Workflow Configuration in X4

This article will show how to use the "Workflow Manager" tool to have eMaint X4 automate certain actions depending on specific triggers in the system.

The Workflow Manager is an eMaint feature that allows you to configure your system to react to certain events. You define “rules” where, if certain criteria are met, certain actions take place.

1 - Navigating and Understanding the Workflow Manager

OLD: To access this area of the system, hover over the “Main Menu” button at the top of the screen, hover over “Administration”, then click on “Workflow Manager”.

NEW: To access this area of the system, click into the My Shortcuts menu. Click on the Workflows tile that can be found in the second row of this menu.

After clicking the link, you will be taken to a full list of your workflows, where you will see five data columns: Workflow ID, Workflow Description, Active, Rule ID, and Workflow Order by Rules. The Workflow ID is what differentiates it from others and will be unique, system generated identifier. The Workflow Description will give a short overview of what the workflow is used for, and is user defined. The Active field will let you know if that workflow is “Live,” acting as an on-off switch for that workflow to fire or not fire. The Rule ID represents the event that triggers the workflow to execute, and the Workflow Order By Rules will tell you the order in which the workflows will be process for that particular event.

Click on a blue Workflow ID link to reveal one of the workflows. This will take you to the detailed view of the workflow record.  At the top section of the screen, you will see another display of the “Workflow ID”, “Description”, and “Active” fields. At the bottom you will see an overview of what this workflow is doing for you automatically in the system.  The overview will display the following information.

A - The current “Rule” for the workflow.

B - The condition(s) that are in place for the workflow.

C - This will display what the action of the workflow is.

2 - Creating Workflows

Now that we have successfully navigated the workflow manager, we will learn how to create workflows.

We will help you understand how this feature works by creating 2 very useful workflows: Email Supervisor After Emergency WO is Created and Change Job Status to “Complete” After WO is Closed.

Email Supervisor After Emergency WO is Created. This workflow sends an email (with the attached work order) to a specific contact when an “Emergency” work order is created.

• Click the icon to access the My Shortcuts Menu, then click on the “Workflows” tile  

• Now, on the workflow list view, click the Plus button button at the top right corner of the list. 

• Now, you are brought to the screen where you can create and configure your workflow. This organized into five total sections: four different areas where you will configure the workflow (Details, Choose a Rule, Conditions, and Actions), and one area called “Setup” where you can define the specifics of the workflow. First, we will work within the Details area. Type in the Workflow Description and then check the box next to the  “Active” field to turn this workflow on.

Note: The other three fields in the section are system generated: Workflow ID populates as a unique identifier specific to this workflow, and Disabled DateTime and Error Message populate when the workflow encounters an error and shuts itself off.

• Now that you have named the workflow and checked the “Active” box, you are ready to continue with configuring the workflow as needed. You will now move onto the Choose a Rule section and select “After Work Order Save” from the dropdown menu. At this point, you will begin to see your selections appear within the Setup section at the bottom of the screen.

• Once you have chosen a rule, the options will appear within the Conditions and Actions areas of the workflow manager. In the Conditions section, check off checkboxes next to “with table.field equal to value” and “if action is [select].” These will also show up under the Setup section.

• Now, you can move onto the Actions section where you will need to check the “email WO to someone as PDF: Set Message” box

• At this point, you are ready to set up your workflow by determining the specifics of the conditions and actions you selected. The Setup area should currently look like this:

• Complete the following steps to appropriately configure this workflow:

  • A - Click the table link then select “WORK - WORK ORDERS” from the dropdown. Click the floppy disk to Save this selection.

  • B - Click the field link, then select “WO_Type - WO Type” from the dropdown (Tip: You can type into the search bar for quick results). Click the floppy disk to Save this selection.

  • C - Click the value link, then type in the word EMERGENCY (in all capital letters)

  • D - Click the [select] button, then select “NEW - Add New Record”

  • E - At the bottom of the page, click the someone button, then type in your own email address.

  • F - Click the Message button, then type in any message.

• Click the Save New Record button in order to save the new workflow. When you are done, the setup section should appear as follows:

Your workflow is complete. Now let’s test it out:

• Navigate to the work orders tab and create a new work order. Make sure you select EMERGENCY into the “Work Order Type” field on the WO form. Hit “Save Changes” when you are done.

• Now, check your email inbox to confirm that you received the email.