Exclusive (XOR) Gateway

This is the most common gateway and acts as a decision point where only one outgoing path can be taken, even if multiple conditions are met. Conditions are evaluated sequentially (top to bottom), and the first one that evaluates to true is executed.

1. Example: In an approval process, the flow goes to the "Approve" path if pv!approvalStatus is "Approved", or the "Reject" path if pv!approvalStatus is "Rejected". Only one can be selected for a given instance.

Inclusive (OR) Gateway

This gateway allows one or more outgoing paths to be followed simultaneously, based on the conditions set. Every path with a condition that evaluates to true is activated.

1. Icon: Diamond with a circle inside.
2. Example: A travel request process. After initial approval, the system checks: is a hotel needed? is a flight needed? is a rental_car needed? The process can then proceed down the "Book Hotel" path, the "Book Flight" path, or both, or neither, depending on what the user requested.

Parallel (AND) Gateway

This gateway is used to create parallel, concurrent paths in a process. It automatically activates all outgoing branches simultaneously, without evaluating any conditions.

1. Icon: Diamond with a plus sign ("+") inside.
2. Example: A new employee onboarding process. Once initiated, the process splits into parallel paths for "IT Provisioning" and "HR Onboarding Documentation". Both must be completed before the employee can start their first day. It is also used to join these paths later, waiting for all incoming flows to arrive before proceeding.

Complex Gateway

This is a sophisticated, highly customizable gateway used only when the standard gateways cannot handle the required logic. It allows for complex logic regarding which incoming paths are accepted and how outgoing paths are determined.

1. Icon: Diamond with an asterisk ("*") inside.
2. Example: In an insurance claim process that requires approvals from multiple departments, you might configure a complex gateway to proceed only when you have received at least two out of three possible incoming approvals from "Claims", "Finance", and "Legal". It provides granular control over synchronization and routing