Workflow Manager

OpenText™ Documentum™ Workflow
Manager
User Guide
This guide describes how to use Workflow Manager to create

workflows. A workflow formalizes a business process, enabling
users to repeatedly perform the business process.
EDCPC160700-AWF-EN-02
OpenText™ Documentum™ Workflow Manager
User Guide
Rev.: 2019-Sept-15
This documentation has been created for software version 16.7.
It is also valid for subsequent software versions as long as no new document version is shipped with the product or is
published at https://knowledge.opentext.com.
Open Text Corporation
275 Frank Tompa Drive, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 0A1
Tel: +1-519-888-7111
Toll Free Canada/USA: 1-800-499-6544 International: +800-4996-5440
Fax: +1-519-888-0677
Support: https://support.opentext.com
For more information, visit https://www.opentext.com
Copyright © 2019 Open Text. All Rights Reserved.

Trademarks owned by Open Text.
One or more patents may cover this product. For more information, please visit https://www.opentext.com/patents.
Disclaimer
No Warranties and Limitation of Liability
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the features and techniques presented in this publication. However,
Open Text Corporation and its affiliates accept no responsibility and offer no warranty whether expressed or implied, for the
accuracy of this publication.
Table of Contents
PRE Preface v
i Revision History ................................................................................ v
1 Understanding Workflows ........................................................ 7

1.1 Introducing Workflows ....................................................................... 7
1.2 Workflow Templates and Associated Objects .................................... 10
1.2.1 Activities ......................................................................................... 10
1.2.2 Packages ....................................................................................... 11
1.2.3 Flows ............................................................................................. 11
1.3 Planning Workflow Activities ............................................................ 11
1.3.1 Choosing Activities .......................................................................... 12
1.3.2 Choosing Performers ...................................................................... 12
1.3.2.1 When the Performer Is Determined .................................................. 14
1.3.2.2 Using Aliases .................................................................................. 15
1.3.3 Enabling Delegation and Extension .................................................. 15
1.3.4 Setting Priority Values ..................................................................... 16
1.3.5 Defining Packages .......................................................................... 16
1.3.6 Setting Trigger Conditions ............................................................... 17
1.3.7 Setting Up Notifications ................................................................... 18
1.3.8 Defining Activity Transitions ............................................................. 19
1.3.8.1 Determining Transition Conditions .................................................... 20
2 The Workflow Manager Window ............................................ 21

2.1 Workflow Manager Toolbar .............................................................. 22
2.2 Activities Palette ............................................................................. 23
2.3 Workflow Palette ............................................................................. 24
2.4 Workflow Template Editor Pane ....................................................... 26
2.4.1 Aligning activities ............................................................................ 27
2.4.2 Snap to grid .................................................................................... 28
2.4.3 Zooming in or out ............................................................................ 28
2.5 Navigator ........................................................................................ 29
3 Working with Workflow Templates ........................................ 31

3.1 Opening Existing Templates ............................................................ 31
3.2 Creating Templates ......................................................................... 32
3.3 Setting Template Properties ............................................................. 34
3.4 Saving Templates ........................................................................... 35
3.5 Validating Templates ....................................................................... 37
OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide iii

Table of Contents
3.6 Installing Templates ........................................................................ 37

3.7 Modifying Templates ....................................................................... 38
3.8 Printing Workflow Templates ............................................................ 39
3.8.1 Setting page setup options .............................................................. 40
4 Working with Activities ........................................................... 41

4.1 Selecting Performers ....................................................................... 42
4.1.1 Choosing manual performers ........................................................... 43
4.1.1.1 Assign performer(s) now .................................................................. 45
4.1.1.2 Have performer(s) of <activity> determine performer(s) of this
activity ............................................................................................ 46
4.1.1.3 Define performer alias (performer(s) will be assigned when
workflow is underway) ..................................................................... 48
4.1.2 Choosing automatic performers ....................................................... 49
4.2 Setting Activity Definitions ................................................................ 50
4.3 Setting Activity Triggers ................................................................... 51
4.4 Setting Notifications ........................................................................ 52
4.5 Setting Activity Transition Rules ....................................................... 53
4.5.1 Creating transition conditions ........................................................... 55
4.6 Changing Display Settings ............................................................... 57
5 Working with Flows and Packages ........................................ 59

5.1 Creating Flows ................................................................................ 60
5.2 Setting Package Requirements ........................................................ 60
5.3 Changing Flow Display Settings ....................................................... 62
6 Managing Running Workflows ............................................... 63

6.1 Halting Workflows ........................................................................... 63
6.2 Aborting Workflows ......................................................................... 64
6.3 Resuming Workflows ....................................................................... 64
iv OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide

Preface
Preface
You use Workflow Manager to create workflows. A workflow formalizes a business
process, enabling users to repeatedly perform the business process.
For more information about workflow, including technical details about managing
workflows through the Documentum application programming interface, see
Documentum Server Fundamentals Guide.
IMPORTANT
Documentum Content Server is now OpenText Documentum Server. OpenText

Documentum Server will be called Documentum Server throughout this guide.
i Revision History
The following changes have been made to this document.
Revision date Description

October 2019 Initial publication
OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide v

Chapter 1
Understanding Workflows
You use Workflow Manager to create workflows. A workflow formalizes a business

process, enabling users to repeatedly perform the business process.
This chapter introduces the basic concepts of Documentum workflow. The following
topics are included:
• “Introducing Workflows” on page 7

• “Workflow Templates and Associated Objects” on page 10
• “Planning Workflow Activities” on page 11
For more information about workflow, including technical details about managing
workflows through the Documentum application programming interface, see
Documentum Server Fundamentals Guide.
1.1 Introducing Workflows

A workflow formalizes a business process such as an insurance claims process or an
engineering development process. After the business process is formalized in a
workflow definition, called a workflow template, users can use the template to
repeatedly perform the business process. Because a workflow’s template is separate
from its runtime instantiation, multiple workflows based on the same template can
be run concurrently.
A workflow template consists of multiple activities linked together by flows.

Activities represent the tasks users must perform to process the documents being
routed through the workflow, such as reviewing a document, checking it into the
repository, or approving it. Flows are the links between the activities, specifying the
sequence of activities and the packages that are exchanged between them. Packages
contain the object, generally a document, passed between activities so that work can
be performed on it. “Workflow Templates and Associated Objects” on page 10
provides further details about these workflow components.
OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide 7

Chapter 1 Understanding Workflows
Workflows can describe simple or complex business processes. You can create
workflows that have both serial segments, in which activities follow one another in a
specified sequence, and parallel segments, in which two or more activities happen
concurrently. You can also create a cyclical workflow, in which the completion of an
activity restarts a previously completed activity. The path that a document takes
through the workflow can differ depending on what happens along the way; for
example, a purchase order could be routed to different activities depending on
whether the manager approves it or rejects it.
You can create a workflow template that can be used in many contexts. This is done
by including activities whose performers are identified by aliases instead of actual
user names. When aliases are used, the actual user is selected at runtime. For
example, a typical business process for new documents has four steps: authoring the
document, reviewing it, revising it, and publishing the document. The actual
authors and reviewers will be different people for different documents. Rather than
creating a separate workflow for each document with the author and reviewer
names hard-coded, you create one workflow template with activity definitions that
use aliases for the author and reviewer names. Depending on how you design the
workflow, the actual people represented by the aliases can be chosen by the person
who starts the workflow, by the person who performs the previous activity, or
automatically by the server when the containing activity is started. For more
information about using aliases in workflows, refer to “Using Aliases” on page 15.
A workflow’s process definition is stored in a workflow template, implemented by

Documentum Server as a dm_process object. The definitions of individual activities
in a workflow are stored in dm_activity objects. Storing activity definitions and
workflow templates in separate objects allows activity definitions to be used in
multiple workflow templates. When you design a workflow, you can include
existing activity definitions in addition to creating any new activity definitions
needed.
8 OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide

1.1. Introducing Workflows
When you start a workflow, the server uses the workflow template (the dm_process
object) to create a runtime instance of the workflow (a dm_workflow object). When
an activity starts, the server creates one or more work items, which are tasks that the
server adds to the Inbox of the users who are the designated performers of the
activity.
The following flowchart illustrates how the components of a workflow template and
runtime instance work together. For more details about the object-level
implementation of workflow, see Documentum Server Fundamentals Guide.

1.2 Workflow Templates and Associated Objects

Documentum workflow definitions consist of a workflow template, a set of activity
definitions, and a set of flows connecting the activities.
The workflow template defines the structure of a business process. It is composed of

activity definitions and a set of attributes that define the flows connecting the
activities.
1.2.1 Activities
Activities represent the tasks that comprise the business process. Workflows contain
three kinds of activities:
• Begin activities are the first activities in the workflow. A workflow template must
have one Begin activity.
• TheEnd activity is the last activity in the workflow. A workflow template can
have only one End activity.
• Step activities are the intermediate activities between the beginning and the end.
A workflow template can have any number of Step activities.
An activity can be either manual or automatic. A manual activity is performed by a

person or multiple people. An automatic activity is performed by a script or
program.
The attributes of an activity definition describe the characteristics of the activity,

including:
• The unique name of the activity

• How the activity is executed
• Who performs the work
• What starts the activity
• The transition behavior when the activity is completed
When the server starts an activity, it creates work items and adds them to the
Inboxes of the users identified as the performers of the activity. These work items
contain the packages that the user needs to work on and instructions about the
required task. More technically, the server adds a queue item to the Inbox, linked to
the work item. Documentum Server Fundamentals Guide provides more details.

1.3. Planning Workflow Activities
1.2.2 Packages
Packages are the objects, usually documents, on which activities perform their work.
You define the packages for an activity when you configure the incoming and
outgoing flows for the activity.
1.2.3 Flows
Flows connect activities together, and enable the movement of packages, their
properties, and dependencies between the connected activities. A single flow can
handle multiple packages.
There are two types of flows: forward flows and reject flows. Forward flows advance
packages from an activity to the next activity in the normal workflow, for example
moving a package from the Edit activity to the Approve activity. Reject flows
determine what happens when the performer of an activity rejects the package being
routed. They direct packages in a backward loop, for example sending a package
from the Approve activity back to Edit.
All Step activities must have at least one flow coming in and one flow going out. A
Begin activity has at least one outward flow, but no incoming flow. An End activity
must have at least one incoming flow, but no outward flow.
Each flow in a workflow template has a unique name. The definition of a flow also
includes a set of attributes that define the packages that each activity can handle.
1.3 Planning Workflow Activities

Each time you create a workflow template, there are design decisions to make. You
must decide which activities to include and how to structure the workflow.
First, review the business process you want to automate and identify the sequence of
activities required to complete it. “Choosing Activities” on page 12 provides some
guidance for the decisions about activities.
For each activity in the workflow, you must make the following decisions:
• Is it a manual activity or an automatic activity?

• Who performs the activity?
“Choosing Performers” on page 12 describes this choice.
• For manual activities, can the user delegate or extend the activity?
“Enabling Delegation and Extension” on page 15 describes these choices.
• For automatic activities, what is its priority?
“Setting Priority Values” on page 16 discusses priority values for automatic
activities.
• What packages does the activity accept and what packages does it send on to the
next activity or activities?

“Defining Packages” on page 16 gives some guidelines for this decision.

