Starting Workflows

When administering workflows you can start them using various methods:

• Manually:

  • From a Workflow Model.
  • Using a workflow package for batch processing.

• Automatically:

  • In response to node changes; using a Launcher.

Workflow Models

You can start a workflow based on one of the models listed on the Workflow Models console. The only mandatory information is the payload, though a title and/or comment can be added as well.

Workflows Launchers

The Workflow Launcher monitors changes in the content repository to launch workflows dependent on the location and resource type of the changed node.

Using the Launcher you can:

• See the workflows already launched for specific nodes.
• Select a workflow to be launched when a certain node/node-type has been created/modified/removed.
• Remove an existing workflow-to-node relationship.

A launcher can be created for any node. However, changes to certain nodes do not launch workflows. Changes to nodes below the following paths do not cause workflows to launch:

• /var/workflow/instances

• Any workflow-inbox node located anywhere in the /home/users branch

• /tmp

• /var/audit

• /var/classes

• /var/eventing

• /var/linkchecker

• /var/mobile

• /var/statistics

  • Exception: Changes to nodes below /var/statistics/tracking do cause workflows to launch.

Various definitions are included with the standard installation. These are used for digital asset management and social collaboration tasks:

Workflow Packages for Batch Processing

Workflow packages are packages that can be passed to a workflow as payload for processing, allowing multiple resources to be processed.

A workflow package:

• contains links to a set of resources (such as pages, assets).
• holds package information such as the creation date, the user that created the package and a short description.
• is defined using a specialized page template; such pages allow the user to specify the resources in the package.
• can be used multiple times.
• can be changed by the user (add or remove resources) while the workflow instance is actually running.

Starting a Workflow from the Models Console

1. Navigate to the Models console using Tools, Workflow, then Models.

2. Select the workflow (according to the console view); you can also use Search (top left) if necessary:

   

   NOTE

   The Transient indicator shows workflows for which the workflow history is not persisted.

3. Select Start Workflow from the toolbar.

4. The Run Workflow dialog box opens, letting you specify:

   • Payload

     This can be a page, node, asset, package, among other resources.

   • Title

     An optional title to help identify this instance.

   • Comment

     An optional comment to help indicate details of this instance.

   

Creating a Launcher Configuration

1. Navigate to the Workflow Launchers console using Tools, Workflow, then Launchers.

2. Select Create, then Add Launcher to open the dialog box:

   

   • Event Type

     The event type that launches the workflow:

     • Created
     • Modified
     • Removed

   • Nodetype

     The type of node that the workflow launcher applies to.

   • Path

     The path that the workflow launcher applies to.

   • Run Mode(s)

     The type of server that the workflow launcher applies to. Select Author, Publish, or Author & Publish.

   • Conditions

     A list of conditions for node values that, when evaluated, determine whether the workflow is launched. For example, the following condition causes the workflow to launch when the node has a property name with the value User:

     name==User

   • Features

     A list of features to be enabled. Select the required features using the drop-down selector.

   • Disabled Features

   A list of features to be disabled. Select the required features using the drop-down selector.

   • Workflow Model

     The workflow to launch when the Event Type occurs on the Nodetype and/or Path under the defined Condition.

   • Description

     Your own text to describe and identify the launcher configuration.

   • Activate

     Controls whether the workflow launcher is activated:

     • Select Enable to launch workflows when the configuration properties are satisfied.
     • Select Disable when the workflow should not execute (not even when the configuration properties are satisfied).

   • Exclude List

     This specifies any JCR events to exclude (that is, ignore) when determining whether a workflow should be triggered.

     This launcher property is a comma-separated list of items: ``

     • property-name ignore any jcr event which triggered on the specified property name. ``
     • event-user-data:<*someValue*> ignores any event that contains the *<someValue*> user-data set through the [ ObservationManager API](https://developer.adobe.com/experience-manager/reference-materials/spec/jsr170/javadocs/jcr-2.0/javax/jcr/observation/ObservationManager.html#setUserData(java.lang.String?lang=en).

     For example:

     jcr:lastModified,dc:modified,dc:format,jcr:lastModifiedBy,imageMap,event-user-data:changedByWorkflowProcess

     This feature can be used to ignore any changes triggered by another workflow process by adding the exclude item:

     event-user-data:changedByWorkflowProcess

3. Select Create, to create the launcher and return to the console.

   When the appropriate event occurs, the launcher is triggered and the workflow started.

Managing a Launcher Configuration

After you have created your launcher configuration you can use the same console to select the instance, then View Properties (and edit them) or Delete.