Worklist Control

The Worklist control is available in the K2 smartforms View Designer and is a predefined list containing all the work items for the current user that has been generated and assigned by the workflow. You can use the Worklist to action the items assigned to you.

The functionality of the Worklist control is similar to the current worklist found in K2 blackpearl. For more information on the features of the K2 blackpearl Worklist, see the following sections in the K2 blackpearl User Guide:

  • Existing workflow instances
  1. Create a View or a Form
  2. Drag the Worklist control onto the canvas. The control can be found in the Worklist section of the Controls found in the View Designer, see the Properties section below
  3. Configure the properties of the Worklist control as required, see the Properties section below
  • The Worklist control can be used on a View or a Form
  • Work items displayed in the Worklist are those assigned to the current signed in user 
  • A list of columns to be displayed in runtime is available and can be accessed by selecting Grid from the Layout property of the control. The user can select or deselect columns to customize the display of the Worklist control in runtime
  • When applying a filter to the Worklist at runtime, the filter overrides the one created in design time and persists per user.
  • When using custom themes, ensure to specify the CSS classes for the elements
  • Work items assigned to the user and started from any workflow designer such as K2 Studio, K2 Designer for Visual Studio, K2 Designer and K2 Designer for SharePoint are available using the Worklist control
  • The Worklist control uses the default value for the current environment for the K2 Web Service URL field. The hostname, rather than IP Address is used to check for work items. If the hostname is not mapped to any IP Address, it will not return any work items
  • Sort items according to status by clicking on the arrow. Available items display with a blue icon and open items have no icon.

The Worklist control is available in the Worklist section of the Controls found in the View Designer.

Property Description Can be set in runtime using Rules
Detail
Name A unique identifier for the selected control. This property is required No
Title The Title of the Worklist to be shown in runtime Yes, see Control Properties Actions for more information
Watermark The text to display when the control is not populated No
Settings
Filter Enables filtering and sorting of the data returned in runtime Yes, see Control Properties Actions for more information
Layout Enables the layout to be configured. Columns can be selected, deselected and moved as required. The Simple option displays the Activity Name, Folio, Activity Start Date and Process Name. Click on the ellipsis, select Grid and specify the columns to be displayed in runtime. Move columns up and down as required Yes, see Control Properties Actions for more information
Refresh Interval Indicates the time that will elapse before the worklist is automatically refreshed . Value is noted in seconds. Specify the interval to be used Yes, see Control Properties Actions for more information
Show Toolbar Shows or hides the Toolbar containing the Search and Multiselect icons Yes, see Control Properties Actions for more information
Show Filter Shows or hides Filter/Grouping in runtime Yes, see Control Properties Actions for more information
Show Search Shows or hides the Search at runtime Yes, see Control Properties Actions for more information
Enable Search Enables the search functionality at runtime Yes, see Control Properties Actions for more information
Show OOF items Shows the work items assigned to the user along with those whose original destination is not the current user. These have been assigned to the current user since the original destination user setting is set to Out Of Office. More information on the Out of Office feature can be found in the Out of Office topic Yes, see Control Properties Actions for more information
Rows Indicates the number of work items to be displayed on the page. If the number is reached in runtime, the option is available at the bottom of the page to load the same number of items in addition to the current items. Specify the number of items to be displayed when the worklist is opened  Yes, see Control Properties Actions for more information
Action Menu Items

Shows the menu items selected on the worklist item at runtime. The following items are available:

  • All
  • Release - Enabling the user to release the item if applicable
  • Sleep - Shows the Sleep option on the worklist item at runtime enabling the user to pause the item for a period if time
  • Redirect - Shows the Redirect option on the worklist item at runtime enabling the user to redirect the item to another user
  • Share - Shows the Share option on the worklist item at runtime enabling the user to share the item with other users
  • View Flow - Shows the View Flow option at runtime allowing the user to see which step the item is currently on, who has participated in the workflow and view the activity data fields.

 Yes, see Control Properties Actions for more information
General
Height Adjusts the height of the control. Any whole number or pixel value to a maximum of 32767px can be entered. Type the dimension to be used Yes, see Control Properties Actions for more information
Width Adjusts the width of the control. Any whole percentage up to 100%, whole number or pixel value to a maximum of 32767px can be entered. Type the dimension to be used Yes, see Control Properties Actions for more information
Visible Shows or hides the control in runtime Yes, see Control Properties Actions for more information
Styles Opens the Style Builder enabling the user to specify style features like Format, Font, Borders, Padding and Margins. See the Style Builder topic for more information on styling options No
Conditional Styles Opens the Conditional Formatting Designer. This is used to design styles that will apply only when certain conditions are met. See the Conditional Styles section for more information No

Clicking on the ellipsis next to the Filter property, opens the Filter/Sorting Options dialog. Filters can be configured in design time to be applied in runtime. Multiple filters can be configured by using the Add button. When changing the filter in runtime, the filter is only valid for the duration of the browser session. If a new browser session is opened, the filter created in design time will apply  

Selecting the Sort tab on the Filter/Sorting Options dialog enables the user to configure the sorting options to be applied in runtime. Multiple items can be added by using the Add button and will be sorted in the order they are listed.  