• When does the activity start?
“Setting Trigger Conditions” on page 17 provides information about this
decision.
• Will this activity use warning timers?
“Setting Up Notifications” on page 18 discusses warning timers.
• What happens next in the workflow?
“Defining Activity Transitions” on page 19 describes the transition options.
1.3.1 Choosing Activities

Each workflow template must have one or more Begin activities and a single End
activity. The template can have any number of Step activities. The number of Step
activities you include depends solely on the structure of the workflow, which will
depend on its business purpose.
Each activity in a workflow must have a name that is unique within the workflow
template. The name is assigned when you add the activity to the workflow template.
Choose activity names that are descriptive of the work performed by the activity.
You can include any activity that you create or any activity for which you have at
least Relate permission.
You can use an activity definition more than once in a workflow. For example,
suppose you want all documents to receive two rounds of review. You might design
a workflow with the following activities: Write, Review1, Revise, Review2, and
Publish. The Review1 and Review2 activities can use the same activity definition.
However, if you use an activity multiple times in a workflow, you must structure
the workflow so that only one instance of the activity is active at any time. A
workflow cannot start an activity if a previous activity based on the same definition
is still running.
1.3.2 Choosing Performers

An activity definition includes the information that lets Workflow Manager
determine who will perform the activity. Workflow Manager supports a wide range
of choices for a manual activity’s performer. For automatic activities, you must still
identify a user whose permissions will be used when running the script or program.
When a manual activity starts, the server adds a queue item to the Inbox of the user
or users designated as the performer of that activity.
“Activity Performer Selection Categories” on page 13 lists the categories from

which you can choose a performer. Each category is represented by an integer value.
Only the first four options are available for automatic activities.

Table 1-1: Activity Performer Selection Categories
User Category How Performers are Selected

0 Workflow’s initiator/supervisor The server selects the user designated at the
workflow supervisor when the activity starts.
By default, the user who starts the workflow
is the workflow supervisor.
1 Repository owner The server selects the user identified as the
owner of the active repository.
2 Previous activity’s performer The server selects the performer from the last
finished activity that satisfied the trigger
condition of the current activity. (See
“Setting Trigger Conditions” on page 17 for
information about trigger conditions.)
3 Specific user You select an actual user name when you
create the template.
4 All users in group You select a group name when you create the
template. At runtime, the server assigns a
separate item to each group member.
5 Single user from group (First to acquire the You select a group name when you create the
work item) template. At runtime, the server assigns a
new work item to every group member.
When one member of the group acquires the
work item, the work items are removed from
all other group member’s Inboxes.
6 Single user from group (Least amount of You select a group name when you create the
unfinished work items) template. At runtime, the server determines
which user in the selected group has the
smallest workload and assigns a new work
item to that user. Workload is measured as
the number of dormant and active work
items.
8 Some users from a group You select a list of multiple users or aliases as
the performer of the activity. The server
assigns a work item to each of the users who
are chosen as performers.
9 Multiple sequential performers You select a list of multiple users or aliases as
the performer of the activity. The server
assigns the work item to the first user in the
list of chosen users. When that user
completes the work item, the server creates
another work item for the next user in the list
of chosen users. This continues until all
chosen users have completed their work
items.
Participants in a workflow have the option to mark themselves as unavailable for

workflow tasks. When the workflow runs, if the user selected as the performer is

unavailable, the workflow engine attempts to give the work item to the user’s
delegated user. See “Enabling Delegation and Extension” on page 15 for
information about delegated users.
For information about selecting performers for an activity in Workflow Manager, see
“Selecting Performers” on page 42. For details about creating activities whose
performers are selected at runtime, see “When the Performer Is Determined”
on page 14 and “Using Aliases” on page 15.
1.3.2.1 When the Performer Is Determined

When you create the activity, you must define the performer type, the user category.
You can also define the actual performer at that time or you can configure the
activity so that the actual performer is selected at runtime:
• By the workflow initiator when the workflow is started

• By the server, when the activity is started
• By the performer of a previous activity, when the previous activity completes
Defining the actual performer in an activity definition is the least flexible structure.
Allowing the performer of a previous activity to choose an activity’s performer is the
most flexible structure, since it lets decisions about performers be based on current
circumstances and business rules.
If you select category 0 (Workflow supervisor), 1 (Repository owner), or 2 (Previous

activity’s performer) as the user category, the actual user is defined by the category.
For example, an executing workflow has only one workflow supervisor and the
repository in which it runs has only one repository owner. It isn’t necessary to define
the actual person when you create the activity. The server determines it when the
activity is started.
If you select category 3 (Specific user), you can provide a user name when you create
the activity to identify the actual person. To have the actual person selected when
the workflow runs, use an alias in place of a specific user name; see “Using Aliases”
on page 15 for information about aliases. The alias can be resolved automatically
by the server using an alias set or by the performer of a previous activity. The same
options apply to categories 4, 5, or 6, except that you provide the name of a group
instead of an individual user. Provide a group name if you are choosing the actual
group when you create the activity; use an alias if you want the actual group
selected at runtime.
For categories 8 and 9, you provide the names or aliases for a list of multiple users.
Just as with the other categories, you can choose the actual performers when you
create the activity, have the performer of a previous activity chose the performer, or
use aliases to have the performer chosen at runtime.

1.3.2.2 Using Aliases

An alias is a descriptive name for a category of user or group that you use in place of
an actual user or group name. At runtime, the server replaces the alias with the
name of the actual user or group who fits the category in that time and place. Using
aliases in activity definitions creates a flexible workflow template that can be used a
variety of contexts.
For example, suppose you are creating a workflow for vacation requests. Each
department in your company has a different manager who must approve vacations.
Rather that create a different workflow template for every department, you want to
create one template for everyone to use. After all, the business process is the same
for every department. In place of specific performer names for the activities, you use
an alias, such as Manager. When the workflow runs, the server answers the question
“Who is the Manager of the workflow initiator?” and sends a work item to that user.
The server resolves aliases at runtime by searching one or more alias sets to find the
alias and its associated actual value. An alias set is an object that defines a list of
aliases and their corresponding actual values. You can create alias sets in
Documentum Administrator; Documentum Administrator User Guide provides more
details. You can associate alias sets with particular users, and in Workflow Manager
you can identify a default alias set for the workflow.
When you include an alias as the performer for an activity, you can specify that the
server resolve the alias at runtime by referring to the default alias set for the
workflow, to the alias set associated with the user who starts the workflow, to the
alias set for the performer of a previous activity, or to any other alias set you choose.
You can also have the server require the workflow initiator to manually provide
values for the aliases when the workflow starts; to require the workflow initiator to
resolve the aliases, you define a default alias set for the workflow template that
contains the aliases but not the names to which the aliases are mapped. See
“Choosing manual performers” on page 43 for details.
1.3.3 Enabling Delegation and Extension

When you create a manual activity, you specify whether the user performing the
activity is able to delegate the activity to another performer or extend the activity by
identifying an additional performer.
With delegation, the original performer does not complete the activity. With
extension, both the original performer and the designated additional performer
complete the activity.
If delegation is allowed, it can occur automatically or manually.
• Automatic delegation occurs when the server checks the availability of an

activity’s performer or performers and determines that the person or persons is
not available. When this happens, the server automatically delegates the work to
the users that the original performer designated in the Workflow Availability
dialog box. If there is no user identified or that user is not available, the work

item is either reassigned to the workflow supervisor or returned to the original

performer depending on a configuration option set when the activity is created.
• Manual delegation occurs when the work item’s performer, the workflow
supervisor, or a superuser elects to delegate the work item.
If extension is allowed, when the original performers complete an activity's work

items, they can identify a second round of performers for the activity. The server
generates new work items for the second round of performers. Only after the second
round of performers completes the work does the server evaluate the activity's
transition condition and move to the next activity. The second round of performers
do not have the option to extend the activity any further.
See “Selecting Performers” on page 42 for information about setting these options.
1.3.4 Setting Priority Values

For automatic activities, you designate a priority value that determines the order in
which the server runs the activity relative to other actions in its queue. You can set a
priority value for manual activities as well, which is reflected in the performer's
Inbox.
When an automatic activity is started, the activity is placed on the execution queue
for a server facility that runs periodically. The server facility executes the activities in
order of priority. By default, it executes all queued automatic activities each time it is
invoked, but a system administrator can limit the number of activities handled each
time the facility runs. If the server configuration setting max_wf_jobs is set to a low
number and there are a large number of queued activities with high priority, a lower
priority activity may have to wait several invocations for execution.
In addition to priority settings Low, Medium, and High, Workflow Manager enables
you to set a Dynamic priority for an activity. Dynamic priority is when the priority
of the activity is set using custom code as the workflow runs rather than being set as
part of the workflow template. You should assign Dynamic priority only when your
system includes custom code to set the priority at runtime.
See “Setting Activity Definitions” on page 50 for information about setting the
priority of an activity.
1.3.5 Defining Packages

When you define a flow linking two activities, you need to specify what objects are
passed along the flow. An object, usually a document, passed between activities is
called a package. Each flow must have at least one package that it transports from one
activity to the next. The flow can include more than one package if necessary.
To define a package, you identify the document or other object to route, including
which repository version. You also have the option to choose the operation that the
performer of the activity receiving the package needs to perform.
There are three basic options for what an activity does with a package it receives:

• The activity can send on the package without change.

• The activity can send on the package with a new version of the object contained
within it.
• The activity can send a new package to the next activity.
In many workflows, the same package passes through all activities. For example, a
workflow for reviewing and approving purchase orders will pass the same purchase
order document as a package to all the necessary activities. In this case, each activity
passes along to the next activity the same package it received. In Workflow
Manager, you accomplish this scenario by configuring the flows leading into and out
of the activity so that they use the same package name, package type, and version.
In other cases, the work performed by an activity results in a new version of a

document from the incoming package. For example, a user might receive a
document for review. He or she checks out the document, adds comments or
revisions, and checks in the document. In this case, you want the activity to send the
new version of the component when it sends the package to the next activity. In
Workflow Manager, you accomplish this scenario by configuring the incoming and
outgoing flows to use the same package name and type, but a different version. You
can specify the version using an actual version number, such as 2.5, or a symbolic
version label, such as Draft or CURRENT.
The work performed in some activities requires the activity to send on a package
that is entirely different from the package it received. For example, suppose an
activity accepts a personnel action notice. The performer (an HR employee) must file
the notice, then send a different form to the accounting department. In Workflow
Manager, you accomplish this scenario by using different package names for the
incoming and outgoing flows.
For information about configuring flows and packages in Workflow Manager, see
“Setting Package Requirements” on page 60.
1.3.6 Setting Trigger Conditions

A trigger is a signal that the activity can begin. Trigger conditions define the starting
criteria for an activity. At runtime, the server does not start an activity until the
activity's trigger condition is met. The trigger condition can optionally include a
trigger event that must occur before the activity starts.
If the activity has more than one incoming flow, you can specify how many of the
previous activities must complete before this activity starts. The trigger condition is
the minimum number of flows that must have delivered packages to the activity
before the activity starts. For example, if an activity has three incoming flows, you
may decide that the activity can start when two of the three have delivered their
packages. The trigger condition must be a value between one and the total number
of incoming flows.
A trigger event is an event queued to the workflow. The event can be a system-
defined event, such as dm_checkin, or you can make up an event name, such as

promoted or released. However, because you cannot register a workflow to receive

event notifications, the event must be explicitly queued to the workflow using the
Documentum API. If you include a trigger event in the starting condition, the server
must find the event you identify queued to the workflow before starting the activity.
The same event can be used as a trigger for multiple activities, however, the
application must queue the event once for each activity. Documentum Server
Fundamentals Guide provides more details about defining and queuing events.
For information about setting an activity's trigger conditions, see “Setting Activity
Triggers” on page 51.
1.3.7 Setting Up Notifications

When you configure an activity, you can set timers that send a message to the
workflow supervisor if work does not appear to be flowing as it should. For
example, you might want the workflow supervisor to receive a warning if the
activity is not started within 12 hours of when the workflow started, or if the activity
has not been completed 4 hours after its start. When you create the activity, you
would provide these values (12 and 4) as the timer settings.
Workflow Manager supports two kinds of warning timers for activities:
• A pre-timer that alerts the workflow supervisor if an activity has not started
within a designated number of hours after the workflow starts
• A post-timer that alerts the workflow supervisor if an activity has not completed
within a designated number of hours after the activity starts
The task of checking the warning timers and sending the notices to the workflow
supervisor is performed by the dm_WfmsTimer system administration tool. The
dm_WfmsTimer tool is installed with the system administration tool suite. It is not
installed in the active state. If you intend to use warning timers in workflows, make
sure that your system administrator activates this job. When it is active, it runs by
default once an hour. Documentum Server documentation provides further
information about dm_WfmsTimer.
The workflow supervisor receives warning notifications in the form of an item in

their Inbox queue.
See “Setting Notifications” on page 52 for information on how to set notification

timers.

