Patent ID: 7472379

Claim:
A data processing method for running a workflow application in a data processing system, the method comprising: running a workflow application, comprising a plurality of components, each component performing a defined function, the component being arranged to form a graph, wherein a component which comprises at least one other component is a process and wherein the graph comprises a plurality of processes; interpreting the graph wherein at least two of said plurality of processes are interpreted by one of a plurality of navigation engines according to different respective sets of rules allowing reuse of said plurality of said components; wherein the graph is interpreted by a plurality of navigation engines each implementing a different set of rules and the method further comprises the step of: selecting which navigation engine is to be used to interpret a given process; reading the details of a navigation engine, to be used to execute a given process, from a data file associated with the given process; calling the navigation engine to interpret the process; and wherein one set of rules specifies that each component in a process is started successively, the next component not being started until the previous component has stopped, wherein the order in which components are started is defined in the graph of the process.