Workflow makes it possible to control the quality and accuracy of content items before they are published. A workflow consists of an ordered set of activities, each requiring approval by an assignee. When workflow is attached to a folder, content items in that folder submitted to workflow must be processed through this defined set of activities before being published.
This chapter provides an overview of Publisher workflow and includes the following topics:
Workflow is similar to a checklist of reviews and approvals. The basic building block of workflow is the workflow definition—also called, simply, a workflow—which is a defined, ordered set of approval steps called workflow activities. Each workflow activity in a workflow is assigned to a user or group of users. For example, to send out a press release announcing a new product line, your organization might need to take the following steps:
Marketing writes the press release.
The product line manager confirms that the facts are correct.
The legal department reviews it for legal accuracy.
An editor proofreads it.
The press contact gives it a final review, and if everything is ready, publishes the press release.
Your workflow definition would include a workflow activity for each of these steps, with a user or group of users assigned to each. When a content item is submitted to workflow, it is called a work item. When a work item is submitted or passed along to a workflow activity, the assigned users can do one of the following:
Approve the work item and send it on to the assignees for the next activity—and publish it if the item is publishable in that activity.
Reject it and send it back to the previous assignee.
Transfer or delegate the assignment to another user, if the workflow activity allows it.
Publisher workflow automatically moves the work item through each activity and notifies each responsible party when it is his or her turn to review or take action on the item.
You define workflows at the system level, but you implement them by attaching them to a Publisher folder. By default, a folder inherits the workflow properties of its parent folder, but users in the Administrator or Folder Administrator role can override this default and assign new workflow properties at any folder level.
Workflow administration involves the following tasks:
Assigning the Configure Workflow activity right to users who will define and manage workflows. Users in the portal Administrators group can assign this activity right.
Defining and managing workflows. This requires the Configure Workflow activity right.
Attaching workflow to Publisher folders. Users with the Administrator and Folder Administrator roles can attach workflow.
Users in lower-level roles and without the Configure Workflow activity right can perform the following tasks:
Setting up their email address for workflow notification in their portal user profile.
Submitting content items to workflow. Users in the Submitter role and above can submit workflow.
Approving and rejecting work items. Users in the Reader role and above can approve and reject work items. Users in the Editor role and above can approve and publish a content item if it is in a workflow activity that allows publishing.
Claiming, transferring, and delegating workflow assignments. Users in the Reader role and above can claim, transfer, and delegate workflow activities that they are assigned to.
Overriding workflow. Users in the Folder Administrator role and above can override workflow activities or remove a content item from workflow.
Viewing items in workflow by folder. Users in the Submitter role and above can view the items in workflow for the folders to which they have access.
Setting Up Workflow
This section discusses how to:
Assign the Configure Workflow activity right.
Set up workflow notifications.
Define and edit workflows.
Assigning the Configure Workflow Activity Right
The Configure Workflow activity right confers access to all workflow administrative functions. You should assign this activity right to users with the Administrator role. You can also delegate this right to users in other roles.
Workflow notification uses the e-mail address entered in the user’s profile in the portal. Depending on the access set up by the portal administrator, updating this email address can be either an administrative or end-user function.
For more information, see the Administrator Guide for AquaLogic Interaction.
Defining and Editing Workflows
In Publisher, workflows control the configuration and order of workflow activities. As a user with the Configure Workflow activity right, you can use the Workflow Editor to define any number of workflows with as many workflow activities as you want. All workflows that you define are available to be attached to any folder in the Publisher directory.
Note:
If you modify a workflow that is already attached to a folder, work items that are currently in workflow will continue to follow the workflow as it was defined when the item was first submitted. Only content items submitted to workflow after your modification will use the modified workflow.
When you define a workflow, you should be aware of the Publisher security assigned to the folders that the workflow will be attached to. Be sure that the users and groups you assign to a workflow activity have sufficient security access to perform the activity. For example, users whom you assign to a workflow activity that allows publishing must have a role that allows publishing (Editor or above) for any folder that uses the workflow.
Creating a Workflow
This section discusses how to:
Launch the Workflow Editor.