1.3.8 Defining Activity Transitions

When an activity has multiple outgoing flows, you may want packages sent to all of
the following activities, or you may want packages sent to only some of the
following activities depending on the outcome of the activity. For example, you
might give a performer who reviews the design of a new form the choice of
forwarding the design to the next reviewer or sending it back to the designer for
revision. You set up this branching logic by creating flows from this activity to the
two possible following activities, then allowing the performer to choose which path
to follow.
An activity's transition type defines how following activities are selected when the
activity is complete. There are three types of transitions:
• Select all connected activities

Packages are sent to all following activities linked to this activity, including both
forward flows and reject flows.
• Let performer select the next activities
The performer of this activity chooses which following activities to send
packages to at runtime.
• Select next activities based on conditions
Which activities receive packages is determined at runtime by evaluating a set of
transition conditions.
If the activity is a group activity that is, if the performer category is 4 (All users in
group) or 8 (Some users from a group) you specify how many members of the group
must complete the task before the server considers the overall activity complete and
forwards packages to the following activities. For example, if five users receive a
work item for an activity, you can specify that the activity is complete when any
three of them are done. Alternatively, you can require that all five users complete
the task.
If you let performers select the next activities, you can limit the number of following
activities the performer can select. For example, if an activity has three outgoing
flows, you can let the performer send packages to all three, or you can require the
performer to select just one or two of them.
If you let a group of performers select the next activities that is, if the performer
category is 4 or 8 and the transition option is Let performer select the next activity
you also need to advise the server about how to combine the performers' selections.
When a group selects activities, it is possible that some performers might select
forward activities while others select reject activities. Which activities should the
workflow engine start in this case? All of the selected activities, just the reject
activities, or just the forward activities? You can also decide to complete the activity
immediately whenever any performer selects a reject activity or a forward activity.
If you choose an conditional transition type, you must define at least one transition
condition for that activity.

1.3.8.1 Determining Transition Conditions

Transition conditions enable you to define activities that route packages differently
depending on the results of the activity. A transition condition is a logical condition
and one or more associated flows. When an activity is complete at runtime, the
server evaluates the activity's transition conditions to determine which following
activities to start as the next step in the workflow. It delivers packages to the
activities associated with the first transition condition that is TRUE. An activity can
have multiple transition conditions, although the server always selects just one the
first TRUE one at runtime.
For example, you could define an activity that routes a document differently
depending on whether the performer checked in a new version of the document.
The server uses the following logic to determine where to send the document next:
1 If
2 (New version checked in) then Route to activity Evaluate
Updates Else
3 Route to activity Continue Approval
Transition conditions must be Boolean expressions. They are typically used to check
attributes of the package's components, the containing workflow, or the last
completed work item. If the transition condition includes a reference to a repeating
attribute, the attribute must have at least one value or the condition generates an
error when evaluated.
When you use transition conditions, you always include an Else option. The Else
option is the action that the server takes if none of the transition conditions apply.
The Else option does not have a condition associated with it. An activity can only
have one Else case.
For information about defining transition conditions for an activity, see “Setting
Activity Transition Rules” on page 53.

Chapter 2
The Workflow Manager Window
Workflow Manager is a graphical tool for laying out and defining your workflow.
The Workflow Manager window is divided into two major panes:
• The left pane is the workflow template editor, which displays a graphical
representation of your workflow template as you create it
• The right pane contains the Activities palette and Workflow palette, which
display predefined activities and workflows that you can add to the template
You can control the size of the two panes by positioning the mouse over the border
between them and dragging the border to a new position.
A pair of arrows appears between the two panes. To expand one of the panes to fill
the window, click the arrow pointing away from the pane you want to expand. To
return the Workflow Manager to its two-pane view, click the arrow facing the other
direction, which now appears at the edge of the window.
A configurable toolbar appears across the top of the window, providing quick access
to common commands.
If the workflow is too large to display on the screen, you can use the Navigator to
view the complete workflow and specify which portion appears.

Chapter 2 The Workflow Manager Window
2.1 Workflow Manager Toolbar

Across the top of the window is a configurable toolbar that provides quick access to
common commands. To access a command from the toolbar, click the icon
corresponding to that command. To find out what command an icon corresponds to,
hold the mouse pointer over the icon without clicking it. A small box pops up
showing the name of the icon.
You control which icons appear in the toolbar using options on the View menu.
Workflow Manager offers four collections of toolbar icons:
• Standard toolbar icons provide access to commands from the File and Edit
menus
• Workflow toolbar icons enable you to create flows and to display the properties
of workflow objects
• Alignment toolbar icons provide quick access to the options for aligning objects
in the graphical display of the workflow template
• Display toolbar icons enable you to zoom in and out on the workflow template
editor pane and to turn the snap to grid option on or off
By default, the toolbar displays all icons except for the alignment icons.
To select which icons appear in the Workflow Manager toolbar:
1. From the View menu, select Toolbars.

2.2. Activities Palette
A submenu appears with the name of each available group of toolbar icons. The
groups currently appearing in the toolbar have a check mark next to their
names.
2. Select the group you want to add or remove from the toolbar.
If you select an unchecked option, that group of icons is added to the Workflow
Manager toolbar. If you select a checked option, the check mark is removed and
that group of icons are removed from the toolbar.
2.2 Activities Palette

The Activities palette displays predefined activities that you can drag and drop on to
the workflow template editor, adding them to the template. You control which
activities appear on the palette by specifying search conditions. You can search for
activities using these conditions:
• The name of cabinet where the activity is located

• The owner of the activity
• The activity name
• The state that the activity is in
You also have the option to enter a Documentum Query Language (DQL) statement
that selects activities.
To specify the activities in the Activities palette:
1. Select the Activities tab in the right pane of the Workflow Manager window to
display the Activities palette.
2. Click the Change Palette button located at the bottom of the palette.
The Change Activity in Palette dialog box appears.
3. Select the method you want to use to specify which activities appear on the
palette.
• Use activities in cabinet enables you to select activities based on their

cabinet location, owner, activity name, or definition state
• Use results from this query in the repository enables you to enter a DQL
statement that selects activities; skip to step 6 for this advanced option
4. If you selected Use activities in cabinet, use the drop-down list to choose which
cabinet contains the activities you want to appear in the palette.
The default is All cabinets, which does not restrict the palette to activities in a
single cabinet. The remaining options are the names of cabinets that contain
activities.
5. To further restrict the list of activities from the selected cabinet, fill in the
appropriate conditions:

• To display only activities owned by a particular user, select an operator from

the Owner's name drop-down list and enter a user name in the adjacent text
box. The operator specifies the relationship between the name of the activity
owner and the value that you enter in the text box.
• To display only activities with particular activity names, select an operator
from the Activity name drop-down list and enter a name or partial name in
the text box.
• To display only activities with a particular definition state, select the state
from the Definition state is drop-down list.
If you leave any of these fields blank, the list of activities will not be restricted
based on that criterion.
6. If you selected Use results from this query in the repository, enter a DQL
query in the adjacent text box.
The Activities palette will include all activities returned by the query.
7. Specify whether the selected activities replace or supplement the activities

currently displayed on the Activities palette.
• To replace the current list of activities with those selected in this dialog box,
select the Replace repository templates in palette check box.
• To add the selected activities to those already on the palette, do not select the
check box.
Note: The standard Workflow Manager activities remain on the palette

regardless of the option you choose. You can only replace user-defined
activities.
8. Click OK to close the dialog box.

The Activities palette displays the updated list of activities. A message box
appears, telling you how many activities were added or removed from the
palette.
9. Click OK to close the message box.
2.3 Workflow Palette

The Workflow palette displays predefined workflow templates that you can drag
and drop on to the workflow template editor, adding their activities and flows to the
new workflow template. You control which workflow templates appear on the
palette by specifying search conditions. You can search for templates using these
conditions:
• The name of cabinet where the workflow template is located

• The owner of the workflow template
• The workflow template name

2.3. Workflow Palette
• The state that the workflow template is in
You also have the option to enter a Documentum Query Language (DQL) statement
that selects workflow templates.
To specify the workflows in the Workflow palette:
1. Select the Workflow tab in the right pane of the Workflow Manager window to
display the Workflow palette.
2. Click the Change Palette button located at the bottom of the palette.
The Change Workflow in Palette dialog box appears.
3. Select the method you want to use to specify which workflow templates appear
on the palette.
• Use workflow templates in cabinet enables you to select workflow

templates based on their cabinet location, owner, name, or definition state
• Use results from this query in the repository enables you to enter a
Documentum Query Language (DQL) statement that selects workflow
templates; skip to step 6 for this advanced option
4. If you selected Use workflow templates in cabinet, use the drop-down list to
choose which cabinet contains the templates you want to appear in the palette.
The default is All cabinets, which does not restrict the palette to templates in a
single cabinet. The remaining options are the names of cabinets that contain
workflow templates.
5. To further restrict the list of workflow templates from the selected cabinet, fill in
the appropriate conditions:
• To display only templates owned by a particular user, select an operator

from the Owner's name drop-down list and enter a user name in the
adjacent text box. The operator specifies the relationship between the name
of the workflow template owner and the value that you enter in the text box.
• To display only templates with particular names, select an operator from the
Workflow name drop-down list and enter a name or partial name in the text
box.
• To display only templates with a particular definition state, select the state
from the Definition state is drop-down list.
If you leave any of these fields blank, the list of workflow templates will not be
restricted based on that criterion.
6. If you selected Use results from this query in the repository, enter a DQL
query in the adjacent text box.
The Workflow palette will include all workflow templates returned by the
query.

