Ektron CMS400.Net Reference

>>Assigning and Reviewing Tasks > Automatic Creation of Tasks Associated with Content

Automatic Creation of Tasks Associated with Content

In addition to the manual assignment of tasks, they can be automatically generated whenever content, an asset, or a form is created. You would use Automatic Task Creation to set up a preapproval process, which requires one or more users to approve content before it enters the regular approval process. (The regular approval process is described in WorkFlow.)

The most common scenario illustrated below.

In this example, an automatically-generated task assigns the content to a preapproval group. When any member of that group reviews his tasks, he inspects the corresponding content and assigns it to an editor. After the editor reviews and possibly edits the content and submits it for approval, it enters the normal approval process.

Enabling Automatic Task Creation

The Settings > Configuration > Setup screen > Workarea tab's Enable PreApproval Group field controls Ektron CMS400.NET’s Automatic Task feature. Check this box to enable Automatic Tasks.

Next, you create user groups and assign them to folders whose content must complete the preapproval process before it enters the regular approval process. See Assigning a Preapproval Group to a Folder.

Assigning a Preapproval Group to a Folder

The ability to select or update a folder’s preapproval group is determined by the advanced permission Modify Preapproval. Only users with this permission see Modify Preapproval () when viewing the Folder Properties screen.

If you have permission to modify a folder’s preapproval group, go to the Folder Properties screen and click Modify Preapproval () to access the PreApproval Group field. (The field only appears if you have enabled the Preapproval Feature. See Enabling Automatic Task Creation.)

If you assign a user group, an automatic task can be assigned to that group whenever content in that folder is created or updated.

If you select Inherit, this folder gets its preapproval group from the parent folder. If you select None, you disable the preapproval feature for the folder.

Preapproval Groups Report

The Preapproval Groups Report lists all preapproval groups assigned to folders within Ektron CMS400.NET. To access it, go to Ektron CMS400.NET Workarea > Reports > Contents > Preapproval Groups.

How Automatic Task Creation Works

When a user submits a content item for approval, Ektron CMS400.NET checks to see if an open task exists for it. (An open task is one whose state is Not Started, Active, Awaiting Data, on Hold, or Pending.) If none exists and a preapproval group is assigned to its folder, a task is created and associated with the content.

A task has the following information.

Field

Value

Title

A string formulated by joining the

content title

content ID number

underscore

Task

For example, Private Content2_Task.

Assigned to

The preapproval group

Assigned by

The user who submitted the content

Content

The content being submitted for approval

Priority

Normal

State

Not Started

Due date

none

Start date

none

Created by

User who submitted content

Description

none

The task can then be reviewed by any member of the preapproval group, who has two choices.

review the content and submit it for publishing. This action completes the preapproval process and submits the content into the regular approval chain.

assign the task to another user, such as an editor. (The user to whom the task is being assigned must have permission to edit the content.) The editor reviews the content, updates it as needed, and submits it into the regular approval chain.

Note: The user submitting the content does not need permission to create tasks. Also, the user assigned to the task should not change its state using the task system. Instead, he should review and approve content using the regular content workflow mechanism. That mechanism automatically changes the task’s state.

The tables below explain the sequence of changes to content and its associated task. All changes are logged into the task’s history. See Also: Viewing a Task’s History

Also, email is automatically generated for automatic tasks as it is for manually-created tasks.

Task/Content Statuses (Author Cannot Approve)

Event

Content Status

Task Status

Content is created and checked in

Checked In

No auto task assigned

Content is submitted for approval

Note: The above action creates the automatic task for the content.

Waiting for completion of associated tasks

Not Started

Content is assigned by a member or preapproval group to an editor

Waiting for completion of associated tasks

Not Started

Editor updates content then checks it in

Checked In

Active

Content is submitted for approval; it enters any approval chain set for the folder

Note: Since the task requires an approval, it appears in the task list of the current approver. When the content is approved, the task is moved to the next approver's task list.

Submitted for Approval

Pending

Approver denies request

Checked In

Reopened

Approver approves content

Approved

Complete

Task/Content Statuses (Author Can Approve)

Event

Content Status

Task Status

Content is created then checked in

Checked In

No auto task assigned

Content is edited then checked in

Checked In

Active

Content is submitted for approval

Note: Although an author can approve content, he must click publish twice: once to change content status to Awaiting Completion of Associated Task, and a second time to change it to Approved.

Waiting for completion of associated tasks

Not Started

Content is published

Approved

Complete


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Ektron CMS400.NET Reference Version 8.02 SP1 Rev 1

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