Use the Workflow Editor.
Launching the Workflow Editor
To launch the Workflow Editor:
In the Publisher Administration portlet, click Workflow Administration to open the Workflow Administration page. (This link is available only to users with the Configure Workflow activity right.)
Click New Workflow to launch the Workflow Editor.
You can also define a new workflow by copying an existing definition on the Workflow Administration page:
Choose the check box next to the workflow that you want to copy.
Click Copy to launch the Workflow Editor.
Using the Workflow Editor
To define workflow and set the order of workflow activities:
Enter a Name and Description of the workflow.
The name and description appear on the Folder Workflow Properties page, where you attach workflow to folders; the Workflow Assignment page, where assignees can view assignment details; and the Workflow Administration page. Use a name and description that make clear what the workflow is used for. For example, you might want to mention if the workflow was created for a particular folder.
Select whether or not to Enable the workflow. Only enabled workflows can be attached to a Publisher folder.
To add an activity to workflow, click New Activity under Activity List. The new activity appears in the activity list, and the fields in the Activity Properties area become available for defining the properties of the new activity.
If you are copying or editing an existing workflow, all existing activities appear in the activity list. Click on the activity name to make it available for editing in the Activity Properties area.
Note:
The system automatically creates a first activity called Start, which is assigned to the user who submits the item to workflow. Work items enter this activity only if the assignee for the next activity rejects the item and sends it back to the submitter. You cannot assign a user to this activity or move it.
In the Activity Properties area, define each workflow activity:
Enter an Activity Name and Description.
The name and description appear on the Workflow Assignments page, where assignees handle workflow items, and also appear on the description page that you access from the Folder Workflow Properties page. The name appears on all of the intrinsic Publisher portlets that include workflow information. Use a name that makes clear what needs to be done during this activity and a description that makes clear what the activity is for.
Assign users to the workflow activity by clicking Add Assignees.
Assigning an individual or a group to an activity restricts access to work items in that activity as long as they remain in that activity. All activities in a workflow must have assignees in order for that workflow to be available for attachment to a Publisher folder. Although users in the Editor role and above can edit a content item at any time, Contributors and Submitters cannot edit a content item unless they are assigned to the current activity as individuals or members of a group.
Caution:
Assignees must have the proper security access for any folders to which you attach the workflow.
You can assign the activity to the initiator by clicking Assign Initiator. If users have already been assigned to the activity, the Add Assignees field label changes to Add/Change Assignees. In that case, a Remove All link also appears, enabling you to delete all assignees from the activity.
To enable users in the Editor role or higher to publish a content item when it is in the activity, select the Publishable check box.
To enable users to delegate this activity to another user, select the Allow Delegation check box. Delegation enables users to reassign an activity to another user, while retaining the ability to claim and handle the activity themselves.
To enable users to transfer this activity to another user, select the Allow Transfer check box. Transferring, unlike delegation, enables a user to reassign a workflow activity to another user without retaining the ability to handle the activity themselves.
To move an activity up or down in the order of workflow, click the up and down buttons on the far right column in the Activity List.
Attaching Workflow to Folders
To implement workflow, a user in the Administrator or Folder Administrator role must attach workflow to a Publisher folder. Lower-level folders inherit the workflow of the parent folder by default; an Administrator or Folder Administrator can override this inheritance and attach the workflow of their choice.
To attach workflow to a Publisher folder or to change the workflow that is attached to a folder:
Access the Folder Workflow Properties page. You can do this in a number of ways:
In Publisher Explorer, right-click the folder and click Workflow.
In the Configure Portlet Wizard or the Configure Portlet Template Wizard, click the Workflow button.
On the Folder Workflow Properties page, you can do the following:
If you want the folder to inherit the workflow from the next folder up in the hierarchy, select the Inherit Workflow settings from parent folder check box. This is the default selection.
If you want to attach workflow to a top-level folder or attach workflow other than the parent folder’s workflow to a lower-level folder, clear the Inherit Workflow settings from parent folder check box. This enables you to select workflow for the folder.
To add workflow to a folder that has none attached, click Select. This opens the Choose a Workflow dialog box.