7. Specify whether the selected workflow templates replace or supplement the

templates currently displayed on the Workflow palette.
• To replace the current list of workflow templates with those selected in this
dialog box, select the Replace repository templates in palette check box.
• To add the selected templates to those already on the palette, do not select
the check box.
Note: The standard Workflow Manager workflow templates remain on

the palette regardless of the option you choose. You can only replace user-
defined templates.
8. Click OK to close the dialog box.
The Workflow palette displays the updated list of workflow templates. A
message box appears, telling you how many templates were added or removed
from the palette.
9. Click OK to close the message box.
2.4 Workflow Template Editor Pane

The workflow template editor pane is the area where you layout the workflow. To
define a workflow, drag activities or other workflows from the palettes into the
workflow template editor, connect them with flows, then define the properties of the
activities and flows. See “Creating Templates” on page 32 for more information.
The procedures you follow to control the visual layout of a workflow are similar to
those in other graphical layout software.
• To add objects to the workflow template, drag an activity or workflow from the
palette and drop it in the workflow template editor pane. The object is added to
the template at the location where you release the mouse button.
• To move objects within the workflow template, select them and drag them to
their new location. When you move an activity that has flows connecting it to
other activities, the arrows representing the flows move along with the activity.
Flows cannot be moved on their own.
• To remove objects from the workflow template, select them and click the Delete
Selected Objects icon from the toolbar or select Delete from the Edit menu.
•
To copy activities, select them and click the Copy icon from the toolbar or
select Copy from the Edit menu. To add the new copy to the template, click the
Paste icon from the toolbar or select Paste from the Edit menu.
• To see the actions that are available for a given object, select the object then right-
click on it. A context menu appears at the location of the mouse cursor, showing
the available actions.
These actions require you to select the objects you want to act on.

2.4. Workflow Template Editor Pane
To select one or more objects in the workflow template editor pane:
1. With the Select Objects icon in the toolbar selected, click the visual
representation of the object in the workflow template editor pane.
A set of black boxes appears around the object, indicating that it is selected.
Clicking the object a second time de-selects it and removes the black boxes.
2. To select additional objects, hold down the Shift key as you click each of the
objects.
If you do not hold down the Shift key, selecting one object automatically de-
selects any previously selected objects.
3. To select all objects in the template, select Select All from the Edit menu.
2.4.1 Aligning activities

The Alignment options enable you to position workflow activities precisely. You can
align activities vertically or horizontally by their left or right edges, top or bottom
edges, or by their center points.
To align activities:
1. Select the activities you want to align.

You must have two or more activities selected to enable the Alignment options.
See “Workflow Template Editor Pane” on page 26 for information about how to
select activities.
2. If the alignment toolbar is active, click the icon corresponding to the alignment
option you want.
The available alignment options are:
• Align top edges
• Align vertical centers
• Align bottom edges
• Align left edges
• Align horizontal centers
• Align right edges
If you choose to align the top edges of your activities, the highest or topmost
activity determines the placement of the other activities; that is, the selected
activities will move up to be in alignment with the topmost activity. Similarly, if

you choose to align the bottom edges of your activities, the lowest or
bottommost activity determines the placement of the other activities. This is also
true for left and right alignment.
3. If the alignment toolbar is not active, select Alignment from the Edit menu.
The Task Alignment dialog box displays.
4. Select the icon that represents the alignment you want.
5. Click OK.
2.4.2 Snap to grid

The snap to grid option provides added precision for aligning workflow activities
and flows.
When the snap to grid option is turned on, a grid appears in the background of the
workflow template editor. Each square in the grid measures a third of an inch. When
you move activities or flows in the editor, they will automatically align themselves
with the grid, making it easier to align objects with each other. Turning on snap to
grid does not effect the layout of existing objects in the template.
When the snap to grid option is turned off, the grid does not appear and objects are
placed exactly where you drop them. Turn the option off when you want to have
fine control over the position of the objects.
To turn on or off snap to grid:
• Select Snap To Grid from the View menu or click the Snap to Grid icon in the
toolbar .
2.4.3 Zooming in or out

If the Display toolbar buttons are active, the current level of zooming appears in a
box between the Zoom In icon and the Zoom Out icon . Each time you click
the Zoom In or Zoom Out icon, Workflow Manager zooms in or out by one
magnification level.
To zoom in or zoom out on a workflow template:
1. Expand the drop-down list next to the Zoom In icon, or select Zoom from the
View menu.
2. Select one of the zoom levels:
• 200%
(Highest magnification)
• 150%

2.5. Navigator
• 100%
(Normal viewing default)
• 75%
• 50%
• Last
Toggles between the current zoom option and your previous zoom setting
• Width
Sizes the workflow template so that its full width fits within the visual
dimensions of the workflow template editor pane
• Fit
Magnifies or shrinks the appearance of your workflow template so that it fits
within the visible dimensions of the workflow template editor pane
2.5 Navigator
When you are defining a workflow template, the graphical representation can easily
grow beyond a size that can be displayed on the screen all at one time. The
workflow template editor automatically scrolls as you add objects and create a larger
layout.
The Navigator enables you to control which portion of a large template appears on
the screen.
To navigate to the portion of a template to display on screen:
1. Select Navigator from the View menu, or click the Navigator icon in the toolbar
.
The Navigator window appears in the right pane of the Workflow Manager
window. It displays a reduced representation of the current workflow template
with a gray box around the section currently displayed on the screen.
2. To change which area of the workflow template appears on screen, drag the
gray box in the Navigator window so that it is over the area you want to appear
in the editor. The editor pane scrolls to the selected location when you release
the mouse button.

Chapter 3
Working with Workflow Templates
Workflow templates represent the business process through which a given object or
set of objects flows. They define the overall workflow from beginning to end. You
create workflow templates in Workflow Manager, then make them available for
users to create individual workflow instances from.
There are three possible states for workflow templates: draft, validated, and
installed. The current state of the open template appears in the title bar of the
Workflow Manager window.
A template in the draft state has not been validated since it was created or last
modified. A template in the validated state has passed the server's validation checks,
which ensure that the template is correctly defined. A template in the installed state
is ready for use in an active workflow.
This chapter explains how to create templates, validate them, and install them. The
topics are:
• “Opening Existing Templates” on page 31

• “Creating Templates” on page 32
• “Setting Template Properties” on page 34
• “Saving Templates” on page 35
• “Validating Templates” on page 37
• “Installing Templates” on page 37
• “Modifying Templates” on page 38
• “Printing Workflow Templates” on page 39
3.1 Opening Existing Templates

You can open an existing template in order to review it, revise it, or save it under a
new name as a starting point for a new workflow.
Note: If you plan to revise a workflow template and want to save the updated
template as a new version in the repository, you must check out the workflow
template before opening it.
To open a workflow template in Workflow Manager:
1. From the File menu, select Open.

The Open Workflow Template dialog box appears.

Chapter 3 Working with Workflow Templates
2. Navigate to the workflow template by double-clicking on cabinet and folder

names until the template name appears in the list box.
3. Double-click the template name, or highlight it and click Open.
3.2 Creating Templates

The procedure below provides an overview of creating templates. Several of the
steps provide links to other topics where you can find more detail about the task
described by that step.
To create a workflow template:
1. Design the business process and the workflow that implements it.
For details about designing workflows, see “Planning Workflow Activities”
on page 11.
2. Select File > New.
The new template includes Initiate and End tasks.
Notes
• If you choose to create a workflow template while modifying an existing

workflow template, Workflow Manager closes the template. However, if
the existing template contains unsaved changes, a message prompts you
to save the changes before closing it.
• To create a template based on an existing template, open the existing
template and save it with a new name.
3. Set the template properties.
See “Setting Template Properties” on page 34 for details.
4. To add flows and activities from an existing template, select the existing
template and drag it on to the workflow template editor pane.
a. Click the Workflow tab in the right pane to display the Workflow palette.
b. Select the workflow template you want to serve as the basis for the new
template.
If the template you want does not appear on the palette, see “Workflow
Palette” on page 24.
c. Drag the template on to the workflow template editor pane.
All activities and flows from the selected template appear in the editor
pane. However, the flow is not linked to the Initiate or End tasks.
5. Drag and drop activities from the Activities palette on to the workflow template
editor pane until you have one activity for each task in your workflow.
• To add a new activity that will be performed manually by a person, select

the default Activity that appears at the top of the Activities palette.

3.2. Creating Templates
• To add a new automatic activity, select the default Auto-Activity.

• To add a copy of an activity previously defined, select that activity from the
Activities palette. If the activity you want does not appear on the Activities
palette, see “Activities Palette” on page 23.
6. Connect each activity to the activity that precedes it in the logical flow.
The first activity in the workflow must be connected to the Initiate task, and the
last activity must be connected to the End task.
To connect two activities, select one of the flow icons described below, move
your mouse over the first activity until you see its selection box, then drag the
mouse to the second activity. Release the mouse button when you see the
selection box for the second activity. Workflow Manager draws a line between
the activities.
You connect activities using one of three Create Flow icons in the Workflow
Manager toolbar:
• To connect activities in a forward movement of data, click either the Create

Single Segment Flow icon or the Create Multi-Segment Flow icon .
The difference between the two is visual: one draws a straight line to
represent the flow between activities, the other draws a line consisting of
multiple segments.
• To connect activities in a backward movement of data, click the Create Reject
Flow icon . Reject flows represent the path taken when the user of an
activity rejects the object being processed.
7. Configure each flow line, specifying the package that the workflow routes.
See “Setting Package Requirements” on page 60 for details about configuring
flows. Do not add a package to the flow connecting the final activity to the End
task.
8. Configure each activity.

See “Working with Activities“ on page 41 for details about configuring
activities.
9. Adjust the visual layout as necessary.

For information about the options available for laying out the workflow
template display, see “Workflow Template Editor Pane” on page 26.
10. Save the workflow template.

See “Saving Templates” on page 35.
11. Validate the workflow template.

See “Validating Templates” on page 37.
12. Install the workflow template.

See “Installing Templates” on page 37. Once you have installed the template,
it is available to users.
3.3 Setting Template Properties

You use the Template Properties dialog box to provide basic information about the
workflow you are creating. The original creator and current state of the workflow
template display at the top of the dialog box in display-only fields.
To set workflow template properties:
1. From the File menu, select Template Properties, or click the Template
Properties icon on the toolbar .

2. To change the owner of the workflow template, click the Change button that
appears next to the owner name and select a user from the dialog box that
appears.
You are the default owner of any templates you create. You can only change the
owner if you are a superuser. If you are not a superuser, the Change button is
not available.
3. Enter a description of the workflow template in the Description (subject) text
box.
4. To change the default alias set for this workflow template, click the Change
button that appears next to the current alias set.
For more information about alias sets and how they are used in workflow, see
“Using Aliases” on page 15.
• To choose an existing alias set, check Choose from existing alias sets, select
the name of the alias set from the drop-down list, and click OK.
• To create a new alias set, check Create new alias set, type the name and
description of the new alias set, and click OK.
• To remove the currently assigned default alias set, check Remove alias set.
5. Enter instructions for the performer in the Workflow template instructions
(title) box.
For example, you can give performers of all activities specific instructions
relating to tasks they are expected to perform.
6. Turn on or off the template audit trail setting by clicking the appropriate option.
For more information about auditing in Documentum, see the Documentum
Administration and Configuration Guide.
7. Specify whether Workflow Manager should ask whether to validate or install
the template when you save it.
Before a workflow template is available to users, it must be validated and
installed. If you select the Always show validate and install prompts after save

3.4. Saving Templates
check box, Workflow Manager displays prompts whenever you save the
template, asking whether you want to validate and install the template. If the
check box is not selected, the prompts do not display, and you need to validate
and install the template as separate steps.
8. Click OK.
3.4 Saving Templates

When you have completed a workflow template, you must save it before you can
validate and install it. Saving the template copies your changes to the repository.
The process of saving differs depending on whether you are saving changes to an
existing template or saving a template with a new name. You can only save
workflow templates that are in a draft state or a validated state, and you must have
at least Write permission on the template. The current state of the template appears
in the Workflow Manager title bar. If the Save options are grayed out on the File
menu, it may mean that the template has been installed. You must uninstall it before
you can make any changes to it.
To save a new workflow template or save an existing template with a new

name:
1. From File menu, select Save As.

