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Creating a Manual Activity in a Process Definition

A Manual Workflow Activity is an Activity that a user needs to perform. In Workflow Designer, create one by dragging a shape onto the work area and specifying properties. You can also specify expiration script code for the Activity.

Procedure

  1. Add a Manual Activity to the Process Definition by dragging and dropping one of the following SDL Tridion Sites Workflow Shapes from the stencil window to the work area:
    ShapeDescription
    Manual Activity: the user needs to perform the Activity.
    Manual Decision Activity: the user needs to perform the Activity and then decide what the next Activity will be.
  2. Double-click the shape.

    A Manual Activity Properties dialog opens.

  3. Set the following mandatory properties:
    Title

    The name of this Activity Definition as it will appear to the user.

    Description

    A description of the Activity Definition, telling the user what to do.

  4. Optional: Specify an Assignee and an Approval Status:
    Assignee

    Select a Group to which you want to assign this Activity. If this is the first Activity of a Process Definition, and the Process is applied to a classic editing workflow, the Assignee is ignored and is instead set to whoever created or modified the content item that triggered the editing workflow.

    Approval Status

    (optional) Select the status that the items related to this Activity will have, after the Activity is finished.

  5. Optional: To constrain what the user can and cannot do while performing this Activity, select options in the Constraints area:
    Deny items to be added/removed

    Prohibits the user from adding or removing items in the Process.

    Deny Subject(s) to be edited

    Prohibits the user from editing content items associated with the Activity.

    Deny Bundle metadata to be edited

    Prohibits the user from editing the metadata of a Bundle associated with the Activity.

  6. Optional: To set, or to allow users to set, a time constraint on this Activity, select options in the lower half of the dialog:
    Allow to override due date

    If selected, this option enables users to do one of the following:

    • If no period is specified under Expires in, the user can set a due date for the specific Activity Instance.
    • If a period is specified, the user can change the due date of the Activity Instance.

    Which Activity Definition a user can modify, and when, depends on the user's rights:

    • A user with Workflow Management rights can set or change the due date of any Activity at any time (provided that this option is selected for that Activity).
    • A user with no Workflow Management rights can only set or change the due date when they finish an Activity, and can then only do so for the next Activity or Activities (provided that this option is selected for the Activity they wish to modify).
    Expires in

    The maximum amount of time allotted for this Activity. The time starts running when the Activity is assigned, and stops when the Activity is finished. Specify the amount of time in minutes, hours, days or weeks. A value of 0 indicates that the Activity has no time limit. You can calculate the default due date for the Activity: this is the moment of assignment + the amount of time specified here.

  7. If either Allow to override due date is set or if Expires in is set to a value higher than 0, you can tell Content Manager to execute an expiration script when the due date for the Activity has expired:
    Expiration Script Type
    The type of script:
    • Select C# to edit C# code directly in Workflow Designer.
    • Select External Activity to refer to an external .NET assembly, uploaded to a Template Building Block.
    Edit Expiration Script

    Opens a dialog in which you can enter script code (actual code or a .NET assembly reference).

  8. Click OK to create the Activity.