CQ5 Workflow Tutorial Part – II

If you don’t remember all of them then not to worry that I will use all those terms in this series of tutorials.

Agenda of this post

1. Introduction to Process Step.
2. Use of Inbuilt Processes through this Step.
3. Use of Auto Advance Handler.
4. Terminate a running Workflow Instance form workflow dashboard.

Let’s start with that. In my last post, we create a demo workflow model named “blog”. Let’s continue with that.

Go to Workflow Dashboard -> double click on blog model

your screen looks like –

right-click on Step 1 (participant step) and delete this step from your model. Select the Workflow tab in you sidekick, when you scroll down you will see a Process Step there just drag and drop that step on to your workflow model. Double click on this step you will get a screen as –

In this dialog, there are two tabs

1. Common
2. Process

The common tab contains the properties common to almost every workflow step or process step as the title, description. Here you have three properties Title, Description & Time Out Settings.

I will take Time Out Setting in a separate blog as it’s very useful while working with custom workflow. Till now you can think it as when the selected time has been expired then the Timeout Handler process executes.

Process tab is our main concern Let’s talk about that. This tab consists of three fields Process, Handler Advance & Arguments

Process
This field provides a list of all currently available processes in this drop downfield.

you can add your own custom processes as well, I will create a custom process in my next post in this post I will use an inbuilt process named as “No Operation(Script)”, Just select this process.

No Operation process does nothing i.e. it is a blank process it doesn’t affect anything on your page or in the content repository.

Argument Text Area represents the input arguments to this process step, I will show you how this field will be used use in my next post where I’ll show you, how to create a custom workflow process. Till then just leave it as blank.

There is a CheckBox named as Handler Advance. This checkbox box tells the workflow instance to move into the next step when the current step has been finished.

If you don’t select it then after the completion of this step your workflow doesn’t move to the next step. It means it will not transfer control to the next step in the workflow.

First test this process step with a selected checkbox.
Click OK on your Dialog window then save your workflow model by clicking the Save button(top left corner).

Go to your /content/geometrixx/en.html page and in Sidekick go to the workflow tab. Select the blog workflow model and click on the start workflow model.

You will see nothing will happen and your selected workflow field becomes blank it means your workflow has been completed successfully & if you configured your mailing service then you will get a workflow completion mail in your configured email id.

I will show you, how to configure email service when I will teach you, how to deal with email process steps.

Now go to your workflow model screen and in the process step just uncheck Handler Advance check box. then Click OK on your Dialog window then save your workflow model by clicking Save button(top left corner).
and again on your /content/geometrixx/en.html page hit your workflow then you will get a screen as –

Notification Message
This page is subject to the workflow: <Workflow Name>.
It means your process step is completed but it doesn’t advance control to next step so that your workflow doesn’t completed.

So in every process step you must have to check this checkbox.

My Observation
Till now, I don’t know any scenario where this checkbox will be useful but right now it is a key point in every process step.

For checking your workflow that it’s still running just go to your workflow dashboard. Select the instances tab.

You will see a running workflow instance. Now you have to terminate your running instance as it will not be completed on its own.

If you don’t terminate this running instance, you are not able to start another workflow on the same page as at a time a page can be a part of only one workflow instance.

you can terminate by right-clicking on the running instance or by clicking on terminate button after selecting a running workflow process. your screen looks like-


Now refresh your /content/geometrixx/en.html page & this notification message becomes removed.