The Save Workflow Template As dialog box appears.
Note: If the current workflow template has not been previously saved,
selecting Save has the same effect.
2. Enter a name for the workflow template.
3. To create a folder in which to store the template and its associated objects, make
sure the Create new folder for associated items check box is selected.
The check box is selected by default. Workflow Manager saves the template in a
folder with the same name as the template, located under the folder you select
in the next step.
If the check box is de-selected, Workflow Manager saves the template directly in
the folder you select in the next step.
4. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the template by double-clicking
on cabinets and directories in the Save in box until you have highlighted the
folder name.
The complete path to the folder appears in the gray text box at the bottom of the
dialog box.
5. Click OK.
If you have sufficient permissions on the selected folder, Workflow Manager
saves the template.

If installation and validation prompts are set to display, a dialog box appears
asking whether you want to validate the template. (Installation and validation
prompts are set on or off in the Template Properties dialog box; see “Setting
Template Properties” on page 34.)
6. Choose whether to validate the workflow template.

See “Validating Templates” on page 37 for more information about validating
templates. If you choose to validate the template, Workflow Manager attempts
the validation. If validation fails, a dialog box appears telling you so. Click the
Details button to see the error that prevented validation.
If the validation is successful, a dialog box appears asking whether you want to
install the template, making it available for use.
7. Choose whether to install the workflow template.

See “Installing Templates” on page 37 for more information about installing
templates.
To save an updated workflow template:
1. From File menu, select Save.

If the current workflow template has been previously saved and is not checked
out of the repository, Workflow Manager updates the saved file.
If the workflow template has been checked out of the repository, a dialog box
appears asking if you want to save the changes to the current version or check
in a new version.
2. Click the Save button to save changes to the current version or the Check In
button to create a new version.
Either option removes the checked-out status of the workflow template.
If installation and validation prompts are set to display, a dialog box appears
asking whether you want to validate the template. (Installation and validation
prompts are set on or off in the Template Properties dialog box; see “Setting
Template Properties” on page 34.)
3. Choose whether to validate the workflow template.

See “Validating Templates” on page 37 for more information about validating
templates. If you choose to validate the template, Workflow Manager attempts
the validation. If validation fails, a dialog box appears telling you so. Click the
Details button to see the error that prevented validation.
If the validation is successful, a dialog box appears asking whether you want to
install the template, making it available for use.
4. Choose whether to install the workflow template.

See “Installing Templates” on page 37 for more information about installing
templates.

3.5. Validating Templates
3.5 Validating Templates

Validating a template verifies that the process defined in the template meets system
requirements.
You can validate a template at any time by selecting Validate from the File menu. If
installation and validation prompts are set to display, a dialog box appears when
you save asking whether you want to validate the template. Installation and
validation prompts are set on or off in the Template Properties dialog box; see
“Setting Template Properties” on page 34.
If validation fails, a dialog box appears telling you so. Click the Details button to see
the error that prevented validation. If the validation is successful, a dialog box
appears asking whether you want to install the template, making it available for use.
Please note that any errors that occur will refer to activities by their names. If you
label activities with the performer name, you might want to temporarily change the
display setting to Name in order to locate the activity. See “Changing Display
Settings” on page 57 for information about this display setting.
You can only validate if your open template is in the draft state and you have Write
permission, or your template is in run-time mode and you have at least Relate
permission.
Validating a workflow template verifies that:
• The referenced activities have unique names within the template

• There is at least one Begin activity and only one End activity
• There is a path through the workflow from each activity to the End activity
• All package definitions are valid
• All referenced objects exist as local objects
3.6 Installing Templates

A workflow template must be installed before it is available for use in an active
workflow. You can only install a template if it is in the validated state and you have
Write permission, or it is in run-time mode and you have at least Relate permission.
The current state of the open template appears in the title bar of the Workflow
Manager window. If it is not validated, select Validate from the File menu. See
“Validating Templates” on page 37 for more information.
If you need to make changes to an installed template, you must uninstall it first. Any
active workflows based on the template are halted. After making the changes,
validate and install the template again.
When you reinstall, you can choose how you want to handle any workflows that
were halted when you uninstalled the template. You can choose to resume the
halted workflows at the point from which they were halted. Or, you can choose to

abort the workflows. Which option you choose depends on the changes you made to
the workflow. Perhaps you added an activity that you want to perform on all objects
in the workflow. In that case, you abort the workflows and then start each again. The
default behavior is to resume all halted workflows that reference that template.
To install a workflow template:
• From the File menu, select Install.

If the Install option is grayed out, it means the template is currently installed.
If there are any halted workflows based on this workflow template, you are
given the option to resume or halt them. Click one of the following:
• Click Yes to resume the halted workflows.

If you resume a halted workflow that is based on a workflow template to
which you have made significant changes, incompatibilities between the old
workflow template and the changed workflow template may result in the
workflow being placed in an undefined state.
• Click No to abort the halted workflows.
To uninstall a workflow template:
1. From the File menu, select Uninstall.

You can only uninstall if the template is in the installed state and you have
Write permission, or the template is in run-time mode and you have at least
Relate permission.
If any users are running workflows based on this template, a warning message
appears telling you there are active workflow instances.
2. If you see the warning message, click Yes to halt the workflows or No to cancel
the uninstall process.
3. Click Yes to confirm that you want to uninstall this workflow template and all
of its activities.
4. Click OK to clear the message box telling you that the process is complete.
3.7 Modifying Templates

You can change a workflow template by changing its process flow or activity
definitions. When you change a workflow template, you can either overwrite the
existing template with the changes or create a new version of the template. Any
changes you make are governed by object-level permissions.
To make changes to a workflow template and save the changes without versioning,
you must uninstall the template. To uninstall a template requires Relate permission
on the template or sysadmin or superuser privileges. To save your changes requires
Write permission.
To create a new version of a workflow template, you must check out the template
before you begin modifying it. You must have at least Version permission on the

3.8. Printing Workflow Templates
template. You can create a new version of a template without uninstalling the
current version. Versioning a workflow template has no impact on the running
workflows based on the previous version of the template.
When you save or check in your changes, the server sets the new version to the draft
state. The new version must be validated and installed before you can start a
workflow based on it.
See also “Saving Templates” on page 35.
3.8 Printing Workflow Templates

You can print a copy of the workflow template at any time.
To print a workflow template:
1. Open the workflow template you want to print.
2. Verify that the page setup options are as you want them.
See “Setting page setup options” on page 40 for information about these
options.
3. Click the Print Template Layout icon in the toolbar, or select Print from the File
menu.
The Print dialog box appears.
4. From the Name list, choose the name of the printer to which you want to print.
5. To change the properties of your printer, click Properties and update the
settings.
Refer to the documentation for your printer for information about the printer
properties.
6. To print your workflow template to a file rather than to the printer, select the
Print to file check box.
7. To print more than one copy of the workflow template, enter the number of
copies you want from the Number of copies box.
Note: The controls in the Print range box are grayed out except for the All
radio button. You cannot print portions of the template, only the complete
template.
8. Click OK.
If you elected to print to a file, the Print to File dialog box appears. Otherwise,
the workflow template is sent to the printer you selected.
9. In the Print to File dialog box, enter the name of the file to create, including the
full path.

3.8.1 Setting page setup options

The page setup options determine how the workflow template is printed. As you
make your selections the changes display in the right pane of the dialog box so that
you can preview your settings before printing your workflow.
To change page setup options:
1. From the File menu, choose Page Setup.

The Page Setup dialog box appears.
2. Choose the paper size for printed versions of the workflow template.
The Paper Format box offers six standard sizes. The dimensions for each format
display either in inches or in centimeters, depending on the unit of
measurement selected in the Margins field. The paper format options are:
• US Letter (8.5 x 11 inches)

• US Legal (8.5 x 14 inches)
• US Executive (7.25 x 10.5 inches)
• A3 (29.69 x 42.01 centimeters)
• A4 (21 x 29.7 centimeters)
• A5 (14.8 x 21 centimeters)
3. Specify whether to print pages in landscape or portrait orientation.
4. Enter the margins for the printed pages.

You can enter the measurement in inches or centimeters with up to two decimal
places, such as 1.25 inches or 4.44 centimeters.
5. Set the size of the workflow template printout.

The Printout Size options are:
• Actual size
The printout will be the same size as the workflow template display in
Workflow Manager.
• Same as paper size
The size of the workflow template will be adjusted so that it fits on a single
page of the size and orientation you specified in steps 2 and 3.
• Fit to
The size of the workflow template will be adjusted so that it fits on a
specified number of pages across and down. If you select this option, you
must enter a number in each of the two adjacent text boxes.
6. Click OK to save the page setup options and exit from this dialog box, or click
Print to print the current template with these settings.

Chapter 4
Working with Activities
Activities are the tasks that comprise the workflow. Most of the configuration of the
workflow relates to configuring its activities. For information about planning the
configuration of workflow activities, see “Planning Workflow Activities” on page 11.
You configure activities using the Activity Inspector. You access the Activity
Inspector by double-clicking on an activity in the workflow template editor pane, or
by selecting one or more activities and choosing Activity Inspector from the Tools
menu. There is also an Activity Inspector icon on the toolbar.
The Activity Inspector has several tabs, each corresponding to one aspect of activity
configuration:
• The Performer tab enables you to select who performs the activity and what
actions the performers have available to them; see “Selecting Performers”
on page 42 for details.
• The Definition tab sets the priority for automatic activities and lets you provide
instructions for manual performers; see “Setting Activity Definitions”
on page 50.
• The Trigger tab settings determine when the activity starts; see “Setting Activity
Triggers” on page 51.
• The Notification tab sets timers to warn the workflow supervisor if work bogs
down; see “Setting Notifications” on page 52.
• The Transition tab settings determine which activities come next in the
workflow; see “Setting Activity Transition Rules” on page 53.
• The Display tab controls how the activity appears in the visual display of the
workflow template; see “Changing Display Settings” on page 57.
The name of the activity you are configuring appears in the text box at the top of the
Activity Inspector. Each activity must have a unique name within the template. To
change the activity name, enter the new name in the text box, replacing the previous
name. If more than one activity is selected, arrow buttons appear on either side of
the text box, enabling you to scroll through the selected activities. The settings you
make apply to the activity whose name appears in the box, unless you select the
Apply to all selected option.
When multiple activities are selected, each tab in the Activity Inspector displays one
or more check boxes labeled Apply to all selected. When this check box is selected,
Workflow Manager applies the associated settings that is, those settings that appear
to the right of the check box to all selected activities, not just the one whose name
appears in the text box at the top. For example, you can select multiple activities and

Chapter 4 Working with Activities
choose the same performer for all of them at once. Any settings for which the check
box is not selected apply only to the current activity.
4.1 Selecting Performers

The first task when defining an activity is to specify who performs the activity.
Activities can be performed manually by an individual, group, or alias that you
identify, or automatically by a workflow method. For manual tasks, you can select
specific performers or allow the workflow participants to choose performers. For
automatic tasks you must specify a user whose permissions the automatic task takes
on.
To select performers for an activity:
1. In the Activity Inspector, select the Performer tab.
2. In the box labeled The activity's work is performed, select manual or automatic
performers.
• To choose a manual performer, select By one or more manual performers.

