Token Simulation

Token simulation lets you play through a BPMN diagram before deploying it: tokens are animated along sequence flows so you can watch how the process behaves, where it branches, and where it waits.

Starting a Simulation

Toggle simulation mode with the token simulation switch on the modeler canvas. While simulation mode is active the diagram is read-only and the properties panel is hidden; toggling back returns to normal editing.

What You Can Do

• Start tokens at start events and watch them advance through the flow.
• Exclusive gateways: choose which outgoing sequence flow the token takes, and flip the selection to explore alternative paths.
• Parallel gateways: watch tokens fork and join, making concurrency visible.
• Events and subprocesses: trigger boundary events, timers and message catches to see how deviations and interruptions play out.
• Pause and reset the simulation at any time.

Why Use It

• Validate gateway conditions and joins before deployment — unbalanced forks/joins and dead paths become visible immediately.
• Walk stakeholders through the intended behavior of a process on a live diagram instead of a static picture.
• Reproduce and discuss edge cases (interrupting boundary events, escalation paths) without starting real process instances.

Token simulation is purely visual — it does not execute service tasks, evaluate real expressions, or touch the engine. For behavior that depends on data and expressions, deploy to a test engine and use the cockpit.