InterSearch Tips - 6.3 Creating workflows

6.3 Creating workflows

ESTABLISHING A WORKFLOW

The purpose of is to establish a sequence of actions which govern the process of approval for content to be published. This might involve progressively more complex information capture, publishing authorisation stages, alerts at key stages of publishing, or automatic generation of email, XML, PDF or HTML/XHTML documents, and running of extra tasks (such as publishing other indexes and pages).

STAGE 1: DEFINE THE DOCUMENT FLOW BY CREATING DOCUMENT TYPES

Inter-Publish manages workflow by defining a series of Document Types each of which may contain different views of the content being published. For instance, if you wished to create a workflow for approving web content for publication, you might create two document types:

"Web Page Editing" - a simple document type with a single visual editing item for content submission.
"Web Page Reviewing" - copy the "Web Page Editing" document type and add any extra form elements required for editorial review (eg approver).
"Web Page Published" -copy the "Web Page Reviewing" document type and add any extra elements about the live published page.
Each "document type Inter-Publish as an integrated forms editor which allows you to design specific forms for website content capture. Fields can be added to forms "on the fly". All separate fields can be used for content re-use and publishing on other pages using the indexing engine." will need a document specifying the standard publishing destination for this document type Inter-Publish as an integrated forms editor which allows you to design specific forms for website content capture. Fields can be added to forms "on the fly". All separate fields can be used for content re-use and publishing on other pages using the indexing engine..

STAGE 2: DEFINE THE WORKFLOW ACTIONS AT EACH STAGE OF PUBLISHING

A workflow document specifies the actions to be taken when an authorised users selects PUBLISH or UNPUBLISH for a document. The default workflow rules for PUBLISH are to generate and send the relevant file to the destinations specified in the document. This action can be changed or extended by creating a new document of type "WORKFLOW". The workflow document contains the following options:

When Publishing,

Whether to actually publish the content (or not)

A new document type Inter-Publish as an integrated forms editor which allows you to design specific forms for website content capture. Fields can be added to forms "on the fly". All separate fields can be used for content re-use and publishing on other pages using the indexing engine. to apply if the content item is published

If the document type changes, whether to apply any default publishing details for the new document type

Optionally a to run when this document is published

Whether to send an alert to a nominated user

When UnPublishing:

Whether to actually unpublish the publishing destinations (or not)

A new document type to apply if the content item is unpublished

If the document type changes, whether to apply any default publishing details for the new document type

Whether to send an alert to a nominated user

The name of the Workflow is the document type Inter-Publish as an integrated forms editor which allows you to design specific forms for website content capture. Fields can be added to forms "on the fly". All separate fields can be used for content re-use and publishing on other pages using the indexing engine. for which the workflow actions apply.

In the above example, two workflow documents would be required. The workflow document for NEWSTORY would simply specify a new document type of AWAITING APPROVAL with a "do not publish" flag set.

The second document type, for AWAITING APPROVAL, would specify to apply a new document type of APPROVED, create publishing details (from the PROFORMA format), publish the documents.

Editors could be given a limited view (eg only NEWSTORY document types).