This article details the key features, concepts, terminology, and components associated with Workflow 8.0. It also provides an overview of the fundamental differences between Workflow 7 and 8.
Overview
Workflow 8 enables you to build repeatable patterns of activity (i.e., workflows) that are designed to interact with entries in a Laserfiche repository. Each action in a pattern can be completely automated and easily configured.
Workflows are built using activities. An activity is a single, pre-built, configurable process designed to interact with entries in a repository. Workflow 8 contains 33 different activities, including Route to User, Route to Group, Add Sticky Note, Assign Rights, Create Entry, Routing Decision, and E-mail. In addition to the pre-built activities, Workflow 8 contains scripting activities which enable you to insert custom scripts into workflows.
Basic Concepts and Terminology
The following Workflow 8 terms are those you should be most familiar with.
- Workflow definition: A repeatable pattern of activity built in Workflow 8 to interact with entries in a Laserfiche repository. A workflow definition must be published and assigned a starting rule before it becomes operational.
- Activity: The building blocks of workflow definitions.
- Publishing: The process of storing a workflow definition on a Workflow Server.
- Starting rule: Conditions assigned to a workflow definition that define when it will be performed. Starting rules can only be assigned to a workflow definition that has been published.
- Workflow rule: After a workflow definition has been published and assigned a starting rule, it becomes a workflow rule. Workflow rules are performed when their starting rule conditions are satisfied.
- Workflow instance: Each isolated performance of a workflow rule is referred to as a workflow instance.
Components
Workflow 8 consists of three primary components and four administrative components.
The three primary components are:
- Workflow Designer: The component you will interact with the most. This is where you build and publish your workflows.
- Workflow Server: The component that executes workflows.
- Workflow Subscriber: Acts as a link between the Workflow Server and the Laserfiche Server. The Workflow Subscriber receives notification from a Laserfiche Server when a change is made to a Laserfiche entry. It evaluates the event to determine if a starting rule is satisfied. If so, the Workflow Subscriber notifies the Workflow Server.
The four administrative components are:
- Workflow 8 Administration Console: Provides a summary of the Workflow Server. For example, you can see a list of your currently running workflows , view a history of when workflow modifications were made, and configure security settings. This console is an optional install.
- Workflow Server Configuration Utility: Enables you to configure properties associated with the Workflow Server, such as login accounts, the SQL database that will store Workflow 8 data, and e-mail settings. Run this utility before using Workflow 8.
- Workflow Subscriber Configuration Utility: Enables you to configure properties associated with the Workflow Subscriber. Run this utility before using Workflow 8.
- Workflow Subscriber Tray: An administration tool that displays a real-time report of notifications received by the Workflow Subscriber, recent starting rules and satisfied wait conditions, and repository and thread data.
Differences between Workflow 7 and 8
The Laserfiche Workflow Suite has been completely re-designed for Workflow 8. Workflow 8 utilizes an entirely new user-interface and a fundamentally different approach to building and executing workflows. While it is not possible to list all of the changes, the following are those you should be most familiar with.
- In Workflow 7, each workflow monitored a single Start Folder. Only changes to entries in the Start Folder would trigger a workflow. Workflow 8 has more flexibility, allowing you to trigger a workflow regardless of where an entry is located via the use of Starting Rules.
- Destination criteria in Workflow 7 does not function in the same manner as wait conditions on routing activities in Workflow 8. In Workflow 7, each destination in a workflow monitors the previous destination for changes. A workflow will not progress until the object to be routed satisfies the criteria specified on the following step. In other words, a destination in Workflow 7 "pulls" documents from the previous destination when documents satisfy the destination criteria. In Workflow 8, the conditions set on a Laserfiche Routing activity monitors the current location for changes. A workflow will not progress until the object to be routed satisfies the conditions specified on the current step. In other words, a destination in Workflow 8 "pushes" documents to the next destination when documents satisfy wait conditions.
For more information on Workflow 8 concepts and terminology, see the official Workflow 8 documentation included with the software.