Table of Contents
States
A state is where an item rests between two steps. An item is in at most one state per workflow.
A state that still holds items cannot be deleted — move those items on first.
Properties
| General | |
|---|---|
| Name | The localised name of the state. It is what users see in menus and what is written into the history. |
| Options | |
|---|---|
| Terminal state | Marks an end state. Items that arrive here are done. A terminal state is expected to have no outgoing transition, and the validation reports it if it does. |
| Items in this state may be reassigned | Allows handing an item over to somebody else while it sits in this state, without applying a transition. Off by default. Leave it off for states that a scheduled automation drains, so users cannot move work into a queue only the scheduler processes. |
| Items in this state are due after a while | Stamps a deadline onto the item when it enters this state. |
| Due after | The period after which an item in this state is overdue, in Hours, Days or Weeks. |
A due period and a terminal state are mutually exclusive — nothing moves an item out of an end state, so it could never stop being overdue. Ticking either option disables the other.
Reassignment
Once a state allows it, an item in that state may be handed over by:
- its current assignees — handing an item on gives up a right rather than gaining one, so it needs no configuration;
- anybody, while the item is unassigned — it is in the pool and free to be claimed;
- the users and groups listed under Reassignment on the workflow, who may hand over any item of the workflow regardless of who it is assigned to, see Workflows.
Changing the item must be permitted as well, exactly as it must be for applying a transition. If the state does not allow reassignment, none of this applies.
Due dates
The deadline is written into an ordinary date field on the target table, Due Date (workflow), so it can be put on masks, sorted on and searched for like any other Fylr field — awe_due_<id> < “$now” finds the overdue items. No special filter or sort order is needed anywhere.
The deadline is only written when an item moves. Changing or removing a state's due period therefore does not reach the items already sitting in it — use Recalculate Due Dates… on the states table for that. It recomputes each deadline from the moment the item entered its current state.
What happens once an item is overdue is not part of the state: configure a reminder e-mail or an escalating transition in the Workflow Due Dates scheduler job.