionListener interface. Specified in the format ${beanName}. Provides easy dependency injection and logic reuse.

If the Expression type is selected, a field for entering the expression becomes available.

If the Java class or Delegate expression type is selected, the following actions are available:

Select an existing class from the drop-down list (v icon)
Create a new class (+ icon)

Clicking the + icon invokes the wizard for creating a new Execution Listener / Task Listener:

Class Name

Name of the generated class

Package

Package where the generated class will be placed

Clicking the OK button will create the class in the specified package, and the Listener Class field of the New Execution Listener (or New Task Listener) dialog will be filled.

Generating Java Delegate

The BPMN Inspector allows invoking the wizard for generating a Java Delegate class.

Select a Service Task on the diagram
Set Implementation → Task Type to Java Class
Click in the Class field to display the control elements
Click the + icon in the field to invoke the dialog for generating a Java Delegate class

Class Name

Name of the generated class

Package

Package where the generated class will be placed

Clicking the OK button will open the generated class in the code editor.

Deployment

The BPMN editor allows deploying the process to a remote Camunda/Operaton engine. To invoke the deployment wizard, click the rocket icon in the Editor Toolbar. A correctly configured connection to an external engine is required.

Deployment name

A unique name for identifying the deployment package. Allows easy finding and administration of a specific process version in the system.

Enable duplicate filtering

Filtering at the individual file level. Skips redeployment of unchanged resources (e.g., BPMN diagrams) within a deployment. Saves database space by preventing duplicate creation.

Deploy changed only

Filtering at the entire deployment package level. If no file in the deployment has changed, the operation is entirely ignored. Ensures idempotence, excluding unnecessary process version creations.

Deployment source

The source from which the deployment was initiated (e.g., 'Flowset Studio'). Used for auditing and tracking deployment origins.

Tenant ID

The tenant identifier for a multi-tenant architecture. Allows isolating processes and data for different clients or departments within a single Camunda cluster.