Calling Workflows dynamically at runtime instead of explicitly selecting at design time

Dynamic Runtime Workflow Invocation

Hi Team,

It would be valuable to have an option in Mendix to invoke a workflow dynamically at runtime instead of explicitly selecting and binding a specific workflow at design time.

As applications are increasingly adopting workflows at a larger scale, we often have scenarios where the workflow to be executed depends on business configuration, application context, user selection, or other runtime conditions. Currently, explicitly selecting the workflow at design time can make the implementation less flexible and can result in additional conditional logic when multiple workflows need to be supported.

Proposed Feature

I would suggest introducing a mechanism where a workflow can be identified and invoked dynamically at runtime using a workflow reference, workflow name/identifier, or another suitable runtime-resolvable mechanism.

For example:

• Maintain a configuration that maps a business process/type to the corresponding workflow.
• At runtime, determine which workflow needs to be executed based on the configuration or business conditions.
• Pass the workflow identifier/reference to a generic action or activity that starts the selected workflow.
• Allow the same application logic to support multiple workflows without requiring changes to the model every time a workflow is added or replaced.

Example Use Case

Consider an application that handles different types of claims in an insurance domain. The workflow may vary depending on the claim type, such as:

• Standard Claim → Standard Claim Workflow
• High-Value Claim → High-Value Claim Workflow
• Fraud Suspected → Fraud Investigation Workflow

Instead of implementing separate decision branches and explicitly selecting each workflow at design time, the application could determine the appropriate workflow from configuration and invoke it dynamically at runtime.

Benefits

This capability could provide several advantages:

• Greater flexibility in workflow-driven applications.
• Reduced dependency on design-time workflow selection.
• Easier configuration-driven business processes.
• Better reusability of microflows and workflow invocation logic.
• Simplified maintenance when workflows are added, replaced, or versioned.
• Enables applications to scale to multiple business processes and workflows without increasing conditional logic.
• Supports more dynamic and configurable enterprise applications.

As workflow adoption continues to grow in Mendix applications, having a runtime workflow invocation mechanism could make workflow implementations significantly more flexible and scalable, particularly for enterprise applications with configurable business processes.

I believe this would be a valuable addition to the Mendix platform and would enable developers to build more dynamic, configuration-driven workflow solutions.