This post provides a full example on how to configure a basic workflow using check-out/check-in.
This example follows a step by step procedure:
Step 1: Assessment of your business need
The workflow we want to configure is a simple publication workflow.
When a document is created, it goes into the first approval until it is approved for the first time.
When an existing approved document needs to be updated, the document goes into the revision approval loop. During the revision process, the approved version (main version) of the document is frozen in the Approved state and a draft version of the document is automatically created. This draft version can be updated and follows the draft workflow states of the revision approval loop. When the draft version is approved, a new version is created with the newly approved draft version and the last approved version becomes a previous version of the document.
For more details, read the article: Step 1: Assessment of your business need.
Step 2: Configuration - Create workflow states
A. Create standard workflow states
1. Create and configure a workflow.
The Initial state is already created by default. The initial state is always a standard state (blue state).
2. To create the standard states of the first approval loop:
Press Add new state and name the newly created state Submitted.
Press Add new state a second time and name the newly created state Approved.
Three blue states have been created.
B. Create draft workflow states
3. Press Add new draft twice to create the two draft workflow states of the revision approval loop.
The two draft states are orange.
Note: Check-in and check-out transitions are enabled only when the workflow configuration contains both standard and draft states:
- A check-out transition can be created only in a standard state and has to point to a draft state.
- A check-in transition can be created only in a draft state and has to point to a standard state.
For more details, read the article: Step 2: Configuration - Create workflow states.
Step 3: Configuration - Add workflow transitions
A. Configure transitions between standard state
1. On the Initial state, press + New transition and choose the target state Submitted.
Note: When selecting the target workflow state, only standard states are available.
2. On the state Submitted, press + New transition and choose the target state Approved.
B. Configure the check-out transition
3. On the state Approved, press + New checkout and choose the target state In Revision.
Note: When selecting the target workflow state, only draft states are available.
Reminder: When draft documents are created from a check-out configured in the workflow, users can’t manually check-in the document. The document can be checked-in only through the workflow configuration.
C. Configure the transition between draft states
4. On the state In Revision, press + New transition and choose the target state Revision submitted.
Note: When selecting the target workflow state, only draft states are available.
D. Configure the check-in transition
5. On the state Revision submitted, press + New checkin and choose the target state Approved.
Note: When selecting the target workflow state, only standard states are available.
For more details, read the article: Step 3: Configuration - Add workflow transitions.
Step 4: Configuration - Configure workflow notifications
For each standard or draft workflow state, configure the workflow notifications as described in the article: Step 4: Configuration - Configure workflow notifications.
Step 5: Configuration - Set workflow permissions
On draft workflow states, the permissions are defined in the Permissions menu and are applied only to the draft version of the document. The permissions of the main version are defined in the standard state the document was in before the check-out.
In our example:
- the permissions of the draft version of the document are defined in the Permissions menu of the states In Revision and Revision submitted.
- while the draft version is in either one of the draft states, the main version stays in the Approved state and the permissions of the main version of the document are defined in the Permissions menu of the Approved state.
For each standard or draft workflow state, configure the workflow permissions as described in the article: Step 5: Configuration - Set workflow permissions.