Free cookie consent management tool by TermsFeed User Contexts for Expressions [Appian Expressions]
User Contexts for Expressions

The user context taken by expressions (and certain logic executed behind-the-scenes) can encounter user-rights issues when the system is attempting to derive information at runtime. For example: if a process is initiated by a certain user who does not have sufficient rights to access a resource requested by an activity input, that activity may encounter an exception that halts process execution.

  • When an activity is run in unattended mode, you have the option of using the user context of the process designer or the process initiator.
  • If the activity is attended, you can opt to run the activity in a subprocess that takes its user context from the parent process designer.

The following contexts are used for derived items.

Evaluated Logic User Context
Node name Initiator
Node deadline Attended: initiator
Unattended: initiator or designer (as configured)
Node paused by exception notification Attended: initiator
Unattended: initiator or designer (as configured)
Form element Initiator
Form element refresh If non-SAIL form, initiator; if interface, task owner if accepted, otherwise current task viewer
Activity input Attended: If non-SAIL form, initiator; if interface, task owner if accepted, otherwise current task viewer
Unattended: initiator or designer (It takes the configured context for primary activities. The programmed smart service context is used for other activities.)
Activity input refresh Attended: If non-SAIL form, task owner if accepted, otherwise initiator (first time task is clicked on, it's initiator); If interface, task owner if accepted, otherwise current task viewer
Unattended: initiator or designer (as configured)
Note: If you re-run the expression as task owner and an error occurs, the existing value (run as Initiator) remains.
Activity output Attended: task owner
Unattended: initiator or designer (as configured)
Gateway condition Initiator
Parallel spawned node output behavior Initiator
Number of node instances to spawn Initiator
Receive message output expression Initiator
Receive message filtering Initiator
Timer absolute start time Initiator
Timer relative start time Initiator
Timer filtering Initiator
Timer timezone configuration Initiator
Timer recurrence configuration Initiator
Timer recurrence end time Initiator
Timer recurrence end condition Initiator
Process paused by exception notification Initiator
Process name Initiator
Process deadline Initiator
Process variable defined using an expression Initiator
Rule evaluation Initiator
Message start event process variable evaluation UserName property from message
Timer start event process variable evaluation Process model owner. If null, then designer.

User Contexts for Expressions

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