The Send Document/App Item activity is used in a process when its participants need to get informed about the contents of a file, a document or an app item. The users receive a task containing a link to the object that they have to view or read. After that, a list of informed users is created on the object’s page. It contains the employee’s decisions, comments, and additional files.
For example, the CCO develops a sales plan which is then approved by the CEO and sent to the sales reps for reading. The sales reps receive a task that contains a link to the sales plan. Once a sales rep reads the message, he or she is added to the list of informed users.
To open the activity settings, double-click on it on the process diagram.
начало внимание
Before configuring the settings, make sure that the process context contains a variable for storing the object that the users will have to view or read.
конец внимание
General tab
- Name*. Enter the text that will be shown on the process diagram.
- Task name*. Enter a brief and informative subject. It will be used as the title for the task shown to users in their activity stream. To include context variables into the subject, click on the {+} symbol in the right corner of the field. You can also add conditions and functions, just like for the item name templates. This allows you to generate a more informative name for the task.
- Item to send. Select the context variable storing the file, document, or app item that you want the users to view or read.
- Notification. If this option is enabled, the executor will receive a notification in their activity stream when the task is assigned.
- Message body. Here you need to specify all the information that you want the employees to see. Also, you can use context variables to, for example, add a comment of a process participant. To include a variable, click on the {+} symbol in the right corner of the field. You can also add a condition or a function in the same way as in the Task name* field.
Form tab
This tab appears if an app item has been sent for review. It allows you to configure your own review form from scratch. If you want to use the default form, you do not need to change the settings on this tab.
To create a form, click Default and then click Create Form.
This opens the form template in the interface designer. Place the widgets and buttons you want on the form. You can apply scripts, set form validation, and so on. Save the settings.
To customize the display of the properties of the app item being sent for review, go back to the Form tab in the activity settings.
Place the required fields on the form or create new ones. Set the settings of their visibility and mandatory filling. These actions are similar to the form settings in the Task element. Please note, that these settings are available only for a custom form.
Deadline tab
On this tab, you can configure the due date for the task, as well as determine what happens if the task is not completed at the specified time.
There are two ways to set the deadline:
- Exact time. Specify the number of days, hours, or minutes that the executor has to complete the task. The calculations can be based on the business calendar.
If the task belongs to a swimlane with multiple executors, each of the executors will have the specified number of days, hours, and minutes to complete the task.
- Variable. Sometimes it is important that the user completes the task before a certain date. For example, an employee can specify the exact date before which others need to read the new internal regulations. By this day, all specified users should have read the document. In this case, you can use a context variable of the Date/Time type to determine the deadline for the task.
If the task belongs to a swimlane with multiple executors, and a variable is used to define the deadline, all the executors will have to complete their tasks by the specified moment. Otherwise, the task will be considered overdue.
In the Notification field, you can select users who will be notified if the executor fails to complete the task on time. You can select the current user, a context variable (for example, the process initiator), a user group, or an org chart item.
By default, a message will be sent to all employees specified in the swimlane settings. To select other recipients, click the Add button.
- Current user. Executor of the swimlane where the activity is placed.
- Context variable. The recipient is specified in a process context variable of the User type.
- Group. The message will be sent to a specific user group.
- Org chart item. You can specify the recipient using an org chart item.
In the Interrupt field, determine what the next step in the process will be if the executor does not have time to complete the task before the specified time.
ELMA365 will automatically select the specified connector if the set time expires and the executor does not confirm that the task has been completed. On the process diagram, such a transition is marked with a clock icon.
Custom Statuses tab
When creating a custom status in the task, an additional button will appear. With its help, employees will be able to provide custom decisions within the standard process of sending documents and app items for information.
Depending on what object (app item or file) is stored in the variable specified on the General tab in the Item to send field, the button will appear on the item page or on the file preview page.
For instance, you can add the status Requires Clarification. An employee can complete the task of viewing a document and specify that they have questions after reading it. The document’s progress through the process will continue according to the logic defined by the outgoing transitions. In the list of informed users, opposite the name of the user who selected this decision, the status Requires Clarification will appear.
The final status of the item, regardless of the chosen decisions, will be Informed.
To configure a custom status, enable the Use a custom status option and fill in the fields that appear:
- Button label in the task*. Enter the name for the button that the user will click to complete the task. The additional button will be displayed next to the system button Informed.
- Status label*. Enter the name of the status that will be displayed in the list of informed users after closing the task.
The custom status will be shown in the list of informed users and will also be displayed alongside the system Informed status when the list is exported.
Signature Settings tab
On this tab, you can set up different options for using digital signatures and customize the signing options in Send document/Add Item tasks. When a user clicks Informed, a pop-up appears showing the list of options:
- Enable signing. If this option is enabled, the user can proceed to signing by clicking Next.
- Sign attributes, Sign file. If these options are enabled, the user will sign the document’s attributes or the file.
- Provider. Specify the provider whose certificate is used for signing. If the provider is selected in the signature settings, the field is filled in automatically and is not available for editing.
Determine whether the specified options are checked or unchecked. The signature settings are the same as in the Approval activity. The only difference is that the Sign decision option is not available for the Send Document/App Item activity because in this case no actual decision is made. To learn more, see Approval.
Substitutions tab
On this tab, you can specify a variable that controls the reassignment of the task to an employee who substitutes the primary performer.
In the Ignore substitution field, specify a variable from the business process context of the Yes/No switch type.
If the variable is set to Yes, the task will be assigned to the initially specified approver, and if it is set to No, it will be assigned to the substitute employee. The value of the variable can be changed during the business process, for example, by placing the variable on the form of another task, or by using scripts.
For example, you can ignore substitution if the document to be read contains confidential data that should not be disclosed to third parties.
List of informed users
Once users receive the notification with a link to the file, document, or app item that they have to view or read, a list containing all informed users appears on the page of this object. It shows a list of users who have viewed the object, their decisions, comments, additional files, and the time and date they completed the task.
Until the user completes the view task, the question mark icon will be displayed next to their name. After the user views the object, the question mark will be replaced with a check mark.
If the document is modified in some way, for example, the text or the status is changed, the list of informed users is archived. You can always view archived lists by clicking on the Archive link on the right pane.
You can download the list of informed users as an .xlsx file. To do this, click on the download button.
The exported list can be printed and, for example, attached to a paper copy of the document. The sheet contains the name of the document, list of the informed employees and their decisions, the dates of each decision, and comments.
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