Workflow activities

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Activities are the essential items of a workflow. They define the steps a document follows in a workflow, ensuring tasks are carried out in a structured and timely manner.

There are nine types of activities available. Each type offers various properties and features, which can be specified and edited in the workflow canvas.

Before you publish a workflow, arrange the activities in the required sequence and connect them through their input and output ports.

To access the workflow activities, navigate to DocuWare Configurations > Collaboration > Workflow Designer, and then open the Canvas. Find the activites in the toolbar on the left:

Check the following list for more information about the activities:

Start

The Start activity will automatically appear when you create a workflow configuration in the canvas. You may set the trigger for the workflow and provide the credentials of a workflow user. These credentials are used for carrying out any automatic operation throughout the workflow.

  • Configuration steps: Permissions - Trigger - Outputs

  • Read more about the trigger of a workflow.

Task

A Task is always assigned to a DocuWare user and requires their interaction—often including a decision—to complete it. Configure stamps, instructional text, and input fields to guide the user and capture their input.

  • Example: Approve or reject an invoice.  

  • Configuration steps: Method - Decision - Behavior

  • Read more about configuring a task.

Email

This activity notifies any DocuWare user and even employees who have no DocuWare account about updates in a workflow.

  • Example: The head of department is notified automatically when a team lead approves an invoice with an amount of more than 10.000.

  • Configuration steps: Method - Errors.

Parallel task

This activity is similar to Task, but a parallel task requires identical tasks to be be carried out by multiple employees before the workflow can proceed.

  • Example: Approving or rejecting partial amounts of an invoice with different cost centers. The invoice can only be paid in full once all partial amounts have been approved.

  • Configuration steps: Method - Decision - Behavior

  • Read more about configuring a task.

Condition

A condition is an automatic decision based on rules. It routes the document in the workflow according to a conditions set.

  • Example: The amount of an invoice is checked automatically and routed based on the sum.

  • Configuration steps: Outputs - Errors

  • Read more about conditions.

Assign Data

The Assign Data activity is used to automatically modify the index data of documents stored in DocuWare.

  • Example: As soon as an invoice is approved, the Purchase Order Number index field is populated with the corresponding purchase order number from the ERP.  

  • Configuration steps: Data assignment - Errors

  • Read more about Assign data.

Web service

Use a REST or a SOAP web service to exchange data in DocuWare with external platforms like an ERP or CRM.

  • Example: Once an invoice has been approved in DocuWare, the status of the invoiced is marked as 'ready to pay' in the accounting software.

  • Configuration steps: Method - Errors

  • More information is coming soon.

Wait for event

This activity make the workflow wait for documents or index changes of a document stored in any DocuWare file cabinet.

  • Example: The workflow for incoming invoices does not proceed to the payment workflow until the delivery note belonging to the invoice has been stored.

  • Configuration step: Method

Time delay

Set a fixed waiting time before the next activity is executed. Delays ensure that all prerequisites are met before the document proceeds to the next step. In the activity Time delay you specify the required number of days, hours or minutes either using the dialog or using a variable of the date/time type. The maximum waiting time is 365 days.

  • Example 1: Insert a field with which your employees can set themselves workflow tasks as resubmissions.

  • Example 2: If you run a Web service for a check, you can trigger its repetition the next day, for example, if the result is negative.

  • Example 3: Delay a workflow, for example, to wait for a response from an external system.

  • Configuration steps: Type - Timeout.