To change the workflow that is attached to a folder, click Change. This opens the Choose a Workflow dialog box.
To remove workflow from a folder, click Remove.
To view a description and list of workflow activities in a workflow, click the workflow name.
The Choose a Workflow dialog box lists the enabled workflows. To choose a workflow to attach to a folder:
Click the radio button next to the workflow name.
Click OK to return to the Folder Workflow Properties page, where the new workflow will now appear.
Note:
If the folder security settings are not consistent with the assignments included in the workflow, a warning appears on the Folder Workflow Properties page, along with a list of the workflow assignees that do not have adequate permissions for the folder.
You can choose to make content items in this folder publishable if they are not submitted to workflow. To do so, select Allow content items not in workflow to be published. If you clear this option, content items in the folder can only be published if they are submitted to workflow and reach a publishable workflow activity.
Click Finish.
Handling Workflow
When you have created a content item that is ready for review, you submit it for approval and the system notifies the assignees for the first workflow activity. When you open a content item assigned to you, you can approve the item and advance it to the next workflow activity, you can reject the item and return it to a previous workflow activity, or you can transfer or delegate the assignment to another user. If more than one user is assigned to a workflow activity, you can claim the assignment and remove it from the other assignees’ worklist before you approve it. Users in the Contributor role or above can override any workflow activity.
The workflow feature enables you to submit, approve, reject, transfer, or delegate a work item directly from the Content Item Editor. It also provides a Workflow Assignment page to provide detailed information about an assignment, along with a set of worklist portlets that enable you to find, view, and handle your current workflow assignments, as well as find and view other users’ assignments. These portlets include:
Publisher Work List Portlet:
View details about your current, delegated, and completed assignments, along with the work items you submitted.
Approve or reject a work item.
Transfer, delegate, or claim (take ownership of the assignment if there are multiple assignees for an activity) a current workflow assignment.
Open Content Item Editor to edit the content item.
Preview the content item.
Open the Workflow Assignment page to view assignment details.
Content Items in Workflow portlet:
View all items in workflow in a Publisher folder, including workflow activity, assignee, and due date.
Check an item out, open Content Editor to edit it, or view the Workflow Assignments page for the item.
Set portlet display preferences, including the folders you want to view. Only folders to which you have Submitter access or above are available for viewing.
Most Recently Used Content portlet:
View the content items that you have accessed most recently, along with any workflow activity an item is in and its assignee.
Check an item in and out and open Content Item Editor to edit it.
This section discusses how to:
Submit a content item to workflow.
Approve, reject, transfer, claim, and delegate a work item or assignment.
View workflow assignment details.
Override workflow.
View workflow items by Publisher folder.
Submitting a Content Item to Workflow
Once you have created a content item and it is ready for review, you submit it to workflow, directly from the Content Item Editor.
To submit a content item to workflow (Contributors and above):
In the Content Editor, click the Submit for Approval button to access the Submit for Approval page.
On the Submit for Approval page, all fields are optional; you can do the following:
Enter a name for the workflow item in the Subject field. This name appears in the Worklist Portlet and on the Workflow Assignment page, above the content item name. If you do not enter a name in the Subject field, only the content item name appears.
Enter any Workflow Comments that the workflow assignees should see. If the item is checked out, the system also uses these comments as the check-in comments.
Enter a Due Date and time.
Enter a Priority.
View the Next Activity in the workflow.
View the assignees for the next activity in the Next Assignment field. If a group or more than one user is assigned to the activity, you can click Select One to select a specific assignee.
Whether or not you enter any of the above information, the content item is submitted to the assignee or assignees for the next workflow activity when you click Finish.
If you submit a content item to workflow using the Submitter view of the Content Item Editor, the process is slightly different. A Submit button appears in the upper right-hand corner of the editor instead of the Submit for Approval button. When the Submitter clicks Submit, the content item is automatically submitted to the first workflow activity in the workflow. The user does not see the Submit for Approval page, and cannot enter comments, a due date, or priority. The default priority for content submitted by Submitters is Normal.