• To choose an automatic performer, select Automatically on behalf of a
performer.
3. Click the Select Performer button to display the wizard for selecting the
performer for this activity.
• To choose one or more manual performers, see “Choosing manual

performers” on page 43.
• To choose the user whose permissions are used for an automatic activity, see
“Choosing automatic performers” on page 49.
4. If you selected one or more manual performers, choose what actions the
performer can or must perform.
• To enable the performer to pass the task to another user or group, select
Delegate the activity's work to someone else. When you select this option,
you must also specify where the task is sent if the user to whom the
performer delegates it is also unavailable. The task can be forwarded to the
workflow supervisor or returned to the original performer.
• To enable the performer to choose another user or group to also perform this
task, select Have someone else repeat the activity's work.
• To require that the performer sign off when the activity is complete, select
Performer's sign-off required when finished.
For details about the delegation and extension options, see “Enabling
Delegation and Extension” on page 15.
5. If you selected an automatic activity, set the execution parameters.

4.1. Selecting Performers
a. Choose the action to automatically perform from the Execute this method
automatically drop-down list. The actions in the drop-down list are
workflow methods.
Note: To make a custom method available here, the attribute

a_special_app must be set. a_special_app is a dm_sysobject attribute
reserved for use by Documentum products. This attribute must have
the value Workflow. Documentum Server documentation provides
more details.
b. To save an execution log when the automatic method runs, select Yes for
Save Execution Results.
c. Specify how long the workflow server tries to run this method before
quitting. Enter a number of seconds in the Method times out in box.
d. Decide whether the workflow will stop or continue if the workflow method
encounters problems. Selecting Stop Execution causes the task to be placed
in a paused state and be reassigned to the workflow supervisor. Selecting
Continue Execution causes the task to be placed in an acquired state and
forces the completion of the task.
Note: We recommend choosing Stop execution for any automatic

activity that has other activities following it.
6. Click Apply to save your updates without closing the Activity Inspector, or
click OK to save your updates and close the Activity Inspector.
4.1.1 Choosing manual performers

The steps required to choose manual performers for an activity depends on two key
factors:
• Whether there is a single performer for the activity or multiple performers

• Whether you identify the actual users now, as part of the template, or use aliases
For details about the options for choosing manual performers, see “Choosing
Performers” on page 12.
To choose one or more manual performers for an activity:
1. On the Activity Inspector's Performer tab, select By one or more manual

performers and click the Select Performer button.
The Select Performer dialog box appears.
2. From the drop-down list, choose the user or group that will perform this
activity.
You can choose a specific user or group, or you can choose an option that
determines the specific user when the workflow runs. The options are:
• Workflow supervisor

The activity will be performed by the workflow supervisor, which by default

is the user who starts the workflow
• Repository owner
The activity will be performed by the user who owns the repository
• Previous activity's performer
The activity will be performed by the same user who performed the
previous activity in the workflow
• Specific user
The activity will be performed by a user specifically chosen
• All users in group
The activity will be performed by all of the members of a specific group
• Single user from group
The activity will be performed by a single member of a specific group
• Some users from a group
The activity will be performed by some members of a specific group, but not
all
• Multiple sequential performers
The activity will be performed by multiple users one after the other
The rest of the procedure differs depending on the option you choose. If you
chose any options other than the first three, a box labeled Define Performer(s)
appears on the screen. You select an option in this box to specify how the
specific performers of this activity will be selected.
If you chose any of the first three options, the specific user will be determined
when the workflow runs. Click Finish and ignore the rest of this procedure.
3. If you chose Multiple sequential performers, specify whether each performer
of this activity has the right to reject the package they receive and return it to the
performer who preceded them in the sequence.
Sequential performers do not have this option by default. To grant them the
option, click the check box immediately below theSelect Performer(s) box.
4. If you chose Single user from group, specify which user in the selected group
will perform the activity.
You will select the group in the next step. To specify which single user from that
group will perform the activity, choose one of the options from the Select User
From Group By box:
• First to acquire the work item

When the preceding activity completes, a work item is added to the Inbox of
every user in the group. The first user who acquires the work item from their
Inbox is the performer; the work items are removed from the other user's
Inboxes.

• Least amount of unfinished work items

When the preceding activity completes, a work item is added to the Inbox of
the user who has the smallest number of unfinished tasks in his or her Inbox.
5. Specify whether you will choose the performers for this activity now or have
them determined dynamically when the workflow is underway.
Choose an option from the Define Performer(s) box:
• Assign performer(s) now

You will select the specific user or group as part of the workflow template
• Have performer(s) of activity <activity name> determine the performer for
this activity <activity name>
The performer(s) of the preceding activity will select the performer(s) of this
activity when the workflow is run. If this activity has multiple preceding
activities, select from the drop-down list which activity's performer selects
the performer for this activity.
• Define performer alias (performer(s) will be assigned when workflow is
underway)
The performer of this activity will be determined by an alias set. You will
specify which alias set is used in the next steps. This option is not available if
you selected Some users from a group or Multiple sequential performers.
6. Click Next to continue.

The steps required to complete this procedure depend on the option you chose.
• “Assign performer(s) now” on page 45

• “Have performer(s) of <activity> determine performer(s) of this activity”
on page 46
• “Define performer alias (performer(s) will be assigned when workflow is
underway)” on page 48
4.1.1.1 Assign performer(s) now

• If you selected Single user on the previous screen, highlight the name of a group
or <All users> in the Groups list box, then select the performer of this activity
from the users in the selected group from the Users in Group list box. After
selecting a user, click Finish.
• If you selected All users in group or Single user from group on the previous
screen, select a group from the Groups list box, then click Finish.
• If you selected Some users from a group or Multiple sequential performers,
you can designate multiple users, groups, or alias names to perform the activity.
See the procedure in the topic “Have performer(s) of <activity> determine
performer(s) of this activity” on page 46 for details about the options that
appear when you click Next.

Note: Because you chose Assign users now, the server will select all users
in the list you build as performers, not use the list to provide a selection list
to the performer of a previous activity as described in the topic “Have
performer(s) of <activity> determine performer(s) of this activity”
on page 46.
4.1.1.2 Have performer(s) of <activity> determine performer(s) of this

activity
This feature is also known as dynamic performer selection. This option gives the
performer of one activity the ability to choose which users will perform the next
activity in the workflow. At runtime, the performer of the activity can choose one or
more users from the group you specify.
If you selected Some users from a group or Multiple sequential performers, you
can designate a combination of multiple users, groups, or alias names from which
the performer of the previous activity can choose at runtime. If you selected any of
the other performer types, no further definition of the performer is necessary. This
page does not appear.
For more information about aliases and alias sets, see “Using Aliases” on page 15.
To select users and groups:
1. Select one or more of the options for selecting users.

If you select more than one option, the dialog pages for each option appear in
sequential order.
The options are:
• Specific users and/or groups

You will select the user and group names now.
• Performer alias(es) which will be resolved by the workflow initiator
You will select alias sets and aliases for which the workflow initiator will
provide specific user and group names when starting the workflow.
• Performer alias(es) which will be resolved at run-time from the alias set
You will select the alias sets and aliases that the server will use at runtime to
determine the actual users and groups.
2. Click Next.
3. If you chose Specific users and/or groups, select the names of the groups or
users who can perform this activity.
a. Highlight the user or group name in the list on the left and click Add to add
it to the Selection List on the right.
b. Repeat step a for each user or group you want to add.
c. When the Selection List includes all the users and groups you want, click
Next or Finish (depending on whether you chose other options at step 1).

4. If you chose Performer alias(es) which will be resolved by the workflow

initiator and have not yet defined a default alias set for this workflow, choose
one.
• To choose an existing alias set, click Choose from existing alias sets and
select an alias set from the drop-down list. The list includes alias sets in the
repository to which you are currently connected and on which you have
Write permission.
• To choose a new alias set, click Create new alias set and enter a name and
description for the alias set. The server will create a new alias set using the
information you enter on this page and the next.
Click Next when you have identified the alias set.
5. If you chose Performer alias(es) which will be resolved by the workflow

initiator, identify one or more aliases for which the workflow initiator needs to
enter values for when starting the workflow.
a. Specify whether you will Create a new performer alias or Use an existing,
undefined performer alias. An existing, undefined alias is an alias that
appears in the alias set but does not have a specific user name assigned to it
in the alias set.
b. To create a new performer alias, enter a name and description for the alias,
then click Add to add it to the Selection List.
c. To use an existing performer alias, select the appropriate alias from the
Existing performer alias drop-down list, then click Add to add it to the
Selection List. Optionally, you can modify the description of the alias so
that its purpose is clear to the workflow initiator.
d. When the Selection List includes all the aliases you want, click Next or
Finish (depending on whether you chose the final option at step 1).
6. If you chose Performer alias(es) which will be resolved at run-time from the
alias set, select the aliases that the server will resolve from selected alias sets.
a. Select an alias set from the Alias Set list, then a specific alias from the list
below it.
b. Click Add to add the alias to the Selection List.
c. Repeat steps a and b for each alias you want to include.
7. Click Finish.

4.1.1.3 Define performer alias (performer(s) will be assigned when

workflow is underway)
When you select this option, you need to specify which alias set and alias the
workflow server will use at runtime to determine the actual person to perform this
activity. First you choose an alias set, then identify a specific alias within that set.
For more information about aliases and alias sets, see “Using Aliases” on page 15.
To identify the alias set and alias for the performer:
1. Select which alias set to use to resolve the alias.

The options are:
• Default alias set (workflow initiator will resolve when workflow is

started)
The server refers to the alias set defined as the default for this workflow. The
default alias set is defined on the Template Properties dialog box; if no alias
set has been selected, you will have a chance to set it on the next page.
• Specific alias set
The server refers to the alias set whose name you select from the adjacent
drop-down list. The list includes alias sets in the repository to which you are
currently connected and on which you have Write permission.
• Alias set of document in package
The server refers to the alias set assigned to a document in a package that
this activity receives. Select which package's alias set to use from the
adjacent drop-down list. If you choose<Any>, the server will scan through
the alias sets of all packages until it finds the first match to the specific alias
you will identify at step 4.
• Alias set of previous performer
The server refers to the alias set assigned to the performer of the previous
activity. Use this option, for example, if this activity needs to be performed
by the Manager of the previous activity's performer. If, at runtime, the
previous performer does not have an associated alias set, the server will use
the alias set belonging to the previous performer's group. If the group does
not have an alias either, the failed activity task is sent to the workflow
supervisor.
2. Click Next.
If you chose Default alias set but have not yet selected a default alias set for this
workflow, you need to choose an alias set.
If you chose one of the other options or have already set the workflow's default
alias set, clicking Next takes you to a page where you can choose the specific
alias within that set. Skip step 3.
3. If you have not yet defined a default alias set for this workflow, choose one.

• To choose an existing alias set, click Choose from existing alias sets and
select an alias set from the drop-down list. The list includes alias sets in the
repository to which you are currently connected and on which you have
Write permission.
• To choose a new alias set, click Create new alias set and enter a name and
description for the alias set. The server will create a new alias set using the
information you enter on this page and the next.
Click Next when you have identified the alias set.
4. Identify the specific alias within the selected alias set.

