Framework:Workflow Manager
You can design workflows that add application logic to your application without having to write custom code. Using the Workflow Manager, you create rules that associate conditions and actions with items, so that changes to items trigger actions in the workflow.
The basic steps of creating a workflow are always the same: First you define the workflow, and then you create the rules by choosing conditions and actions.
Open the Workflow Manager with the button 
in the category “Manager”.
Elements and functions
Ribbon
The ribbon contains the following options.
The context menu of the Workflow tree contains the following options.
Workflow Manager
Workflow-Tree
The workflow tree contains all workflows. Here you create new workflows or edit an existing one. The context menu of the Workflow tree contains the following options:
Workflow detailed view
The workflow overview shows you either a list of all workflows or the detailed information of the selected workflow.
Workflow-Wizard
The Workflow-Wizard helps you to create and edit workflows. The possibilities and functions of the Workflow-Wizard will be explained with an example. A workflow will be created with several tasks.
| Input Activate the element “Workflows” and select the command “New workflow” from the context menu. |
The Workflow-Wizard opens.
The Workflow Wizard contains three areas:
Area „General“
This field allows you anytime to change the name of the workflow, select a scenario, edit the start and end date and change the state of the workflow.
Workflow caption
This field allows you anytime to change the name of the workflow. The name has to be unique.
| Input Enter the caption „Contribution margin planning“. |
Selection of scenario
Select a scenario for this workflow.
| Input Select scenario “Budget 2012“. |
State
Use this option to activate the workflow or deactivate it.
Selection of period
Here you define the start and end date of the workflow. All further tasks have to be within this period.
| Input In this example the planning starts on 16. 01. 2013 and ends on 31.01.2013. |
Selection of the workflow administrator
This setting is optional. If you select a workflow administrator, this CoPlanner user will get all messages, which will be sent by the CoPlanner server.
| Hint If there is an incorrect input a blue icon will appear beside this field. Move the mouse over this icon and you get a hint to make any necessary adjustments. |
In this example the end date of the workflow has moved and so the end date of the task is after the end date of the workflow. The area “General” looks like the following:
| Input Activate area „Tasks“. |
Area „Tasks“
In this area you create the tasks of the workflow and define actions, conditions and users.
List of tasks
In this area you can create new tasks, delete existing tasks, change the order of the tasks and reset the state of all users.
Buttons of the command bar:
|
Create task |
|
Move up element |
|
Move down element |
|
Reset state of all users |
| Input Click the button “Create task“, insert following text “Revenue planning” and confirm your input. |
Because of the confirmation the settings of this task will be editable.
Settings of task ‘Revenue planning‘
Action
This action will be executed if the user clicks on the task. All navigation actions are available.
Input Click the button „Edit“  , choose the option „Select action“ and choose the input mask “Control/Planning/Profit and loss planning on monthly base/Revenue”.
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If you select the option „Define action“, you can create an individual action. For example an action can be open a mask or dimension. Additionally actions can execute formulas or imports.
“Windows start area” offers the possibility to define the area, where the action will be executed.
- Structure
A further tab in the navigation structure - Work
A further document in the working area
- Structure
Start and End
As start and end date the start and end date of the workflow will be suggested.
| Input Choose 29.01.2013 as end date of this task. |
Period of grace
This setting allows defining a period of grace of each task.
In case out of time
With this setting you can define, what happens after the end of a task. Following possibilities are available:
- Lock task
Effect: This and all depending tasks are locked and not allowed to edit. - Show finished
Effect: The task will be released by system. Depending tasks can be edited. - No Action
Effect: The end date will be ignored.
- Lock task
Previous task
Define a task, which has to be completed before this task can start. Available are all defined tasks in this workflow.
Continuation condition
If you have selected a previous task, you define the corresponding continuation condition in this field. Following possibilities are available:
- User finished previous task
Effect: This task can be edited as soon as the user completes his previous task. - All users finished previous task
Effect: This task can be edited as soon as all users complete the previous task.
- User finished previous task
| Hint Editing of this task is only possible, if the condition of the previous task is completed. |
Reviewer
Define a reviewer and an end date, who has to edit this task after the user has approved the task.
Additionally you can give a reviewer the permission, to change data. Furthermore you can select a deputy of the reviewer.
| Input Select “Administrator” from the CoPlanner list, end date: 30.01.2012. |
User of the task ‘Revenue planning‘
In this area you attach users to the task. These users get this task in their workflow panel.
| Input Click the button “Add or remove user” .
|
Dialog box “User selection” opens.
With double-click you can select a user or remove a user from the list “Selected user”.
| Input Double-click user “Max Muster” and confirm with „OK“. |
The area “Tasks” looks like the following:
Next step is to create the task “Variable costs planning”. Define following settings:
| Input Caption: „Variable costs planning“ Action: „Control/Planning/Profit and loss planning on monthly basis/Variable Costs“ |
Area „Overview“
In this area you see a list of all users and the level of completion.
| Input Confirm with a click on the button „Apply“. |
In the Workflow Manager this workflow looks like the following:
Display of the workflow in CoPlanner
The workflow “Contribution Margin Planning” looks like the following in CoPlanner:
This example starts on 14.01.2013.
