# Apply a Capability Pattern

When developing a process, it is not necessary to develop the process from scratch, adding descriptors one by one. You can reuse existing capability patterns or even capability pattern parts to individually customize the pattern's content to the particular situation for which it is applied. A capability pattern must be applied to one specific activity in a process. For more information see Capability Pattern.
There are two ways to apply a Capability Pattern: Copy and Extend.

Copy a capability pattern:

If a capability pattern is copied into a process, method content elements in the capability pattern are disconnected from the original. The capability pattern elements can be altered, deleted or changed as you want in the process editor without affecting the original method content elements. Method elements in a copied capability pattern appear in regular black font. To copy a capability pattern:

1. In the Configuration View, select a capability pattern or its parts that you want to copy into an activity in a process and drag the pattern or parts into the activity to which you want it to apply. To select multiple activities in a capability pattern, press the CTRL or SHIFT keys while you select.
2. In the pop-up box that appears, click Copy. The capability pattern name is displayed in black and is now available for you to edit.

Or,

1. In the process view, right click an activity, and then click Apply Pattern > Copy. The Select Dialog For Processes window appears.
2. Drill down into the process tree until you locate the capability pattern you want to copy.
3. Select the pattern, and then click OK. The Select Dialog For Processes window closes and the capability pattern is applied.

Extend a capability pattern:

If a capability pattern is extended into a process, method content elements in the Capability Pattern retain a connection to the original. Extended capability pattern elements cannot be deleted or modified and appear as read-only in a green-italic font. To extend a capability pattern:

1. In the Configuration View, select a capability pattern or its parts that you want to extend into an activity in a process and drag the pattern or parts into the activity to which you want it to apply. To select multiple activities in a capability pattern, press the CTRL or SHIFT keys while you select.
2. In the pop-up box that appears, click Extend. The capability pattern name is displayed in green, which indicates it is part of a process defined elsewhere.

Or,

1. In the process view, right click an activity and then click Apply Pattern > Extend. The Select Dialog For Processes window appears.
2. Drill down into the process tree until you locate the capability pattern you want to extend.
3. Select the pattern, and then click OK. The Select Dialog For Processes window closes and the capability pattern is applied.

Note: If you do not want a specific activity or task in the capability pattern to be included in your process you can suppress it. The activity or task will not appear in the published process or be exported to a project planning tool. To suppress a process element, right click the element and then select Suppress. The element appears grayed out in the process view.
To add elements to an activity in an extended capability pattern:

1. Find the activity's parent element. If this element is a not a local element that appears in green italic font, then you need create a contribution to this parent first. If the parent's parent is not local, also appearing in green italic font, then you need to create a contribution to the parent first, and so on.
2. To create a contribution to an extended activity, right click the extended activity and then click Contribute. The activity becomes local and appears in a standard black font. Do this with all parent elements, top-down, until you reach the activity to which you want to apply the element. Once you click Contribute, the activity becomes local and is presented in standard black font.

For more information see Contributes.
Related concepts
Capability Pattern
Replaces
Process
Related tasks
Create a Reusable Capability Pattern