Click on the ellipsis next to the Layout property to open the Layout Configuration dialog. The Simple option displays the Activity Name, Folio, Activity Start Date and Process Name columns.

To customize the display of the columns at runtime, select the Grid option to add and remove columns, and reorder columns using the Move Up and Move Down buttons.

Feature Description
Width Specify the Width for each column of the worklist control. The Width can be one or a combination of the following:
  • Blank – Leave the Width field for a column blank if you want the default (auto-resize) to apply. The default is to auto-resize columns. All columns are calculated as a percentage of the cell size.
  • Percentage - Specify percentage values so that all columns equal a total of 100% (Note: Do not use a space between the value and the % sign, for example 20%)
  • Pixel - Specify pixel values (Note: Do not use a space between the value and px, for example 10px)
  • Integer - Use integer values. The value will default to pixels.

Below is an example of using these combinations:

You can change column widths by dragging column borders with the mouse. Move the mouse pointer to the right hand border of the column you wish to change. The mouse pointer changes shape to a left and right pointing arrow as seen below. Click and drag the mouse to adjust the column width. Auto-resize the column width by double clicking the mouse.

  • A scrollbar is enabled if the total width values of all columns exceed the control's cell width.
  • If the total percentage value of all columns is less than 100%, the remainder percentage is applied to the last column. For example, if the total value of all columns equals 60%, the remainder of 40% is added to the last column.
  • If the total pixel value is less than the pixel value of the cell, the remainder px value is applied to the last column.
  • If no values are specified, automatic calculated sizes are applied to the columns.
  • Rules cannot be used to set the width of the columns at runtime.

Certain actions are available using the Worklist control at runtime. These actions will enable you to manage the worklist item.

Select one of the following Worklist actions by clicking the drop-down arrow next to the work item:

Feature Icon Description
Open Form Selecting Open Form will open the work item in the selected forms technology such as InfoPath, an ADO.NET form or SmartForms
Action(s) Displays the actions available on the task such as Approved or Review
View Flow This feature provides a detailed view of the actions taken during the process, see the View Flow topic in the K2 blackpearl User Guide for more information
Release This feature provides the ability to release an item that has been opened enabling other destination users to action the item
Sleep Pauses or suspends a work item for a period of time. The work item is visible but cannot be actioned
Redirect This feature allows a user to send the selected work item to a specific workflow participant to process. The work item will be removed from  the current users Worklist and will appear in the selected user's Worklist.
Share Allows a work item to be allocated to a different user for processing. The work item will appear in both the users' Worklist. The first user to select the work item will process the item

To learn about dynamic roles and advanced destination planning, including specific examples of activity planning based on common business scenarios, visit the following link http://old.k2underground.com/files/folders/technical_product_documents/entry20948.aspx

The "Sleep" action allows you to pause or suspend a work item for a period of time. The work item is visible but cannot be actioned.

To pause or suspend a work item click the drop-down arrow next to the work item and select Sleep. Select a Sleep option.  

Feature Description
Basic
Breakfast tomorrow The item is paused until 8 AM the following day
Lunch tomorrow The item is paused until 1 PM the following day
In a week from now The item is paused until 8 AM the following week
Date
Date Select the calendar icon to specify a date until which the task item must Sleep until.

The “Redirect” action allows you to move a work item to another user. Once you Redirect a work item, that item will not be available on your own worklist but it will appear on the other user’s worklist, and he/she may open and complete the item.

To Redirect a work item to a different user click the drop-down arrow next to the work item and select Redirect. The Redirect window will open. Search for Users, Groups or Roles. 

 
Feature Description
Search Type part or the full name of the user, group or role the task is to be redirected to and click the Search icon
Match Click on the drop-down and select the match option such as Contains, Equals etc to use in the search
Label Click on the drop-down and select the security label to use in the search
Search Result Displays the names returned from the search. Select the user the task will be redirected to

The “Share” action allows you to share the selected work item with another user. Once you Share a work item, that item will still be available on your own worklist but it will also appear on the other user’s worklist, and either one of you may open and complete the item. 

To share a work item with a different user or users click the drop-down arrow next to the work item and select Share. The Share window will open. 

 
Feature Description
Add Click Add to add a user or users to share with
Remove Click Remove to remove the selected user from the list
Shared with Displays a list of users the work item will be shared with

 Click the Add button to share the item with a user, group or role. More than one user can be added.

