Status

Key point: A value given to a task or a document workflow to represent their current state.

Workflow status

The document status applies to the workflow associated with the document. The status of the last workflow step is the status of the document.

Task status

The task status applies to comments in a discussion. The status of the last comment is the status of the task.

Although managers can edit the properties of a task by editing the last comment, it’s preferable to add a new comment with the updated property values instead. This lets you and other members keep track of the task progression and document the reason for updating the task.

Workflow properties can only be changed by adding a new step.

Status icons

The icons are based on whether the status is active or not and some other criteria. Managers can configure the values to associate with icons in the group properties form, on either the group configuration page or project configuration page. In the user interface, PageSeeder uses icons to indicate the status of a task:

	For active tasks and workflows (see following section)
	For resolved tasks
	When tasks and workflows no longer require any action
	Indicates a custom status

Status and roles

The status that a member can set on a document or task is based on their role within a group. Each role can be associated with a list of document statuses that appear as an option on the workflow step or task.

Only the Approver is able to set any document status.

Role	Permissions and workflow options
Approver	Full editorial control – can manage documents and workflows
Manager	Limited editorial control – can manage documents and workflows
Contributor	Limited editorial control – can edit documents and only start or end work on a document
Reviewer	No editorial control – can only comment on documents and start or end work on a document

When configuring statuses, start with the ‘Approver’ role, and remove statuses that other roles are not allowed to set.

The workflow status can only be changed by adding a new step.

Status order

The document or task status has a natural lifecycle order. Managers configure the list of workflow or task values in the same order, and it should reflect the order in which the document or task status is naturally changed.

Active status

A status is considered active when there are activities associated with the task or workflow. In other words, an active task or workflow indicates work to be done.

Whenever possible, PageSeeder displays active tasks and workflows in the user interface to help you identify which items require action.

The default active statuses are:

Task – Open.
Workflow – Initiated, In Progress, Complete.

Locked state

Managers can configure which workflow status locks a document, making it uneditable until the status is changed (workflow statuses only). A pill with Locked displays at the right in the document toolbar.

Default statuses

Unless a manager configures the group to use a different set of statuses, PageSeeder provides default statuses following a basic approval process that relies on the roles of group members. In the group properties form, managers can set the values for workflow properties and which roles can use them.

Default task statuses

Tasks are configured by default, assuming the following:

Any member of the group can create a task.
A contributor or higher then resolves the problem, either their own task or a task assigned to another member, then
An approver or administrator can check and close the task.

Open (active)

This is the initial status of a task after it has been created. The description of the task is typically defined in the most recent comment that gained that status.

For example, if a task arises from a discussion, set the status to ‘Open’ on the comment that describes the problem or action to take to fix it.

Any member of a group – except guests – can open a task.

Resolved

The work described in the task has been done and has resolved the corresponding issue. When a task is resolved, an email notification is sent to approvers.

Only contributors or higher can resolve a task.

Closed

An approver has verified that the issue is resolved and the task no longer requires any action. If the issue has not been resolved, the task can be reopened. In the user interface, closed tasks are usually no longer listed a period of time after they have been closed.

Natural lifecycle: Open → Resolved → Closed

Default document workflow statuses

Document workflows are configured by default to follow a basic editorial process where the status is also used to communicate who is working on a document and whether it is ready for publishing.

Initiated (active)

The workflow has been created but work on the document has not started. Only a manager can initiate a workflow.

In Progress (active)

Work on the document has started. Only a contributor or higher can indicate that they have started work on the document with this status.

Complete (active)

Work on the document is complete and waiting for approval before publication. Only a contributor or higher can indicate that they have completed work on the document with this status.

When a document is marked as complete, an email notification is sent to approvers.

Approved

An approver has approved the document for publication.

Suspended

Work on the document has been suspended and might resume. Any manager can suspend a document.

Terminated

The document must no longer be used. The workflow must not be restarted. Any manager can terminate a document.

Natural lifecycle: Initiated → In Progress → Complete → Approved → Suspended → Terminated

Allowing reviewers to update workflows

Only administrators can allow reviewers to update workflows by editing the global properties.

This cannot be enabled using the UI; the administrator must have access to the server file system to edit the global properties.

To allow reviewers to update workflows, add the create-workflow value to the reviewerEnable property.