Transition Types

This topic describes the transition types you can add to an application workflow or sub-workflow.

Regular

Regular transitions let users transition items from one state to another.

Quick

Quick transitions transition items from one state to another without showing a form to users. Outgoing transitions from decisions are automatically configured as quick transitions, because the workflow logic, not the user, determines the next state in the workflow.

Post

Post transitions lets users submit new items from the item they are currently working with. Posted items receive a new Item ID and follow the workflow of the project they are posted to. A link is created between the original item and the new item.

Post transitions can perform the following actions:
  • Post a new item to another project using the same primary table.
  • Post a new item to a project using a different primary table.
  • Post a new item to an auxiliary table.

For field mapping details, refer to Mapping Fields for Post, Publish, Copy, or Subtask Transitions.

Post transitions can be executed manually by a user clicking a transition button or automatically, by Web service calls in an orchestration workflow. For information about using Web service calls to execute a Post transition, see the orchestration use cases in the SBM Composer online help or the SBM Orchestration Guide.

Note: You can use an action on a Post transition action to cause a second transition to execute after the workflow reaches the transition on which the action is defined. For details, see Tutorial: Submitting Multiple Primary Items.

Subtask

A subtask is a primary item that is associated with a principal task and that is displayed differently from the principal task. Subtasks are typically used when a set of smaller tasks needs to be worked on before a larger task, or principal task, can continue its process. A Subtask transition lets users create a new primary item in a specified project. You can specify that the new item be linked to the source (original), or principal, item and that subtasks are transitioned according to values in a specific Binary/Trinary or Single Selection field. For example, when all subtasks are completed, the principal item could be transitioned to a completed state.

Subtask transitions are useful for setting up an entire set of new tasks at once. For example, at the beginning of a large project, a user can create a principal task and use a Subtask transition to create subtasks from that larger task.

After adding a Subtask transition to your workflow, you can define actions that transition subtasks and principal items.

For field mapping details, refer to Mapping Fields for Post, Publish, Copy, or Subtask Transitions.

Viewing Subtasks

Users who are granted the View Principal and Subtasks privilege and who selected the Subtasks display preference can view the Subtasks section if it is included on a form. The Subtasks section is visible only if an item is a subtask of another item or has one or more subtasks associated with it. In addition, users can access subtasks only in projects for which they have "view" privileges.
Tip: Subtasks appear as links in the Subtasks section. By default, these links contain the Item ID and Title of the item. You can modify this display using the value display format setting using the Property Editor for the primary table used by the subtask workflow.

Copy

The Copy transition lets users copy primary items and place them in another location in the project hierarchy within the same table.

Considerations

Copy transitions can be executed manually by a user clicking a transition button; or automatically, by Web service calls in an orchestration workflow. For information about using Web service calls to execute a Copy transition, see the orchestration use cases in the SBM Composer online help or the SBM Orchestration Guide.

Update

Update transitions are unusual in that they do not move items from state to state. Instead, Update transitions let users with the appropriate privileges update data in an item at a particular state in the workflow. You can set the "from" state for Update transitions, but the "to" state is always the same state. This transition is automatically included on the Any item in new workflows, but you can disable that default Update transition and create others that are available only for selected states.
Note: Update transitions are controlled by the "update" privileges in the Item privilege category. Users who are granted these privileges can update individual items using the Update transition, or modify multiple items using the Rich Editable Grid.

Delete

Delete transitions do not move items from state to state. They let users with the appropriate privileges delete an item at a particular state in the workflow. You can set the "from" state for Delete transitions, but the "to" state is always Deleted. This transition is automatically included on the Any state in new workflows, but you can disable that default Delete transition and create others that are available only for selected states or in particular sub-workflows.
Note: Field overrides and triggers do not apply to custom Delete transitions.

Publish

The Publish transition lets users quickly publish problems and resolutions pertaining to primary items to the legacy Knowledge Base that is included with SBM. When users execute the Publish transition, Submit forms for the Problems and Resolutions tables automatically open. By default, the problem contains the Title and Description from the item. Users can modify this information and select other values for the problem and resolution, such as which folder the problem will be stored in and its visibility.

Considerations

External Post

External Post transitions let users transition items from one state to another, as well as generate and send an e-mail message to an external database requesting that the item be posted. You select the external database to which you want the item to be added.

Related Topics

About Transitions

Working with Transitions