Approving, Rejecting, Transferring, Claiming and Delegating
If you are assigned an item in workflow, you can approve, reject, claim, unclaim, transfer, or delegate it. There are two components that enable you to do this:
Handling Work Items Using the Publisher Work List Portlet
The Publisher Work List Portlet is a workflow “inbox” that provides multiple views of workflow items that you have submitted, are assigned, have delegated, or have completed. You can access the Content Item Editor and Workflow Assignment page for any item that appears in your Publisher Work List Portlet, or you can approve, reject, claim, undo a claim, transfer, or delegate a work item directly from the portlet.
Selecting Publisher Work List Portlet Views
The Publisher Work List Portlet provides four views of workflow assignments, which you can select from the View drop-down list:
Current Assignments: displays all open activities assigned to you, including the following:
An icon indicating whether you are the sole assigned user for the activity or are one among many eligible assignees. You can click on this icon to access the Workflow Assignment page.
The assignee for the previous workflow activity (From). If the activity is the first in the workflow process, this is the user who submitted the item.
The date the workflow item entered your inbox (Received On).
The Due Date that the item must complete workflow.
The priority.
Delegated Assignments: displays all open assignments that you have delegated to other assignees, including the following:
An icon indicating whether there is a single delegated assignee for the activity or there are many eligible assignees. You can click on the icon to access the Workflow Assignment page.
The user or users you delegated the activity to (Assigned To).
The date the workflow item entered your inbox (Received On).
The Due Date that the item must complete workflow.
The priority.
Completed Assignments: displays all work items assigned to you that you have approved or rejected, including the following:
An icon that enables you to access the Workflow Assignment page.
The current activity and the current assignee. The current activity appears in the Workflow column, and the current assignee appears in the Assigned To column.
The name of the activity you completed and the date you completed it, which appear in the Completed Activity.
The Due Date that the item must complete workflow.
The priority.
Submitted Assignments: displays all items that you submitted to workflow, including the following:
The current activity and the current assignee. The current activity appears in the Workflow column; the current assignee appears in the Assigned To column.
The Submitted Date.
The Due Date that the item must complete workflow.
The priority.
In all of the above views, you can click on the item name to preview it and the content item icon to edit it in Content Item Editor. Assignments that are incomplete past their due date appear in red.
Approving Items Using the Publisher Work List Portlet
To approve work items using the Publisher Work List Portlet:
Access the Publisher Work List Portlet in the Current Assignments view or the Delegated Assignments view.
Note:
You can claim and handle any workflow assignment that is assigned to you or that you have delegated.
Select the work item or items that you want to approve by clicking the check box next to the activity.
Click the Approve button to open the Approve page.
Note:
If an activity is assigned to multiple users, you make an implicit claim on that assignment when you select it and click Approve. You will remain the sole assignee for the activity.
If you want to enter an explanation of the approval or other comment for the next activity assignee, enter it in the Workflow Comments edit box. These comments will appear in the Publisher Work List Portlet for the next activity assignee and on the Workflow Assignment page. They also appear as the check-in comment.
Select whether or not to Publish the content item upon approval. This option is available only if the workflow activity allows publishing.
If there is more than one user assigned to the next activity, you can click Select One to assign the next activity to one user.
Note:
The option to select a single assignee is not available if you have selected multiple activities for simultaneous approval.
Click OK. A dialog appears, confirming that the item has been approved. This dialog displays the work item and—if there are more activities in the workflow—the next activity and the next assignee or assignees. If there are more activities in the workflow, the item progresses to the next activity and appears in the Publisher Work List of that activity’s assignees.
Note:
You can also check the status of the work item by using the Completed Assignments view in your Publisher Work List Portlet.
Rejecting Items Using the Publisher Work List Portlet
To reject work items using the Publisher Work List Portlet:
Access the Publisher Work List Portlet in the Current Assignments view or the Delegated Assignments view.
Note:
You can claim and handle any workflow assignment that is assigned to you or that you have delegated.
Select the work item or items that you want to reject by clicking the check box next to the activity.
Click the Reject button to open the Reject page.
