To start with I will create a simple example workflow using SharePoint Designer. I am going to create a workflow for an imaginary company’s Human Resources department. They have placed an advertisement for a new C# developer and they expect a lot of letters and resumes. The CTO wants to read these letters and approve or decline them. If a letter is approved, the candidate will be invited for an interview. In this example, I am going to create the first part of the process: namely, a document (the letter from the candidate) will be uploaded to a document library called LettersCandidates. This document library will contain two columns: Assigned to and Status. The custom column Assigned to will contain three values: CTO, CEO, and CFO. When a document is uploaded to the document library and assigned to the CTO, the CTO will receive a new task in this Tasks list asking whether he approves or declines the document. The second custom column, Status, contains the following values: prospect, 1st interview, 2nd interview, declined, and hired.
Follow these steps to create a new document library called LettersCandidates and a new column:
1. Open a SharePoint site where you want to create a new document library.
2. Click the View All Site Content link on the left of the SharePoint site. This opens the All Site
Content page.
3. Click Create. This opens the Create page.
4. Click Document Library in the Libraries section.
5. Name the document library LettersCandidates and click Create.
6. Select Settings in the LettersCandidates document library and click Create Column.
7. Name the column Status, check the Choice radio button, and enter the values: prospect, 1st
interview, 2nd interview, declined, and hired. Click OK.
8. Click Create Column.
9. Name the column Assigned to, check the Choice radio button, and enter the values: CTO,
CEO, and CFO. Click OK.
After setting up the LettersCandidates document library and adding a column, you are ready to open the SharePoint site in SharePoint Designer. The next thing to do is to start designing the example workflow. Follow these steps to create the workflow.
1. Open the SharePoint site containing the LettersCandidates document library in SharePoint Designer.
2. In the File menu, click New and select Workflow. This opens the Workflow Designer wizard.
3. In the Give a name to this workflow text box, specify the following name: Candidates Notification WF.
4. In the What SharePoint list should this workflow be attached to drop-down list, select the LettersCandidates document library.
5. In the Select workflow start options for items in LettersCandidates section, do the following.
Uncheck the Allow this workflow to be manually started from an item check box. Check the Automatically start this workflow when an item is created check box and uncheck the Automatically start this workflow when an item is changed check box. This way the workflow will run each time an item is created. Following figure shows the first page of the Workflow Designer wizard.
6. Click Next.
7. In the Step Name text box, specify the following name: AssignTaskStep.
8. Click the Conditions drop-down list and select Compare LettersCandidates Field. The condition if field equals value is inserted, where field and value are the parameters that must be filled in.
9. Click the field parameter and select the Assigned to column. The field parameter shows a drop-down list filled with the specified document library’s metadata.
10. Click the value parameter and select the CTO value. The value parameter shows a dropdown list filled with the values from the specified column. Figure 4-9 shows the value parameter’s drop-down list.
11. Click the Actions drop-down list and select Collect data from a user (output to variable:collect1). The action Collect data from this user is inserted, where data and this user are parameters that must be filled in. The parameter variable:collect1 will be where we save the data that is collected from the user.
12. Click data. This opens the Custom Task wizard. Click Next.
13. In the Name text box, specify the following name: ApprovalCTO. Click Next.
14. Click the Add button to define a custom task field that the user can fill out. This opens the Add Field dialog box.
15. In the Field name text box, specify the following name: DecisionCTO. In the Information type drop-down list, choose choice (menu to choose from). Click Next.
16. In the Choices list, enter the following two choices: Approve, Decline.
17. Uncheck the Allow fill-in choices check box. Click Finish twice.
18. Click this user. This opens the Select Users dialog box. Select a user from the list of users, click Add, and click OK. Figure below shows the AssignTaskStep workflow step.
19. Click Add workflow step. This adds a new workflow step to the workflow.
20. In the Step Name text box, specify the following name: ChangeStatus.
21. Click the Conditions drop-down list and select Compare any data source. The condition if value equals value is inserted, where value and value are the parameters that must be filled in.
22. Click the display data binding icon next to the first value parameter. This opens the Define Workflow Lookup window. The Source drop-down list shows the SharePoint site’s available lists. The Field drop-down list shows all fields available in the specified list. In the Source drop-down list, select Tasks. In the Field drop-down list, select DecisionCTO. In the Value drop-down list, select Approve, as shown in Figure here..
23. Click OK.
24. Click the Actions drop-down list and select Set Field in Current Item. The action Set field to value is inserted, where field and value are parameters that must be filled in. Click the field parameter and select the Status value. The field parameter shows a drop-down list filled with the specified document library’s metadata.
25. Click the value parameter and select 1st interview. The value parameter shows a dropdown list filled with the values from the specified column. Below figure shows you the ChangeStatus workflow step.
26. Click the Check Workflow button to check whether your workflow contains any errors.
27. Click Finish. The workflow is validated and associated with the document library. The next set of figures walks you through the example workflow in a SharePoint site. Figure below shows you a letter from Candidate A in the LettersCandidates document library. The Candidates Notification Workflow is in progress.
The workflow will assign a task to the CTO. This task will also be send as an e-mail to the CTO. The task can be edited and the CTO can approve or decline the document. This is shown in Figure.
After the CTO has approved or declined the document, the status of the document will change. Take a look at figure..
....usssshhh... i think you might be tired by this time. take some rest or even a nap could be better and move on...
let me see what i can do for next posting... until then bye..