If you chose a specific alias set at step 2, the Performer Alias drop-down list
includes the aliases defined in that alias set.
If you chose an alias set that will be selected at run time, such as the previous
performer's alias set, the Performer Alias drop-down list is empty. Type the
name of the alias in the box, making sure that the name exactly matches the
name in the alias set that the server will find. If at runtime the server does not
find a match between the performer alias and the available aliases in the alias
set, the activity task is returned to the workflow supervisor along with a
notification.
5. Click Finish.
4.1.2 Choosing automatic performers

The performer for automatic activities must resolve to single user. This requirement
limits your choices for automatic activities to the following user categories:
• The workflow supervisor (the workflow initiator by default)

• The repository owner
• The performer of the previous activity
• A particular user
If you select any of the first three, the server determines the actual user at runtime.
To choose the user whose security access is used for an automatic activity:
1. On the Activity Inspector's Performer tab, select Automatically on behalf of a

performer and click the Select Performer button.
The Select Performer dialog box appears.
2. Choose which user's security access will be used by the automatic activity:
• Workflow supervisor
The automatic activity will use the permissions of the workflow supervisor,
which by default is the user who starts the workflow.
• Repository owner

The automatic activity will use the permissions of the repository owner.
• Previous activity's performer
The automatic activity will use the permissions of the user who performed
the previous activity in the workflow.
• Specific user
The automatic activity will use the permissions of a user you choose in the
next step.
3. If you chose Specific user, select the user whose permissions will be used.
a. Click the Choose button to display the Select User dialog box.
b. In the Groups list box, highlight the name of a group or <All users>. The
users in the selected group appear in the Users in Group list box.
c. Select the user from the Users in Group list box. The user name appears in
the Selection text box.
d. Click OK.
The selected user name appears in the User text box.
4. Click Finish.
The selected user name appears in the text box next to the Select Performer
button.
4.2 Setting Activity Definitions

The Activity Inspector's Definition tab enables you to set the priority of automatic
activities and to provide instructions for the performers of manual activities.
To set activity options:
1. In the Activity Inspector, select the Definition tab.
2. Select a priority level from the Priority drop-down list.

The priority value designates the execution priority of an automatic activity.
The value is ignored for manual activities. For more information, see “Setting
Priority Values” on page 16.
Dynamic priority is when the priority of the activity is set using custom code as
the workflow runs rather than being set as part of the workflow template. You
should assign Dynamic priority only when your system includes custom code
to set the priority at runtime.
3. Enter a description of the activity in the Description (subject) text box.
4. Enter any instructions you want to include for the performer of this activity in
the Instructions for performer (title) field.

4.3. Setting Activity Triggers
4.3 Setting Activity Triggers

A trigger is a signal that the activity can begin. Use the Trigger tab to describe the
conditions that trigger the activity and send the package to the performer's Inbox.
If the activity has more than one incoming flow, you can specify how many of the
previous activities must complete before this activity starts. The trigger condition is
the minimum number of input ports that must have accepted packages for this
activity begins. For example, if an activity has three input ports, you may decide that
the activity can start when two of the three have accepted packages.
For more information about activity triggers, see “Setting Trigger Conditions”
on page 17.
To set when an activity is triggered:
1. In the Activity Inspector, select the Trigger tab.

2. Specify how many of the activities input flows must have been completed
before this activity starts.
• To start this activity only when all preceding activities are complete, check
All input flows are selected.
• To start this activity when some number of its preceding activities are
complete, check This number of input flows selected and enter the number
of preceding activities that must be complete before the activity runs. The
total number of input flows for this activity is shown next to the text box.
When an activity has only one input flow, these options are not different.
3. To ensure a specific action occurs before the selected activity is run, check the
And when this event arrives check box and enter an event name in the adjacent
text box.
The event can be a system-defined event, such as dm_checkin, or you can make
up an event name, such as promoted or released. If you include a trigger event
in the starting condition, the server must find the event you identify queued to
the workflow before starting the activity. Documentum Server Fundamentals Guide
provide more details about defining and queuing events using the
Documentum API.
4. To enable the activity to be run more than once in the same workflow, check the
This activity can run more than once in a workflow check box.
A repeatable activity is an activity that can be used more than once in a
particular workflow. By default, activities are defined as repeatable activities.
Activities with multiple performers performing sequentially cannot be
repeatable. (“Choosing Performers” on page 12 describes the user categories for
performers.)

If you use an activity multiple times in a workflow, you must structure the
workflow so that only one instance of the activity will be active at any time. The
server cannot start an activity if a previous activity based on the same definition
is still running.
4.4 Setting Notifications

Workflow Manager supports two kinds of warning timers for activities:
• A pre-timer that alerts the workflow supervisor if an activity has not started
within a designated number of hours after the workflow starts
• A post-timer that alerts the workflow supervisor if an activity has not completed
within a designated number of hours after the activity starts
The task of checking the warning timers and sending the notices to the workflow
supervisor is performed by the dm_WfmsTimer system administration tool. The
dm_WfmsTimer tool is installed with the system administration tool suite. It is not
installed in the active state. If you intend to use warning timers in workflows, make
sure that your system administrator activates this job. When it is active, it runs by
default once an hour. Documentum Server documentation provides further
information about dm_WfmsTimer.
To specify when the workflow supervisor is notified:
1. In the Activity Inspector, select the Notification tab.
2. To notify a supervisor when a task fails to start after a specific number of days
or hours, check the The activity does not trigger within check box, and enter a
number of days or hours in the adjacent text boxes.
3. To notify a supervisor when a task is incomplete after a specific number of days

or hours, check the The activity's work is not finished check box, and enter a
number of days or hours in the adjacent text boxes.

4.5. Setting Activity Transition Rules
4.5 Setting Activity Transition Rules

Transition rules determine which activities are next in the workflow. When an
activity has multiple outgoing flows, you may want packages sent to all of the
following activities, or you may want packages sent to only some of the following
activities depending on the outcome of the activity. For example, you might give a
performer who reviews the design of a new form the choice of forwarding the
design to the next reviewer or to send it back to the designer for revision. You set up
this branching logic by creating flows from this activity to the two possible following
activities, then allowing the performer to choose which path to follow.
If an activity has only one outgoing flow, there is no need to set a transition
condition. The Transition tab is grayed out with the Select all connected activities
option selected.
For more information about transitions, see “Defining Activity Transitions”

on page 19.
To define the transition action:
1. In the Activity Inspector, select the Transition tab.

2. Determine how the activity chooses which following activities to send packages
to:
• To send packages to all following activities connected to this one (including

any reject flows), choose Select all connected activities.
• To let the performer decide which activities are selected when the current
activity completes, choose Let the activity's performer choose.
• To route packages to different activities based on a set of conditions, choose
Select next activities based on these conditions.
If you select the third option, skip to step 6.
Note: Skip to step 6, if the current repository was created with or

upgraded to Documentum Server 5.2.5 SP1 or later. For earlier
repositories, the options described in steps 3 through 5 are not available.
3. If the activity is performed by multiple performers that is, if the performer
category is All users in group or Some users in a group specify how many
performers must complete the task:
• To require that all performers complete the task, select the All performers
complete the task radio button.
• To complete the activity when a certain number of performers complete the
task, select the [ ] performers complete the task radio button and enter the
required number of performers in the text box. If the number you enter is
greater than the number of performers who receive work items for this
activity at runtime, the server completes the activity when all performers
complete the task.

If you chose Select all connected activities at step 2, skip to step 7.
4. If you let the performer select the next activities, specify the maximum number
of activities the performer can select using the Select at most [ ] activities drop-
down list box.
The list box displays the total number of available next activities by default. You
can select any number between 1 and this maximum. At runtime, the server will
not allow the performer to select more than the specified number of activities.
5. If you let a group of performers select the next activities that is, if the performer
category is All users in group or Some users in a group and the transition
option is Let performer select the next activity specify when to forward
packages to the selected next activities.
• To start selected reject activities immediately, click the Any performer

rejects radio button. If any performer selects reject activities, the activities
are started without waiting for other responses; all other performers'
selections are ignored.
• To start selected forward activities immediately, click the Any performer

forwards radio button. If any performer selects forward activities, the
activities are started without waiting for other responses; all other
performers' selections are ignored.
• To start the selected next activities only after the number of performers
identified in step 3 have completed the task, click the All performers
complete the task radio button. With this option, the server combines the
selections of all performers. If some users select forward activities and others
select reject activities, the server determines which activities to start based on
the final set of radio buttons on this tab.
– To start all of the activities selected by performers, both forward

activities and reject activities, click Start all selected activities.
– To start only the selected reject activities (if there are any), click Start
only reject activities. Forward activities are started only if all performers
select forward activities.
– To start only the selected forward activities (if there are any), click Start
only forward activities. Reject activities are started only if all performers
select reject activities.
6. Specify the conditions that the server uses to determine which activities receive
packages.
See “Creating transition conditions” on page 55 for information about creating
transition conditions.

4.5. Setting Activity Transition Rules
4.5.1 Creating transition conditions

When you choose the Select next activities based on these conditions option, a
table appears showing the defined transition conditions. When you first define an
activity, the table is blank. Follow this procedure to add transition conditions for
automatically choosing the next activities in the workflow. For more information
about transition conditions, see “Defining Activity Transitions” on page 19.
To create a transition condition:
1. Decide whether to construct the condition using the Transition Condition

Wizard or to type the condition yourself.
To enter the condition yourself, de-select the Use wizard to edit new or empty
conditions check box.
2. Double-click a row in the table that begins with the word if.
If the check box was selected, the Transition Condition Wizard dialog box
appears. Otherwise, the Transition Condition Editor dialog box appears.
3. If you elected not to use the wizard, edit the condition in the Transition
Condition Editor.
a. Enter the condition in the Condition text box. The format of a condition is
object_type.attribute_name=“condition”. You can include multiple conditions
connected by AND. See step 4 for information about the available objects.
b. Select the activities to which packages are routed when this condition is
met.
c. Click OK and skip to step 14 of this procedure.
4. In the wizard dialog box, choose the object to which you want this condition to
apply:
• The running workflow

The condition will check attributes of the dm_workflow object.
• The last completed work item for the activity
The condition will check attributes of the dmi_workitem object.
• This input package's documents
The condition will check attributes of the dmi_package object that you select
from the drop-down list. If this option is grayed out it is because no
packages are attached to the activity.
5. Click Next.
The next page of the wizard appears, and your selection is added to the
Condition box at the top of the dialog box.
6. Choose the attribute whose value you want to use in the condition.

The drop-down list includes the attributes for the object type you selected at
step 4.
If a drop-down list labeled Repeating attribute, choose or type an index
appears, it means that the attribute you chose is used in more than one place in
the workflow. Indicate which index value to use in this condition by selecting
one of the four options in the list, or by typing a valid index value.
7. Click Next.
The next page of the wizard appears, and the attribute information is added to
the Condition box at the top of the dialog box.
8. Specify the test you want to perform on the selected attribute.
Choose a logical comparison operator from the drop-down list and enter a
comparison value in the text box. The data type for the selected attribute is
shown below the box.
9. Click Next.
The complete transition condition appears in the Condition text box.
10. Decide whether to add another clause to this condition.
• If you want the transition condition to include an additional clause,

appended to the condition you have just defined with an AND, select Add
another clause to this condition.
• If the transition condition is complete, select Go select next activities.
11. Click Next.
If you elected to add another clause, the wizard returns to the first page. Return
to step 4. Otherwise, continue.
12. Select the activities to which packages should be routed when the condition is
met.
The list displays the names of the activities connected to this activity by flows.
Select one or more of them.
13. Click Finish.
The condition you constructed appears in the table.
14. To add another transition condition, click Add and double-click the resulting
new row.
15. Repeat steps 4 through 13 to define the next condition.
16. When all of the specific transition conditions are defined, select the activities to
which packages are routed if none of the conditions are met.
a. Double-click the row in the table that begins with the word else.
b. Select the activities to which packages should be routed when no
conditions are met. The list displays the names of the activities connected to
this activity by flows.

