Add process applications feature

[philippfromme]

Proposed Changes

Backend

• adds file-context feature
  • all open files are added to file context
  • metadata is extracted from every supported file type (.bpmn, .dmn, .form, .process-application)
  • process application is opened/closed automatically if opened/closed file is part of process application
  • opening process application watches process application directory

Frontend

• ProcessApplications feature to open and close process applications automatically
• new application menu entry to create process application
  • choose directory, empty .process-application file will be created

• new (➕) entry to create process application
• works the same as new application menu entry

• new button in status bar that is shown when open file is part of process application

• new overlay that shows all files that are part of same process application as open file

• different tab header for files that are part of process application

Try it out

I've added an example process application: a354d21

Open any file in this directory to see the process application.

To run the Camunda Modeler try npm install && npm start

Follow-ups

• References feature to get reference from and to resources
• AutoCompletions feature to get autocompletions
• Branch: https://github.com/camunda/camunda-modeler/tree/references-autocompletions

Closes #4666
Closes #4675
Closes #4687
Related to #4676
Related to #4664

Checklist

To ensure you provided everything we need to look at your PR:

• Brief textual description of the changes present
• Visual demo attached
• Steps to try out present, i.e. using the @bpmn-io/sr tool
• Related issue linked via Closes {LINK_TO_ISSUE} or Related to {LINK_TO_ISSUE}

[nikku]

This will be used (again) once we support "endpoints" for deployment.

Why would we remove it here?

[nikku]

(Of course fine, if we consider to store the endpoints in a different place, once supported).

[philippfromme]

I removed it because it's not used at all at the moment and was probably meant to be removed. I would rather reintroduce it again in the context of adding a feature that requires it.

[nikku]

We just have to be aware that this is "the data model" that was previously used. We can remove it, but then we'll not remember the data model once we re-introduce an endpoints feature.

[nikku]

@philippfromme Please add "steps to try out" to this PR, so @lmbateman and others can give it a run (to understand the UX we propose).

[jarekdanielak]

Overall works fine on macOS! 👏

Perhaps if we can now create and open an application process, we could use an option to close it? Similar to close active/all/other tabs:

[philippfromme]

Perhaps if we can now create and open an application process, we could use an option to close it? Similar to close active/all/other tabs:

You mean Close process application would close all files belonging to the open process application? Interesting idea I haven't thought about. 🤔

[jarekdanielak]

You mean Close process application would close all files belonging to the open process application?

Exactly. 😊

[jarekdanielak]

When I try to deploy a file from a process application, the modeler just reloads.

Same thing happens when I save a file. Both only happens to files in a process application, the rest works normally.

Screen.Recording.2025-01-15.at.11.56.30.mov

[philippfromme]

When I try to deploy a file from a process application, the modeler just reloads.

Same thing happens when I save a file. Both only happens to files in a process application, the rest works normally.

Screen.Recording.2025-01-15.at.11.56.30.mov

This happens becasue the modeler reloads when something in resources changes. 🙈 Opening a process application outside will prevent this.

[barmac]

I've added the bpmn/dmn-moddle libraries to the app so that a built application can run: 70f0555

[barmac]

I'll try to help with this one.

[barmac]

@philippfromme were you able to run a local build of this? So the one from npm run build.

On my machine, the build job results in the source code of dmn-moddle being included in the asar. This is not coming from node_modules where the package is installed correctly.

To verify the build, besides running the app, you can execute this command for MacOS:
npx asar list dist/mac-arm64/Camunda\ Modeler.app/Contents/Resources/app.asar | grep dmn-moddle
This should show dist in the list. Not sure how to do it on Windows.

[jarekdanielak]

Creating a variable on any task in BPMN model with Variables panel open (or opening it after) crashes.

Screen.Recording.2025-01-15.at.17.36.50.mov

[jarekdanielak]

@barmac I was able to successfully build locally and run the app. Hit me up if you want to test stuff.

[barmac]

OK so it seems to be my local configuration problem. It's not a blocker in that case.

[philippfromme]

Converted back to draft. Based on the discussion with @barmac I will make some changes to the implementation:

• try to make process applications (or at least its UI) a plugin
• add the ability for plugins to register actions instead of having to hard-code them in App.js
• try not to pollute the global state in App.js with state only relevant for process applications

Miro: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVPmTBc04=/?share_link_id=716131412171

[barmac]

@philippfromme Let's look into this today so that we can merge for the current release.

I checked out the UI today, and I think having "New process application" on top of Cmd+N menu is suboptimal, because this is the action that I'd rather not expect to happen that often. We create a process application once, and then add multiple diagrams.

[lmbateman]

I haven't had time to do a full review, but here are some initial thoughts/findings:

• When I select File > New Process Application and then select a folder, there’s no confirmation that my process application has been created. I wasn’t sure if it had been, so I tried File > New Process Application again and tried to select a file inside the folder, but they were all grayed out. I wasn’t sure if my process application had been created until I opened one of the files and saw the process application icon in the bottom left corner. I found this process a little confusing.
• Would it be helpful to have an Open All command in the popup that lists the process application files? (But I see it stays open even after I click on a filename, so maybe we don’t need Open All.)
• It might be helpful to have the folder name as the header in the popup, instead of “Process Application”.
• I made my Downloads folder a process application, and apparently the popup doesn’t scroll. :D