 
Feature Description
Search Type a user's name in the Search box. 
Match Click on the drop-down and select the match option such as Contains, Equals etc to use in the search
Label Click on the drop-down and select the security label to use in the search
Recent Displays the name of the user or users returned from the search

The "View Flow" action provides you with a detailed view of the actions taken during the workflow of the selected work item. See the View Flow topic in the K2 blackpearl User Guide for more information

To view the flow of a work item click the drop-down arrow next to the work item and select View Flow. The View Flow of that specific work item will open. The Workflow tab of the View Flow represents the steps of the workflow and which route has been taken.

To interpret a View Flow diagram remember:

  • Line Rules that evaluated to true, and were successful are colored green
  • Lines Rules that evaluated to false, and were not successful are colored red
  • Skipped lines or not yet evaluated lines remain clear

Process Summary

When clicking on the Start activity, the Process Summary dialog opens which contains the Overview and Process Data tabs.

The Overview tab contains the details of the Workflow.

Feature Description
Name This is the Name of the Workflow as configured in any of the K2 designers
Description This is the Description as configured in any of the K2 designers
Version This is the version of the Workflow for which a Workflow instance was started
Status This is the status of the Workflow instance e.g. completed, active, error etc
Start Date This is the date that a Workflow instance was started
Finish Date This is the date that the Workflow instance was finished
Running Duration This is the actual duration of the Workflow instance from the start until the present or until completed.
Originator This is the person where the Workflow instance originated from, i.e. the person who started the Workflow instance
Folio This is the Folio used when the Workflow instance was started

The Process Data tab contains the details of the Workflow Data Fields. Columns can be re-sized by dragging the column lines as required. If the value of a Data Field or XML Field has changed in the process, a View link will be displayed. Click on the link to view the changes or hover over the item.

Feature Description
Name The name of the data field
Value The value of the data field
Last Change If the current value is different from the initial (default) value, this field will be populated with the date it was changed.
By If the current value is different from the initial (default) value, this field will be populated with the person who last changed the data field

 

Activity Summary

When clicking on an Activity, the Activity Summary dialog opens which contains the Overview, Participants, Process Data tabs.

The Overview tab contains the details of the specific Activity. 

Feature Description
Name This is the Name of the Activity as configured in any of the K2 designers
Description This is the Description as configured in any of the K2 designers
Status This is the status of the Activity instance e.g. completed, active, error etc
Start Date This is the date that an Activity instance of the workflow was started
Finish Date This is the date that an Activity instance of the workflow was finished
Running Duration This is the actual duration of the activity from the start until the present or until completed
Outcome This is the Outcome as configured in the User Task

The Participants tab contains the details of the participants of the activity. Columns can be re-sized by dragging the column lines as required.

Feature Description
User The user who participated in the Activity instance of the workflow
Date Started This is the date that an Activity instance of the workflow was started
Date Finished This is the date that an Activity instance of the workflow was finished
Status This is the status of the Activity instance e.g. completed, active, error etc
Action This is the Action performed by the participant. The available actions are related to the Outcomes as configured by the workflow designer

The Process Data tab contains the details of the Workflow Data Fields. Columns can be re-sized by dragging the column lines as required.

Feature Description
Name The name of the Data Field
Value The value of the Data Field
Last Change If the current value is different from the initial (default) value, this field will be populated with the date it was changed.
By If the current value is different from the initial (default) value, this field will be populated with the person who last changed the value

View Flow Color Customization

You can customize the color of the activity blocks and lines that you see in the View Flow report by modifying its CSS.

To customize the color theme, edit the flow-colors.css file from the following location:
[Drive]:\Program Files(x86)\ K2 blackpearl\ WebServices\ ViewFlow\ assets\ CSS

Below is an example of the color theme customization:


Default color theme:


Customized color theme:


  • The Refresh interval can be changed in the web.config file by editing the value in the following node:

    <add key="ViewFlowRefreshTime" value="30" />

    The web.config file can be found in the following location:

    Program Files\K2 blackpearl\WebServices\ViewFlow


    The value is recorded in seconds and the default value is 30 seconds. The Minimum value that can be applied is 15 seconds. If a 0 or -1 in entered, the value will default to 30.

  • The Task Start Date displays in days for the last week with the exception of current date which is displayed only as the time. When hovering over the task, the specific date is shown. Tasks started prior to a week before are displayed in date format. Following is an example if the current date is a Thursday:

    Monday

    Tuesday

    Yesterday

    11:28 PM

The Out of Office feature is available on the K2 Worklist and enables a user to share specific or all their K2 Worklist items with other users. The Out of Office setting is enabled by default, and can be disabled on the Worklist control. See the Worklist Out of Office topic for more detail.