Nintex Connect

I'm in the process of evaluating the Enterprise version of the workflow tool and I need to understand if there are any issues with workflows that are part of a site template.  Currently, do the Nintex workflows work when a new site is created from a site template?  Also, what is the concept of saving a workflow as a template?  If I update the template, are all workflows created from the template updated? 

Hi,

To use workflows in a site template, you need at least the SharePoint Infrastructure Updates and also the latest build of Nintex Workflow.

Unfortunately, list templates handle workflows very badly. In our experience, it only half saves the workflow, resulting in a 'ghost' workflow on the destination list that is difficult to manage. For example, if the workflow is set to run automatically, it will run, however there will be no mention of it in the list of workflows, so you will be unable to remove it.

This is the behaviour with both SharePoint Designer created workflows and Nintex created workflows because our workflows are architecturally the same as those from SharePoint Designer.

There is also no way to export the list without the workflow.

You need to remove the workflow from the list, and then create the list template.

You can then export the workflow manually from the workflow designer and import it at the newly created destination list.

To remove a workflow from the source list (this will not delete the workflow, it will appear as a saved workflow that has not been published. However it WILL break any running instances):

1. Open the library or list the workflow exists on
2. Choose the ‘Settings’ menu and select ‘Document Library Settings’ / ‘List Settings’
3. Choose ‘Workflow settings’ under the ‘Permissions and Management’ group
4. You will see a list of all the previously published versions of the workflow. Select ‘Remove a workflow’ down the bottom.
5. Select the Remove option next to all Nintex workflows and versions.

All internal SharePoint references between list and workflow have now been removed and the list template can be safely created. If you choose the library settings, and ‘Manage Workflows’, you will see all the workflows are not listed under the not published category. They can be re enabled by publishing them again.

When you create the list on the destination site, those workflows will not appear as saved. You will need to export the workflows manually and import them at the destination.

I was JUST about to create a test-case for this very idea, and am SO glad I thought to look around here first...  Thanks for the bad-news Peter, but you just saved me quite a bit of trouble.

One of my projects reqires workspaces to be provisioned via workflow from a pre-configured template. Can you reccommend a workaround for this? Can I publish/import workflows via a Nintex workflow as part of my site creation process?

Thanks!

you certainly can use Nintex Workflow to deploy any workflow that is required in your workspaces. I assume your process on a high level is to deploy the site based on a template first and then deploy the necessary workflows to the new site's lists and/or libraries. So you'll need to:

1. Save the required workflow templates (nwf files) to a document library that the workflow will have access to
2. In the workflow you will need to (on a high level) :
1. Read in the NWF file using a "Query XML" action item
2. Call the NWF web service (http://YourNewSiteURL/_vti_bin/nintexworkflow/workflow.asmx) method "PublishFromNWFXml"
3. Provide it with the variable you stored the result from step 1 in, a name for the workflow and the name of the list, which the workflow should run on

Let me know if you hit any road blocks.

Cheers,
Pat

Pat,

I have a similar scenario, but am having an issue with my workflow moving from Unpublished to Published on the new site, even though the PublishFromNWFXml web service does not return any errors.

I am doing what you described in your steps above. I have a workflow that runs on a list, and I have a site provisioning workflow that creates the new site, and then publishes the workflow to the new site/list. If I go to the new site and view the workflows on my list, the workflow I published is there. However, it is still in the Unpublished group. If I then open the workflow in the nintex designer, and publish from the designer, it says it publishes it. But, same result, it still resides in the Unpublished group.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Doug

Thanks Pat. Your suggestion works great. The workflow is attached to the Document Library just fine. However, it does not publish the workflow. It shows up as "Unpublished". Any suggestions?

 If I change the "saveIfCannotPublish" to false, nothing happens. If it is set to true, it saves it unpublished. Rights issue perhaps? 

 

Thanks!

 

Jim 

better late than never I'd say. Sorry guys haven't been here for a while :(

have you found a solution for this in the meanwhile? if not, have you checked the SP log files? Are all required list/library columns part of the library/list that you publish the WF? Are there any WF action items in your workflow which are using a field from any list/library in your site?

Has there been a solution to this? I have the same situation and am having troubl finding further information.

Has there been a breakthrough on this?

Could it have something to do with the fact that you cannot publish a workflow to another library in the same site with the same name?