Use the Workflow Builder portlet to define a workflow
If workflow is configured for use with the system, we can design workflow for an application template as an extension of the application template design process or we can edit the workflow for a single application.
From the Application Template Library, choose...
Edit Template Workflow...from the drop-down menu. For a deployed application, choose...
Edit Application Workflow...from the application menu.
If these menu options are not available to you, workflow may not be configured for use with the system.
The Workflow Builder portlet provides the tools to..
- Create the workflow
- Assign access roles that specify who can interact with the workflow and its component tasks
- Define tasks
- Create the flow from task to task
- Validate the workflow to check for common errors
Access control for a workflow
The access control for a workflow works in conjunction with the access model for the application. We can define component roles for the workflow as part of the application template design. In the Workflow Builder portlet where you define the workflow, we can assign the component roles to provide access that specifies what users can:
- Start the workflow
- Administer the workflow
- Edit a task
- Own a task
- View a task in the Workflow without being able to act on it
Create tasks for a workflow
As part of the workflow definition, you create tasks that promote the flow and actions that link the tasks sequentially.
Tasks can be manual requiring human interaction, or automatic, that are automatically performed by some simple action requiring no human interaction.
An example of a manual task would be to assign office space. An example of an automatic task would be to send mail notifying a new employee of the office space assignment.
Each manual task is mapped to a task page.
When a user interacts with an application that includes workflow, a Task portlet is presented so the user can claim and view an assigned task. A task page does not initially display as part of the application. It is created dynamically and presented to the user when he/she claims the task and opens the task to work on it. It contains all of the portlets required for the user to complete a task, such as the Current task portlet and the related Content portlet.
To customize the task pages and add additional portlets to them, we can find these task pages in the templates' page hierarchy under Task Page Definitions.
Parent Topic
Define workflow