| Initial Display | |
| At user “Max Muster” the task “Revenue planning” is active and available to edit. | 
|
| At user “Maria Bernasconi” the task “Variable costs planning” in inactive. The task „Variable costs planning“ has as previous task „Revenue planning“ and will be only active, if the task “Revenue planning” is completed. The task “Revenue planning” includes a review, so this task is only completed, if the review is completed too. | 
|
| At user “Administrator” both tasks, “Revenue planning” and “Variable costs planning”, are displayed because he is defined as Reviewer. | |
| Task “Revenue planning” released by user | |
| To release a task it has to be executed once. After this the command “Release task” is activated in the context menu. | 
|
| User “Max Muster” has edited the task “Revenue planning” and releases the task. The task moves from “Open tasks” to „Finished tasks“. | 
|
| At user „Maria Bernasconi“ nothing changes, because task „Revenue planning“ has to be reviewed, before task „Variable costs planning“ becomes active. | |
| At user “Administrator” the task “Revenue planning (Max Muster)” is active and has the state “in review”. | 
|
| Task “Revenue planning” released by Administrator | |
| User “Administrator” has the possibilities to reopen or release the task “Revenue planning”. | 
|
| Reopen task | |
| The task appears in “Open tasks” at user “Max Muster” and the user has to edit and release the task again. | 
|
| Release task | |
| At user “Max Muster” the task stays in “Finished tasks” and gets the state “released by reviewer”. | 
|
| At user “Maria Bernasconi” nothing changes, because the start date to edit the task isn’t reached. | |
| At user “Administrator” the task moves in area “Finished tasks”. | 
|
To continue the example today is 16.01.2013.
| Task “Variable costs planning” released by user | |
| At user “Maria Bernasconi” the task “Variable costs planning” is active. | 
|
| User “Maria Bernasconi” has edited the task “Variable costs planning” and releases the task. The task moves from “Open Tasks” to “Finished tasks”. | 
|
| At user „Administrator“ the task „Variable costs planning (Maria Bernasconi)“ is active and has the state „in review“. | 
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| Task “Variable costs planning” released by Administrator | |
| User “Administrator” has the possibilities to reopen or release the task “Variable costs planning”. | 
|
E-mail notifications
The Workflow Manager offers the possibility to send e-mails. According to the configuration, e-mails will be sent to the user, reviewer and administrator.
Trigger for an e-mail
In case of following events an e-mail will be sent:
| Event | User | Reviewer | Administrator | Trigger |
| Start date reached | Yes | Yes | (A) | |
| User „Task released“ | Yes | Yes | Yes | (B) |
| End date forthcoming | Yes | (A) | ||
| End date reached | Yes | Yes | (A) | |
| Period of grace forthcoming | Yes | (A) | ||
| Period of grace reached | Yes | Yes | (A) | |
| Reviewer „Task released“ | Yes | Yes | Yes | (B) |
| Reviewer „Task reopened“ | Yes | Yes | Yes | (B) |
| Reviewer end date forthcoming | Yes | (A) | ||
| Reviewer end date reached | Yes | Yes | (A) | |
| Reset tasks | Yes | Yes | Yes | (B) |
Legend:
- Automatic (A)
- User action (B)
Following setting has to be available in "CopServer.exe.config" or "CopService.exe.config" to use e-mails:
You find detailed information to configure this file in the technical manual. Automatically e-mail by the CoPlanner server will be sent one day before the event.
E-mail content
The content of the e-mails is freely configurable. Open the file “WorkflowMessages.xml” from the CoPlanner folder “\server\CommonFiles”.
An entry of an e-mail contains two tags, one for the subject and the other for the message. Please note following notation:
E-mails can be sent for following events:
| Event | AttribID |
| Reviewer “Task reopened” | WorkFlowReOpenedByReviewer_Subject
WorkFlowReOpenedByReviewer_Body |
| User “Task released” | WorkFlowFinnishedByConstributor_Subject
WorkFlowFinnishedByConstributor_Body |
| Reviewer “Task released” | WorkFlowFinnishedByReviewer_Subject
WorkFlowFinnishedByReviewer_Body |
| Reset task | WorkFlowTaskResetted_Subject
WorkFlowTaskResetted_Body |
| Start date reached | WorkFlowTaskStartingTodayMsg4Constributor_Subject
WorkFlowTaskStartingTodayMsg4Constributor_Body |
| End date forthcoming | WorkFlowTaskEndsTomorowMsg4Constributor_Subject
WorkFlowTaskEndsTomorowMsg4Constributor_Body |
| End date reached | WorkFlowTaskEndsTodayMsg4Constributor_Subject
WorkFlowTaskEndsTodayMsg4Constributor_Body |
| End date reached | WorkFlowTaskEndsTodayMsg4Admin_Subject
WorkFlowTaskEndsTodayMsg4Admin_Body |
| Period of grace forthcoming | WorkFlowTaskRespiteEndsTomorowMsg4Constributor_Subject
WorkFlowTaskRespiteEndsTomorowMsg4Constributor |
| Period of grace reached | WorkFlowTaskRespiteEndsTodayMsg4Constributor_Subject
WorkFlowTaskRespiteEndsTodayMsg4Constributor_Body |
| Period of grace reached | WorkFlowTaskRespiteEndsTodayMsg4Admin_Subject
WorkFlowTaskRespiteEndsTodayMsg4Admin_Body |
| Reviewer end date reached | WorkFlowTaskReviewtimeEndsToday_Subject
WorkFlowTaskReviewtimeEndsToday_Body |
| Reviewer end date forthcoming | WorkFlowTaskReviewtimeEndsTomorrow_Subject
WorkFlowTaskReviewtimeEndsTomorrow_Body |
You can use following constants in the message:
| Constant | Description |
| $Date | Actual date |
| $TaskName | Name of the tasks |
| $Planer | Responsible user/reviewer |
| $Message | Comment inserted by user/reviewer |
| $NewLine | Linefeed |
| $AllPlaner | All users of a task |
Example tags of the event – Reviewer “Task reopened”
