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Possible to prevent DCR's from auto-attaching to Job if Task Pane file edit is used?

WheeledWriter

Hi Everyone

In Teamsite, whenever someone has a workflow task (review or edit or attach files, etc), if that person edits a templated page from within the workflow tab (i.e., they click on the edit link in the task pane) then the DCR for that page is automatically attached to the job.

This confuses some users and it's not necessary because our workflows automatically attach the DCRs at the end of the job, so I'd like it to stop happening if possible.

I've gone through the manuals, knowledgebase and forums here without locating a definitve method of doing this. It seems to me it ought to be possible, but I think my lack of familiarity with the events inside the task pane is making it difficult to pinpoint what needs to be modified.

Is changing this behaviour possible, and if so where is the best place to find guidance on do it? I'd like to avoid having to create a custom event/task if possible - although I get the impression that links like the task pane edit are hardcoded and can't be pointed at an external event.

Apologies if this is a basic query, but I've looked everywhere else without much sucess

WW

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Natasha

Hi Everyone

In Teamsite, whenever someone has a workflow task (review or edit or attach files, etc), if that person edits a templated page from within the workflow tab (i.e., they click on the edit link in the task pane) then the DCR for that page is automatically attached to the job.

This confuses some users and it's not necessary because our workflows automatically attach the DCRs at the end of the job, so I'd like it to stop happening if possible.

I've gone through the manuals, knowledgebase and forums here without locating a definitve method of doing this. It seems to me it ought to be possible, but I think my lack of familiarity with the events inside the task pane is making it difficult to pinpoint what needs to be modified.

Is changing this behaviour possible, and if so where is the best place to find guidance on do it? I'd like to avoid having to create a custom event/task if possible - although I get the impression that links like the task pane edit are hardcoded and can't be pointed at an external event.

Apologies if this is a basic query, but I've looked everywhere else without much sucess

WW

Although I haven't seen this behaviour myself but you can try making the task as read-only which would avoid the DCR to be edited in the workflow and hence prevent the possibility of attaching the DCR to the job.

Thanks
Natasha.

WheeledWriter

If I make the task read only, won't that mean that people won't be able to edit the files associated with it?

vpatel

Which workflow are you talking about? Is this one of the OOTB WFs or a custom WF?

Natasha

I created a sample wft having the following tasks :-
AddFilesandDir(external task) -> User Task (edit the templated HTML file) -> Submit Task -> End Task.

I edited the file in the User Task but the associated DCR didn't get attached to the task which means you must have done some customization in the workflow you are using.

Kindly post your wft code so that people here can provide some information on the behaviour that you are seeing.

Thanks
Natasha.

Firenze

If you allow user to edit the generated file, why don't you want to attach the DCR to the workflow since it is essentially the source of the content and it should be tracked along the some content lifecycle as the output it creates.

Since Edit of the generated file or the DCR opens the same Form, what confusion are the users having.

WheeledWriter

Thanks for all the feedback.

My supervisor indicated to me that the DCR automatically attaching to a job after a file in the job was edited in the task pane, was a default Teamsite behaviour. Obviously this isn't the case.

We do want the DCR to attach automatically to the workflow, and have customised the workflow to do so automatically after the edit portions of the task are complete (hiding this from the users).

But Teamsite is also adding the DCR if a file is manually edited. This confuses user because they see what they think are two of the same file included in the job and get confused as to which one to update.

I will have to try and find the customised part of the workflow which is adding it in earlier - but so far I haven't found it. Thats part of why I thought it was default behaviour.

Regards

WW

Adam Stoller

...
But Teamsite is also adding the DCR if a file is manually edited. This confuses user because they see what they think are two of the same file included in the job and get confused as to which one to update.
...

If there is confusion, there should be user training performed. In actuality, it shouldn't matter if you see both the DCR and the generated file (the path to the file should make it clear which is which) - whichever one you select to edit - the DCR should always end up being edited - unless you don't have the proper EAs associated with the generated file, in which case you have a different issue to fix.

WheeledWriter

User training never seems to stick terribly well Smiley Happy

Have lost track of the number of times I've explained either individually, as part of the training manuals and course or in general, not to worry about 'the extra file that's mysteriously appeared' because it does the same thing as the other file if you want to make changes to the file etc. etc. .

There aren't any problems with the Extended Attributes - editing a file brings up the DCR just fine - we just want to stop the DCR from attaching to the job at that point. Personally I prefer the DCR to be added to the job if I edit the file - it makes sense - but my supervisor has asked me to look into stopping it, because it seems to be too much for some users to cope with.

The reason I asked the question was that I thought that the job and task panes were outside the workflow itself - i.e. files are submitted into workflow, workflow does step x, y, z, then holds for user input for review - at which point the workflow tab makes available the ability to make changes to the file in the job - but I thought that functionality was separate from the workflow's functionality - I understood it to be just standard Teamsite stuff (edit, remove, add file etc.) not something configured within each workflow.

Sorry for the confusion and Thanks for all the help everyone.

WW

Adam Stoller

Do the users tend to interact with the workflows via the workflow GUI or via emails?

If the latter, you can easily filter out the DCRs in the emails that get sent to them.

If the former, you'd need to figure out where/when the DCRs are getting added to the job and insert a simple externaltask to remove them from the job just before those points (and then make sure they're added back before the submit (and/or deploy) operations.

It can be done, but it seems like a lot of unnecessary work IMO.

WheeledWriter

Thank you to everyone for the illuminating discussion.

I've discussed the issue with my supervisor and we've decided that the amount of effort it would take to accomplish the effect far outweighs the benefits. I am therefore closing the thread.

WW