Validate a Lifecycle

Validation ensures that your lifecycle works correctly and doesn't create errors for your users.

Validation automatically checks the following for you every time you change your selection in the designer board, select Save or select OK:

That duplicate names for stages and statuses are not allowed - this is checked in real time and not on save.
That the lifecycle has no missing or invalid transitions.
That all routes allow transition to a final stage which has been defined.
That the final stage contains at least one status.
That the lifecycle has an initial status defined.
That all statuses are accessible in the lifecycle from one or more statuses.

Typical error messages include:

Incomplete Transition - You have a transition that doesn't have a destination.
Jump transition is not complete: [transition name] - There is no target set for a jump.
No final stage has been set - You need to mark a stage as final.
Status has no route to final stage: [status name] - A branch does not a route through to the final stage.
No status exists in the final stage - The final stage is set, but it doesn't have a status.
Transition [transition name] rule [rule name] expression is not logical - The transition rule has an expression associated with it that is not logical.
Transition [transition name] rule [rule name] expression does not exist - There is no expression in the transition rule.
Transition Status Control/Lifecycle Progress Indicator cannot be used with this Business Object - Error message occurring during Blueprint scanning when a form has one of the lifecycle controls on it but there is no lifecycle associated with that Business Object.

If you select OK and then select Yes to leave the Lifecycle Editor without saving the lifecycle, unsaved changes are abandoned and the lifecycle returns to the point where it was last successfully saved. This can be useful when you are building a big workflow that you are saving in stages and you realize you made a mistake; you can discard the most recent set of changes and carry on from a previously saved point.

When the Lifecycle Editor is closed, unassigned stages are automatically deleted.