The Nintex Workflow Designer allows all SharePoint users across the organization to easily and quickly design workflows using simple user interfaces with drag & drop and browser based. The designer has three important interface,
· Designer Ribbon
· Action Toolbox
· Designer Canvas
Designer Ribbon
· Save button – Used to Save the Workflow. Each time the workflow will be saved as Minor Version and when the Workflow is ‘Published’ then it will be saved as Major version.
o Save As Snippet – Allows to create common set of Workflow Tasks and while saving it becomes ‘Reusable Workflow’
o Save As Template – This will take the completed workflow and store it in the Site Template Gallery. Next time when a new workflow is created it can be used as a custom template (It will be available at Site Level).
· Publish button – User will make use of this workflow once it’s been Published.
· New button – It will clear the current Design Canvas and begin the new workflow.
· Open button – Helps to open the previously saved workflow into the Workflow Designer.
· Close button – This will close the Workflow Designer window and leads to associated List.
· Print button – It helps to print the user friendly version of the current workflow.
· Import button – This allow to import Nintex workflow file (Nintex Workflows are saved with the extension .nwf) that was exported from Nintex workflow. It is used to copy workflow from one server to another.
· Export button – It will save the workflow and later that can be Imported, also it can be exported to Visual Studio.
· Workflow Settings – It contains options like,
o Workflow Title & Description.
o Start manually or not.
o Require Manage list rights (The user starting the workflow should require Manage list rights, by default the minimal SharePoint permission required is Contributor)
o Publish without validation.
o Enable Workflow to start from the item menu – This will show the workflow in item context menu and it can be started from there as well.
o Enable custom history messages – It will allow actions which have message to log on completion included in the workflow history view.
o Create workflow status column – It will create a new column with workflow name in the corresponding list or library where the Workflow resides.
o Expected Workflow duration – This will keep track of workflow duration and save it in the database.
o Task list – It uses SharePoint task list by default.
o History list – As the workflow progresses, each step within the workflow are captured in the SharePoint history list.
o Form type – Allows to specify the start form that is used. It can be Default or InfoPath Form or Nintex Form or Custom Form.
Action Toolbox
The Actions are divided into groups of category and can be used in the Design Canvas to create workflows. We can also search for the name of the action from Action Search.
Integration and Provisioning category will be available only in the Enterprise edition of the product. Additionally, the names of the action items and category can be edited by the Administrator.
Design Canvas
This is where the Actions are placed and the workflows are created. The action can be placed in two ways,
· Drag and drop from Action Toolbox to Design Canvas.
· Right click on the Design Canvas and select Insert Action.
To configure the Action, we need to double click on the Action or click on the title bar of the action and select Configure once it is on the Design Canvas.
Happy Coding
Ahamed
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