This Interaction element, which is also called a subInteraction, allows the designer to embed a reference to another Interaction from within the current Interaction. This means that Interaction applications can be constructed as infrastructure components and reused by other Interaction applications. For example, an Interaction for retrieving customer contact information could be created, and then reused by other Interactions.

This feature adds the concept of component-based design to Interaction application architecture. It also facilitates simplification of Interactions. Instead of creating a large,overarching single Interaction application, designers could extract out areas of responsibility and create multiple Interactions representing each key functional area. This would promote reuse and shared processes, as well as help make Interactions easier to read and understand.

Variables can be passed in and out of Interaction References, allowing for shared data and multiple exit points. A parent Interaction (the Interaction application with the reference to the subInteraction) can have different flows and different outcomes for users, according to how they pass through a subInteraction.

Since Interaction References are simply a reference to another Interaction, they do not need to perform any specific tasks. Should subInteractions change, it is not always necessary for parent Interactions to change. The only time that this would be required is when a start or exit point to/from a subInteraction is removed, or their types are changed. If this happens, the parent Interaction will lose its connection elements to/from the subInteraction, and new connections need to be drawn.

When an Interaction Reference is defined using the Insert function, it is mandatory to specify Entry Points and Exit Points. (Variables in and out can be defined if desired.) An Entry Point is the Start element in the subInteraction that is to be connected from the parent Interaction. Once the subInteraction is defined, this is usually automatically assigned in the dialog. An Exit Point is one or more exit elements from the subInteraction from which the flow can be passed back to the parent Interaction.

These must be defined by selecting one or more from the listed elements. Once this has been done connectors can be drawn from the parent Interaction to the icon representing the subInteraction, and back out again. The green icon on the left hand side of the subInteraction is the start element – draw a connector to it from the parent Interaction. The one or more pink icons on the right hand side of the subInteraction represent exit points – draw connectors from each element defined to parent Interaction elements.