Concept of Workflow and how it works

Concept

Workflow is a Prepress automation tool which gives you the opportunity to perform actions on Documents by the use of available Component. You decide which action is performed in which order by the use of connectors. A Component generates a result which is

'Ok',

'Fail' or

'Fixed'. By placing your mouse pointer into one of these results and clicking an arrows is generates which your can drag to the next Component you want to be the next step. By selecting a connector and clicking backspace or deleted you can remove a Connector. The video below shows how you can do this.

Static and Variables

Each component, expect the Input Components, have a Static and Variable tab in the UI. When Workflow is processing a Document it applies Static values first, but over rights them when Variables are set.

Variables

Variables can be created in the Input Components. Input Components as XML, Excel/CSV and Hotfolder combined with RegEx will auto populate a list of Keys, which have been mapped in this Component, when you start typing a '{' in the Variable field. It also shows a tooltip in the bottom of the UI.

Using Input Components as DB, JDF or Hotfolder in combination with XML. These types of input can have /UserData elements in the by Workflow generated Job.xml. Job.xml is available in the UI of Workflow. Keys actually always refer to the elements in the /UserData. In this case you have to set the Value of the Key yourself like {Key:YourElementInUserData}. It's also possible to use a '?' behind Key like {Key?:*}. This way it will use the Variable if available otherwise it will apply the Static value.