Enter an explanation of the rejection or instructions to the previous activity assignee in the Workflow Comments edit box. These comments will display in the Publisher Work List Portlet for the previous activity assignee and on the Workflow Assignment page. They also appear as the check-in comment.
Click OK. A dialog appears, confirming that the item has been rejected. This dialog displays the work item, the previous activity, and the previous assignee. The item is returned to the previous activity and appears in the Publisher Work List of that activity’s assignee.
Note:
There is no option to select a single assignee for rejected activities, since a previous activity always has only one assignee.
Claiming and Undoing Claims Using the Publisher Work List Portlet
When you claim an assignment, you remove it from any other assignees’ work lists. To claim an assignment from the Publisher Work List Portlet:
Access the Publisher Work List Portlet in the Current Assignments view or the Delegated Assignments view.
Note:
You can claim and handle any workflow assignment that is assigned to you or that you have delegated.
Select the workflow assignment or assignments that you want to claim by clicking the check box next to the assignment.
Click the Claim button.
The Claim Results page opens and notifies you of the assignments that you have successfully claimed.
Click Close to return to the Publisher Work List Portlet.
To undo your claim on an assignment using the Publisher Work List Portlet, follow the directions for claiming an assignment, but instead click Unclaim in the portlet’s tool bar. When you undo a claim, the assignments return to their original state.
Transferring and Delegating Workflow Assignments Using the Publisher Work List Portlet
When you transfer an assignment, you give up your responsibility for it to another assignee. When you delegate an assignment, you assign it to another assignee, but retain the ability to handle the assignment yourself. Transfer and delegation of workflow activities are available only if they are enabled for the workflow activity. Only users or groups with access to the content item’s Publisher folder are available as transferees or delegatees.
To transfer or delegate workflow assignments using the Publisher Work List Portlet:
Access the Publisher Work List Portlet in the Current Assignments view or the Delegated Assignments view.
Select the assignment that you want to transfer or delegate by clicking the check box next to the activity.
Click the Transfer button to open the Transfer page.
Click Edit to access the Choose Users and Groups dialog box, where you can select an assignee.
Click OK to return to the Transfer page.
If you want to delegate the activity rather than transfer it, select Delegate.
Click Finish.
Setting Publisher Work List Portlet Preferences
You can use the Work List - Personal Preferences page to set the maximum number of items that display for you in the Publisher Work List Portlet.
To access the Publisher Work List Portlet preferences, click the Edit Portlet Preferences icon in the Publisher Work List Portlet.
Viewing Workflow Assignment Details
The Workflow Assignment page provides information about the workflow definition, workflow activity, and assignment for a work item, along with assigned dates, due dates, and priority. You can also access the Content Item Editor, where you can edit the workflow item.
You can access the Workflow Assignment page from the following:
Content Item Editor
Publisher Work List Portlet
Content Items in Workflow portlet
Overriding Workflow
Users in the Folder Administrator role and above can override workflow for a content item by using the Override Workflow page to remove the item from workflow or reassign it to another workflow activity.
To override workflow for a Content Item:
In Publisher Explorer, right-click the content item for which you want to override workflow and choose Workflow. This opens the Override Workflow page.
From the Workflow Activities list, select the workflow activity you want the item to be moved to, or select Remove item from workflow.
Click OK.
Click OK in the warning box.
Viewing Items in Workflow by Publisher Folder
To view all items in workflow in a given Publisher folder or set of folders, use the Content Items in Workflow portlet.
Before you can view workflow items in this portlet, you must first select folders for viewing using the Content Items in Workflow - Personal Preferences page.
Setting Preferences for the Content Items in Workflow Portlet
To set preferences for the Content Items in Workflow portlet, click the Edit Preferences icon in the portlet to access the Content Items in Workflow - Personal Preferences page, where you can do the following:
In the Folder Display Options area, click Add Folders to access the Select Folders dialog, where you can select the Publisher folders whose workflow items you want to view. Only folders for which you have Submitter access or above appear in the dialog box.
In the Item Display Options area, enter the maximum number of items you want displayed in the Content Items in Workflow portlet.
