In the flow editor, nodes are represented by icons, which are connected by black pointed lines (called connections) that specify the path of execution.
The function of the first Invoke node
is to invoke another flow. The function
of the second Invoke node
is to Invoke an existing nonterminal CICS® application. The decoration at the
lower right of the icon for each Invoke node indicates the type of Invoke
node:
indicates
an Invoke flow node,
indicates an Invoke nonterminal application node. There are two other
types of Invoke node, an Invoke screen operation node (with the decoration
at the
lower right), which interacts with a terminal application screen, and an Invoke
outbound Web service node (with the decoration
), which invokes another Web service
(see Flow nodes).
Operation: A set of data that can be invoked to perform some action. An operation can be either a screen operation, which manages one screen of a terminal application and is stored in a screen operation file (see Working with screen operations files), or a nonterminal operation, which invokes a nonterminal application and is stored in a operation file (see Working with operations).
The flow editor associates messages with node input and output. A message is passed into the input terminal of a node in the flow or into the Receive node of a flow (Flow input message) and through the output terminal of the node or the Reply node of the flow (Flow output message). Messages applied to the Receive and Reply nodes carry input and output data to the whole flow and can come from different operations.