Workflow Templates Overview

You can now create repetitive review and approval workflows efficiently and consistently using reusable Workflow Templates. This new feature allows you to streamline review and approval processes for your entire organization.

Depending on your Egnyte plan, access to these features may be limited. Workflow templates are available to Egnyte plans with multi-step workflow enabled.

Workflow Templates have the following configuration options:

1. Settings to control template access by folder location(s), user group(s), and file extension(s).
2. Settings for Workflow Creation Conditions.
3. Configuring the step(s) for Review and Approval processes.
4. Customize task reminders.

Accessing Workflow Templates

Workflow Templates are available in the Workflows section in the Configuration settings. The Templates page allows users to create new templates and view and edit existing templates.

The Templates section is available to:

• Administrators 
• Users with a role that grants the “can manage Workflow Templates” capability
  

Templates can have Active or Inactive status. By default, the page shows templates with both Active and Inactive status, but you can filter only Active or Inactive status templates by using the Status filter. Active templates are available to end users to create workflows. Inactive templates are not available to users to create workflows.

Creating a Template

Follow these steps to create a template:

• Navigate to Configuration | Workflows | Templates page.
• Click the Add Template button
• A New Workflow Template page will be opened to configure the template in the following three sections.
  • Template General Setup
  • Workflow Creation Conditions
  • Template Steps Setup
  • Workflow Reminders

Template General Setup

This section allows you to define information about a template such as template name and description. You can limit the accessibility of the template by using a combination following three parameters:

 

1. User group(s) - You can determine who can initiate the workflows from the template.
2. File extension(s) - Specify which file extensions can be utilized to create workflows from the template.
3. Folder location(s) - Specify folder locations from where the workflows from the template can be initiated. Follow the steps to complete the General Setup section of the template.
   
   

• Enter a unique Template name with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 50 characters.
• Enter Template description with up to 128 characters.
• Choose one of the following two options from Who can use this template dropdown list:
  • Anyone - The template will be available to any user
  • Specific Group - The template will be available to specific groups. 
• When selecting a specific group option, you can search and enter up to 10 groups.
• Choose one of the following two options from Types of files that the template can be applied to:
  • Any file type - The template will be available for all the files 
  • Specific file type - The template will be available to specified file extensions
• When a specific file type option is selected, you can enter up to 10 particular file extensions
• Choose one of the following two options from the Location where the template can be applied to:
  • Any folder-The template will be available to use within all the folders.
  • Specific folder - The template will be available only with the selected folder(s).

When a specific folder option is selected, you can select up to 10 particular file folders. All the nested folders contained within the chosen folder are automatically selected.

Workflow Creation Conditions

This section of the Workflow Template allows users to define conditions for the Workflow creation. 

Choose one of the following options from the dropdown list for Select the allowed option for the workflow creation

• Manual -  Users can manually create workflows using this template
• Automatic - Workflows are created automatically when predefined conditions are met
• Both Manual and Automatic -  Workflows are created automatically when predefined conditions are met and users can also manually create workflows using this template

When the Manual option is selected, proceed to the Template Steps Setup section to configure the remaining steps of the workflow template. 

However, when the Automatic or Both Manual and Automatic option is selected, refer to Workflow Triggers to set up a condition for creating automatic workflows.

Template Steps Setup

This section allows you to configure your review and approval process. You can add up to 10 steps. You can first choose one of the following three options for Step Type:

• To Do
• Review 
• Approval
• Automated Action
  
  
  
  

 

• Enter the Step name with up to 128 characters. 
• You can keep the Step name editable or non-editable when a workflow is created from a template. Select Allow edits option to make it editable at the workflow instance. 
• You can enter a Description with up to 512 characters. 
• You can keep the Template description editable or non-editable when a workflow is created from a template. Select Allow edits option to make it editable at the workflow instance. 
• Choose one of the following three options for Assignees:
  • Anyone - Any user(s) can be added as task assignees while creating a workflow from the template. 
  • Anyone from a specific group(s) - Only the user(s) from the specified group(s) can be added as task assignees while creating a workflow from a template.  You can add up to 10 groups.
  • Specific user(s) and group(s) - Specified user(s) and group(s) cannot be modified while creating a workflow from a template. When a specific group is added to the template, all the users from that group are added as individual assignees at the workflow instance.  You can enter up to 20 users in total.
• When the Anyone or Anyone from specific group(s) option is selected, you will get an option to define the Minimum number of assignees required. When a workflow is created from a template, the same number of assignees must be added. 
• After selecting any one of the three options for the Assignees field, you'll see an extra option to define the Number of assignees required to complete the step. When a workflow is created from a template, the defined number of assignees will be required to complete the step.
• You can define the Step due date using the Step should be completed within _ days field. When a workflow is created, the step due date is calculated automatically based on the step start date and number of days entered in this field for a step. 
•  When an Approval step type is selected, you will get an additional option to Request the digital signature when the assignee approves. By choosing this option, the digital signature option is selected by default when a workflow is created from a template.

Workflow Reminders

This section allows you to customize the task reminders for a template. If you choose not to customize the task reminders, it will use the default task reminder options set for the domain in Workflows General Settings. Task reminders are email notifications sent to assignees to remind them of pending or overdue tasks.

• You can customize the reminders for a template by enabling the Set custom reminders value for this template. 
• You can update the number of days for the reminders sent to assignees before the due date or opt out of the reminders sent to assignees before the due date.
• You can update the number of days for the reminders sent to assignees after the due date or opt out of the reminders sent to assignees after the due date.

Once all the parameters are filled out, you can select the checkbox to Activate and click the Create template button in the top right corner to make it available to domain users. 

Creating Workflows from a Template

Once the template is defined, the domain users based on the access defined in the template can create workflows from the template. To create a workflow from a template, open a file preview and follow the steps listed below. 

• On the file preview, select the Workflows tab in the upper right.
• Click the New Workflow button and select the template you would like to use to create a workflow. 
• A new workflow dialog modal with the name of the template and pre-populated workflow parameters based on the template.
• Enter or Modify the parameters, if needed. Please note that the parameters may be non-editable based on the template configuration.
• Click the Create button.

Editing a Template

You can edit any of the existing templates. You can select the template name you would like to edit and then the Edit option will show up. Click on Edit to update the template configuration. When you successfully save the edited template, it is saved with an incremented version. The system automatically keeps templates in version control.

Duplicating a Template

You can easily create a new template by using the existing templates. When you duplicate the existing template, all the parameters except the template name are copied to create a new template. You can modify any of the template parameters and provide a new unique Template name in order to create a new template.

Audit Trail

For plans supporting Audit Reporting, a new Workflow Templates audit report is available, capturing all the actions related to workflow templates such as template creation, template edition, and template status change. The existing Workflow audit report is updated to track the workflows created from a template.