Revision as of 10:44, 7 May 2009

Global overview

This module integrate a new view and a new pop-up menu entry so as to create and manage workflows.

The pop-up new entry open a windows to associate the selected files to a workflow instance. You can here select the workflow you want to use. This display is updated according the rights you have. If you cannot create an instance of workflow with the selected files, then the menu entry will be disabled (but is visible).

The workflow view gather all actions about workflows (configuration/management). It allows to get informations about ongoing/ended workflows. Here you can select an instance. If you have write rights, you can make the workflow progress by selecting one of the available actions. All actions done are stored in an history with a comment and the login of the user that has done this action.

This module already embed two workflows :

• A validation workflow : a reviewer associated to a part of the VFS (OpenCms property) is notified and can validate or reject a number of file associated to a workflow instance by another user. If it validate them, the file are published, otherwise they are put back in Offline project.
• A task attribution workflow : A user require to a task to a list of users. One can accept it, then do/not do the action. One the task done/not done, the user that required the task can validate it or re-ask for it. Email notification are sent for each steps of this process.

What can be configured

This module is highly configurable. You can configure easily change the list of available workflows, the associated rights, the button accessible in workflow view, the workflows process itself...

Create your own worflows

This module is based on OSWorkflow engine (cf OSWorkflow website). This engine is based on XML workflow description where actions to do can be describe in Java or Beanschell (or other, but here are probably the most interesting to be integrated in OpenCms). By using this language you can develop your own workflows.

Moreover a number of basic function have been developed (for given workflows) to be reused in your workflow descriptions.

Configure your own rights

Each workflow is associated to a right definition XML file. Here you can define, per section of the VFS, the users, groups or roles that are allowed to read/create or write the workflow (write right means that the user can select one of the available actions and make the instance of workflow progress). A regular-expression system allows to simplify this configuration.

In addition of this static right definition system, one of the developed basic function allows to dynamically attribute rights to a user/group/role.

You can edit the rights associated to a workflow without restarting the web application (use the reload button in workflow view)

Configure the list of available worklflows

By editing a simple file (with the OpenCms editor) you can easily change the list of workflows currently used by the system without reloading it. You can also edit the descriptions of the workflow that is displayed when you are going to create a new instance of workflow.

Configure workflow view

The workflow view embed a right menu that gather the available buttons (corresponding to view or action). The dynamic loading system allow to easily configure:

• the available buttons (you can add your own view by creating your jsp page and setting the rights OpenCms property)
• the people than can access a button (you can list the allowed role in an OpenCms property)
• the order of the buttons

Download it

You can download it directly with this link : Download it (v0.1)

This page may not linked the last available version. You can check it on our and get more informations (fr/en) in our corporate website : Eurelis workflow module webpage