4.6. Changing Display Settings
c. Click Finish.
17. Change the order of the conditions if necessary.
The server evaluates transition conditions in the order they appear in the table,
and routes packages based on the first condition that evaluates to TRUE. To
change the position of a condition in the table, highlight it and click one of the
arrow buttons.
4.6 Changing Display Settings

The options on the Display tab control how the activity appears in the visual display
of the workflow template.
To change the display settings for an activity:
1. In the Activity Inspector, select the Display tab.
2. To change the graphic that represents the activity in the template, click the
button that appears to the right of the Image file box, navigate to the file
containing the graphic, and click Open.
The path to the selected file appears in the Image file box.
3. To change the size of the graphic representing the activity, select a percentage
from the Image Size drop-down list.
The percentage is the percentage of the actual size of the graphic.
4. Set the font and style used to label the activity in the template.
a. Select a font from the Label Font list.

b. Select a point size from the Point Size drop-down list.
c. To set the font style of the label, check or de-select Bold and Italic.
5. Choose whether to label the activity with its activity Name or the Performer.
Please note that error messages, such as any that occur when you validate the
template, will refer to activities by their names. If you label activities with the
performer name, you might want to temporarily change this setting to Name in
order to locate the activity.

Chapter 5
Working with Flows and Packages
The flow lines that connect the activities in a workflow represent the flow of the
document or object that the workflow routes. Flows enable the movement of
packages, their properties, and dependencies between the connected activities. See
“Workflow Templates and Associated Objects” on page 10 for a description of flows.
For each line, you need to identify what packages are sent to the next activity; see
“Defining Packages” on page 16 for more information.
Once you have added a flow to the template, you configure it using the Flow
Inspector. You access the Flow Inspector by double-clicking on a flow in the
workflow template editor pane, or by selecting one or more flows and choosing
Flow Inspector from the Tools menu. There is also a Flow Inspector icon on the
toolbar.
The Flow Inspector has two tabs, each corresponding to one aspect of flow
configuration:
• The Packages tab enables you to specify what documents get passed along the
flow; see “Setting Package Requirements” on page 60 for details.
• The Display tab controls how the flow appears in the visual display of the
workflow template; see “Changing Flow Display Settings” on page 62.
The name of the flow you are configuring appears in the text box at the top of the
Flow Inspector. If more than one flow is selected, arrow buttons appear on either
side of the text box, enabling you to scroll through the selected flows. The settings
you make apply to the flow whose name appears in the box, unless you select the
Apply to all selected option.
When multiple flows are selected, each tab in the Flow Inspector displays one or
more check boxes labeled Apply to all selected. When this check box is selected,
Workflow Manager applies the associated settings that is, those settings that appear
to the right of the check box to all selected flows, not just the one whose name
appears in the text box at the top. For example, you can select multiple flow and
choose the same packages for all of them at once. Any settings for which the check
box is not selected apply only to the current flow.

Chapter 5 Working with Flows and Packages
5.1 Creating Flows

You connect activities using one of three Create Flow icons in the Workflow
Manager toolbar:
• To connect activities in a forward movement of data, click either the Create

Single Segment Flow icon or the Create Multi-Segment Flow icon . The
difference between the two is visual: one draws a straight line to represent the
flow between activities, the other draws a line consisting of multiple segments.
• To connect activities in a backward movement of data, click the Create Reject
Flow icon . Reject flows represent the path taken when the user of an activity
rejects the object being processed.
See “Workflow Templates and Associated Objects” on page 10 for a description of

the types of flows.
5.2 Setting Package Requirements

When you define a flow linking two activities, you need to specify what objects are
passed along the flow. An object passed between activities is called a package. Each
flow must have at least one package, but can have more than one. For more
information about packages, see “Defining Packages” on page 16.
Note: Do not add a package to the flow connecting the final activity to the End
task.
To set the packages for a flow:
1. In the Flow Inspector, select the Packages tab.
2. To add a new package that must be passed from the first activity to the next
activity, click Add New Package.
3. Enter the name of the package by double-clicking in the Name column and
entering a name or selecting a name from the drop-down list.
If you use the same name as a package from another flow, Workflow Manager
assumes you mean the same package. The package type must be the same for
every instance of the same-named package.
4. Choose the object type of the object included in the package by double-clicking
in the Package Type column and select the object type from the drop-down list.
You can control which object types appear in the drop-down list by right-
clicking in the column and selecting an option from the pop-up menu that
appears:
• Show sysobject and subtypes

• Show document and subtypes

5.2. Setting Package Requirements
• Show Documentum types only

• Show all types
Documentum Server System Object Reference Guide provides description of the

object types.
5. To change which version of the object to route, double-click in the Version

column and enter the version you want. To specify the version, you can enter:
• A specific version number, for example, 2.5 or 3.0. If you enter a specific
version number, the package will always contain that version of the
document.
• A symbolic version label, for example, Draft. The symbolic version label is
case sensitive, so be sure the version you enter matches the version of the
object in the repository.
• CURRENT, which is the default selection. If you select CURRENT, the
package will always contain the most current version of the object in the
repository.
You can also select (Optional) from the drop-down list. If you select (Optional),
you are making it optional to include an object in the package. This option
enables users to start workflows containing empty packages.
6. To choose an operation to be made available to the performer of this activity,

double-click in the Operation at destination column and choose an operation
from the drop-down list.
The list includes operations that are available for the selected object type in
Documentum Desktop. When you select an operation, a button appears in the
Task Manager so that the performer can easily perform that operation. If you do
not select an operation, the Task Manager displays buttons for locating the
object in the repository and for viewing properties.
7. To add another package to the flow, repeat steps 2 through 6.
8. To change the order of packages in the flow, highlight a package and click the
arrow buttons that appear below the table.
9. Click Apply to save your updates without closing the Flow Inspector, or click
OK to save your updates and close the Flow Inspector.

Chapter 5 Working with Flows and Packages
5.3 Changing Flow Display Settings

The options on the Display tab control how the flow appears in the visual display of
the workflow template.
To change the display settings for a flow:
1. In the Flow Inspector, select the Display tab.
2. Determine whether the flow line appears as a Single line straight between the
connected activities or as Multi-segment lines with each segment running
horizontally or vertically.
Multi-segmented lines in a flow are generally easier for users to follow.
3. Set the font and style used to display the names of the packages routed over the
flow.
These settings are relevant only if you elect to display the package names in the
next step.
a. Select a font from the Label Font list.

b. Select a point size from the Point Size drop-down list.
c. To set the font style of the label, check or de-select Bold and Italic.
4. To label the flow with the names of the packages it routes, select the Show the
names of packages routed over this flow check box.
5. Click Apply to save your updates without closing the Flow Inspector, or click
OK to save your updates and close the Flow Inspector.

Chapter 6
Managing Running Workflows
When you participate in a running workflow, you can display Workflow Manager to
view the status of the workflow. When you select View Instance from Workflow
Reporting, Workflow Manager displays a representation of the workflow template
with a status bar under each activity showing its current status.
The status of each activity is shown by the position and color of the box in the status
bar:
Inactive
Failed
Halted
Active
Completed
If the workflow is based on a template you created, you can also use Workflow
Manager to halt, abort, or restart the workflow.
6.1 Halting Workflows

If you want to pause a running workflow without uninstalling its activities, you
must use the Halt command. When you halt a workflow, the server changes the
state of all dormant or acquired work items to D/A/P paused and changes the state
of the workflow to Halted. The running activities and current work items cannot
change states and new activities cannot start. For example, if a workflow is halted
after a user acquires a work item and the user completes the task and tries to mark
the work item as finished, the server will not accept the change. Documentum Server
Fundamentals Guide provides more information about these states.
Only the workflow supervisor or a user with superuser or sysadmin privileges can
halt a workflow. You cannot halt a workflow if any work items generated by
automatic activities are in the acquired state.
To halt a workflow:
1. Open a running workflow in Workflow Manager.

Chapter 6 Managing Running Workflows
2. Select Halt from the Control menu.
To restart a halted workflow, select Resume.
6.2 Aborting Workflows

Aborting a workflow terminates the workflow.
You must be the workflow supervisor or a user with sysadmin or superuser

privileges to abort a workflow. You cannot abort a workflow if any automatic work
items are in the acquired state.
To abort a workflow:
1. Open a running workflow in Workflow Manager.
2. Select Abort from the Control menu.
6.3 Resuming Workflows

The Resume command is available only for workflows that have been halted.
Resuming a workflow returns any work items in the D/A/P paused state work items
to their previous state, changes the halted activity instances to the running state, and
changes the workflow's state to running. Documentum Server Fundamentals Guide
provides more information about these states.
To resume a halted workflow:
1. Open a halted workflow in Workflow Manager.
2. Select Resume from the Control menu.


Workflow Manager

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Workflow Manager

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Workflow Manager

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

OpenText™ Documentum™ Workflow

This guide describes how to use Workflow Manager to create

Open Text Corporation

275 Frank Tompa Drive, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 0A1

Copyright © 2019 Open Text. All Rights Reserved.

No Warranties and Limitation of Liability

1 Understanding Workflows ........................................................ 7

2 The Workflow Manager Window ............................................ 21

3 Working with Workflow Templates ........................................ 31

OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide iii

3.6 Installing Templates ........................................................................ 37

4 Working with Activities ........................................................... 41

5 Working with Flows and Packages ........................................ 59

6 Managing Running Workflows ............................................... 63

iv OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide

Documentum Content Server is now OpenText Documentum Server. OpenText

Revision date Description

OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide v

You use Workflow Manager to create workflows. A workflow formalizes a business

• “Introducing Workflows” on page 7

1.1 Introducing Workflows

A workflow template consists of multiple activities linked together by flows.

OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide 7

A workflow’s process definition is stored in a workflow template, implemented by

8 OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide

OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide 9

1.2 Workflow Templates and Associated Objects

The workflow template defines the structure of a business process. It is composed of

An activity can be either manual or automatic. A manual activity is performed by a

The attributes of an activity definition describe the characteristics of the activity,

• The unique name of the activity

10 OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide

1.3 Planning Workflow Activities

• Is it a manual activity or an automatic activity?

OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide 11

“Defining Packages” on page 16 gives some guidelines for this decision.

1.3.1 Choosing Activities

1.3.2 Choosing Performers

“Activity Performer Selection Categories” on page 13 lists the categories from

12 OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide

Table 1-1: Activity Performer Selection Categories

User Category How Performers are Selected

Participants in a workflow have the option to mark themselves as unavailable for

OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide 13

1.3.2.1 When the Performer Is Determined

• By the workflow initiator when the workflow is started

If you select category 0 (Workflow supervisor), 1 (Repository owner), or 2 (Previous

14 OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide

1.3.2.2 Using Aliases

1.3.3 Enabling Delegation and Extension

If delegation is allowed, it can occur automatically or manually.

• Automatic delegation occurs when the server checks the availability of an

OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide 15

item is either reassigned to the workflow supervisor or returned to the original

If extension is allowed, when the original performers complete an activity's work

1.3.4 Setting Priority Values

1.3.5 Defining Packages

16 OpenText Documentum Workflow Manager – User Guide

• The activity can send on the package without change.

In other cases, the work performed by an activity results in a new version of a