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Version 7.x > Portal Engine > Advance Workflow with Synchronization

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mosgath - 1/17/2013 3:49:22 PM

Advance Workflow with Synchronization

I am attempting to setup a workflow that allows a user to edit content in a staging environment, verify it in Staging, then approve it to be submitted to the production environment. I start with the basic Edit>Published>Archived workflow. I add a Synchronize Document action step between Edit and Published and between Publish and Archived.

I check out a document make a change and check it in. Then I submit it for approval. As soon as I submit it for approval, the synchronize step runs. Then it goes into the Published step. If I click the Approve button here, it goes back into a synchronization step and stops at Archived.

It appears that the Synchronize step is only writing to the staging table and not actually synchronizing the document. I have tried it with the Log Update Tasks checked and unchecked.

Should the Synchronize step actually synchronize the document or just add an entry to the staging table? The only time that the document actually synchronizes to Production is if I have the scheduled task for Content Synchronization enabled and it runs. Is this the correct way to do this?

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mosgath - 1/18/2013 9:04:41 AM

RE:Advance Workflow with Synchronization

This morning I started fresh. I have the synchronization steps in between Edit and Publish as well as Publish and Archive. Scheduled job to move content is disabled. If I have the Log Update Tasks checked, the entries for the change show up in staging but do not actually move. If I have the Log Update Tasks unchecked, the changes move to the production environment. However, there are still entries entered into the Staging list for my change.

If I have workflow enabled for staging, should I disable the staging modules setting to stage document changes?

Kentico Support

Kentico Support

kentico_jurajo - 1/18/2013 9:35:03 AM

RE:Advance Workflow with Synchronization

Hi,

Regrettably, if the Log update tasks check box is false - that is a bug. I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Regarding the Staging - when using workflow, only Publish or Archive tasks are logged. So, if you put the synchronization action before the Publishing step - there is nothing to synchronize at this moment since the Publish task is created after the document is in the Publish step - so, if you move the document again to approval, the publish task is synchornized and new task for archiving is created. So, you need to call the synchronize action after the Archived step again.

Best regards,
Juraj Ondrus

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mosgath - 1/18/2013 10:22:20 AM

RE:Advance Workflow with Synchronization

I guess that is why I am confused with the workflow. Because as soon as it synchronizes after the "Published" step, the document becomes archived in tree in my staging environment. If I can't synchronize until after the "Published" step, then why does my document become archived in the tree? Below are the steps I am taking.

I setup up the workflow steps in the following order:

Edit>Published>Synchronize>Archived>Synchronize.

I click "Create New version" on my document.
Status updated to "Document is currently using {name} workflow and is in Edit Step"

I make a change.
I click "Check In" document.
I click "Publish" document.

Status updated to "Document is currently using {name} workflow and is in Published Step"

I click "Approve".

"Action Synchronization document in process"
Status updated to "Document is currently using {name} workflow and is in Archived Step"

At this point the document shows a status of Archived in the Content Tree on the left.

I click "Approve".
"Action Synchronization document in process"
"Document is currently using {name} workflow and is in Synchronize document Step"

Kentico Support

Kentico Support

kentico_jurajo - 1/21/2013 6:39:00 AM

RE:Advance Workflow with Synchronization

Hi,

It is because after the document is published, there is the synchronization - but this action is automatic and it goes to the next step - which is archived, so the document on the source is marked as archived - that is the flow according the arrows. You may need to add another custom step after publishing, so the document does not gos automatically to archive step.

Best regards,
Juraj Ondrus

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mosgath - 3/21/2013 8:31:20 AM

RE:Advance Workflow with Synchronization

I just upgraded to 7.0.24 and wanted to give this another try. The Log tasks checkbox is now working. However, the synchronization step does not work as described above.

I currently have the workflow setups as Edit=>Synchronize Document=>Published=>Synchronize Document=>Archived.

When I create a brand new page, the document does not show up in the destination until I click the "Publish" button on the source site after checking it in, even though the "published" step comes after my synchronize step. Since this works this way, I would expect to the Archived to also work this way. But when I click the Archive button, it goes to "Synchronizing" and then the document in the source site shows Archived and in the Archived step. However, the document is not Archived in the destination site.

By what is stated previously, the Synchronization step must come after the "Published" and "Archived" steps. This doesn't appear to be the case for "Published".

I tried changing the workflow to Edit=>Synchronize Document=>Published=>Archived=>Synchronize Document.

With the document in the published step, I click the button to "Archive" the document and click on "ok" button on the dialog that I want the document archived. The Document in the destination is not changed. I have an "Approve" button now on my archived document in the source destination. I click it, thinking that I am approving the synchronization. The synchronization runs. The document in the destination site is still not Archived. I cleared the server cache on the destination site, but it still does not show as Archived.

Is there another bug in the workflow? Is there any example of using the "Synchronize Document" step available on a site that works correctly?

Kentico Support

Kentico Support

kentico_jurajo - 3/23/2013 1:38:29 PM

RE:Advance Workflow with Synchronization

Hi,

My Advanced workflow is configured like this:

Edit -> Sunchronize document -> Publish -> Synchronize document -> Archive -> Synchronize document.

1. Create new document in the scope.
- Document is in Edit step on source
- Create document task is logged in staging
- document is not on the target yet
2. Click the submit to approval button
- document goes through the synchronization step
- document is in Published step on source
- publish document task is logged in the staging
- document is created on target, not published
3. Click the Approve button
- document goes through the synchronization step
- document is in Archive step on source
- archive document task is created in staging
- document is published on target
4. Click Approve button
- document goes through the synchronization step
- document stays on the sync. step on source
- no task is logged in staging, previous task was executed.
- document is archived on the target

These are the steps I am doing and if I am following you correctly, it works like you need.

Btw. I just tried it on the latest hotfix version however, I am not aware of any chages in workflows in the recent hotfixes.

Best regards,
Juraj Ondrus

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