TESTING

Updated (01/09/2016)

Workflows can be accessed by selecting Tasks > Workflows > Workflow editor from the main OCA menu. Before you first create or edit a workflow, it is recommended that you read the overview of workflows which explains the key concepts.

To edit an existing workflow, double-click on its name in the list, or select its name and click Open from the toolbar.

To create a new workflow, click New from the toolbar.

When you create a new workflow, you will first be prompted to enter

• The Name of the workflow you wish to create.

• The "Run as" access level - how 'powerful' the workflow is when it runs. Giving the workflow the highest level of access will allow it to make changes to any object it runs against, but you may wish to lower the access level to suit the application.

• Whether or not the workflow can be manually triggered by users, and if so, the access level required to do so.

• You will also need to select what the workflow Applies to. This means what type of object (if any) your workflow will deal with. For example, if you are creating a workflow to control approval of changes to a contact, select Contact; if you are creating a workflow to do something when a new Report is created, select Report; if you are creating a workflow to file or send a document, select Document.

• Selecting (Anything) allows the workflow to be used against any object type. The object properties available are limited to a shared set.
  Selecting (nothing) allows the workflow to be run against any object, but won't consider the object as it runs.

To edit a workflow's properties such as its name and to which type of object it applies, open the workflow and select Properties from the tool bar.

The workflow editor

The workflow editor is where you construct and edit workflows. There are three main areas:

1. The workflow canvas, the large area on the left, is where you lay out nodes and connect them to each other, to define your workflow.

2. A list of nodes available for use in the workflow, in the top-right corner.

3. Node properties pane, in the bottom right corner. This is where you can edit and configure the settings of each node.

Whenever you make changes to a workflow, you must click Save in the bottom right corner, to save your changes.

Constructing a workflow

All workflows have a Workflow Start and Workflow End node, and the flow must end at the Workflow End node in order for the workflow to complete.

To add a node to a workflow, drag and drop the required node from the list of available nodes to the workflow canvas.

To position a node on the canvas, drag it to where you want to move it and release the mouse button to position it there.

To connect one node to another,

1. click on the triangle-shaped node menu icon and select New connection from the pop-up menu that appears.

2. a line with an arrow at one end will appear

3. drag the arrow by moving your mouse, to the node you wish to connect to. A dotted red border will appear around the node.

4. click on the target node to complete the connection

Creating a connection between nodes

Some nodes will present you with different connection options when you select New connection. This is so that you can create different pathways for each of the possible outcomes from that node. For example, you can create different connections or pathways for when a Task node has been assigned, completed or missed. You can also create different connections for each of the possible answers given to a Question node.

Question node: possible outcomes

Task node: possible outcomes

To edit or remove a connection, click on the word in the middle of the connection line, and select Change connection or Delete line from the pop-up menu that appears.

To configure a node and edit its properties, click once on the node. A red border will appear around it, and the node properties will appear in the bottom right corner of the screen, for you to edit. For more details about the properties available for each node, see the section about workflow nodes.

To delete a node, right-click on the node and select Delete from the pop-up menu.

Nodes can have multiple connections made to them from other nodes in the workflow.

To make a workflow wait for all incoming connections before proceeding, right-click on the node and select Require all incoming from the menu.

Label your nodes

• Right-click a node and select Edit Label to write a brief note to display on the note. This will assist you to identify the node or its purpose on the canvas.

labels: helpful

It is important to remember to save your workflow after you have made changes to it, using the button in the bottom right corner of the screen.