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If you would like to see this Leave Absence Request Use Case in Slack in action, click here to watch the this video below.

General Description

This example shows the user how to use ProcessMaker I/O in combination with Slack. Both software programs provide the tools that allow the user to build effective processes while satisfying a variety of business needs. One of the added benefits of using ProcessMaker I/O with Slack is the ability to work directly from the Slack bot interface, meaning that the user only needs to work in one window rather than switching between windows.

Leave Absence Request Use case 

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Process Items

The tasks in the process are listed in the table below:

Forms

Since there are no forms because everything is accessed through Slack, we only need to define the fields that will house the data for each case.

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*ProcessMaker I/O is designed to be installed in the cloud, so in this document an instance refers to an installation of ProcessMaker in a virtual machine or a container.

If you don't have a ProcessMaker I/O instance yet, please:

1. Go to the Instance page.
2. Click Create an Instance and follow the instructions provided.

If you already have a ProcessMaker I/O instance, please:

1. Launch an instance of ProcessMaker I/O on the Instance page.
2. Copy/remember the instance URL link, these will be required later
   
3. Click on Form examples link
4. Switch to Slack tab on the top
5. Download Slack BPMN file  on your computer
6. Click on Import tab on the top left and upload BPMN file from your PC. 

How to Set Up a Slack Bot

• Create a Slack app

• • Go to https://api.slack.com/apps and click Create New App
  • Fill in the App Name field
  • Choose the Development Slack Team
  • Click on Create App

• Enable Interactive Messages
  • After creating an app, click Interactive Messages
  • Click on Enable Interactive Messages
  • On the next screen in the Request URL field, paste your instance link and add the process name and event action name. For example:
    • https://your-instance-url/api/v1/processes/Slack%20Action%20Receiver/events/Slack%20Response%20Received/webhook

The next step is important for creating interactive buttons in Slack Messages:

• Create a Slash Command

• • On the Basic Information page of your app, go to Add features and functionality > Slash Commands
  • Click Create New Command
  • Command: Fill in any name for the Slack command. In our example it's "absence_request".
  • Request URL: Enter the direct instance link. For example:
    • https://your-instance-url/api/v1/processes/Slack
    • https://your-instance-url/api/v1/processes/Requester/events/TimeOffRequest/webhook
  • Usage Hint: Define some parameters for your slash command. For example:
    • [fromDate m/d/Y]
    • [toDate m/d/Y]
  • Save all changes.

• Test the new slash command
  • Click on Install App
    

Go to Slack and run the command you've created:

• Activate the Slack Bot
  
  
  • On the Basic Information page of your app, go to Add features and functionality > Bots
  • Click Add a Bot User
  • Fill in the Default username field, for example: @Absence Request
  • Click on Add Bot User

The steps listed above are not required, but are useful for modifying communication between Slack and your ProcessMaker I/O instance. To follow along with our example, it is necessary to do these steps as listed.

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When your Slack bot is created and installed to your team, get a Slack bot token via the Oauth & Permissions tab, accessed under Features in the left menu.
In the Oauth Tokens & Redirect URLs section, click on Copy in the Bot User OAuth Access Token field to copy the Slack bot token to your clipboard.
In ProcessMaker I/O, go to the "Initiate SlackBot" service task and paste the bot token (bot tokens start with "xoxb") into the DataModel 'bot_token' variable.
e.g. $aData['bot_token']='xoxb-161650023927-8rz0xMGgrwsgbGUJj5lMaWiH';

How to Set Up a Channel Name for Approvers

In the "Initiate SlackBot" service task, define the channel name in the DataModel 'channel_name' variable.
e.g. $aData['channel_name']='#testprocess';
Your channel can be private, just create the appropriate permissions in Slack in advance.

Slack Connectors

There are 2 type of connectors available for integration with Slack services:

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