Workflow list

The Workflows page displays a list of your workflows and those shared with you. You can view the list of workflows you have access to and manage your workflows. You can:

  • Open, filter, share, export, import, or delete workflows.
  • Find URLs and snippets.
  • Manually start and pause workflows.

Users with an Administrator role can see all workflows across the tenancy.

When there are published Component workflows A workflow that can be started from outside the tenancy; the workflow uses the "Component workflow" start event., you view the API endpoints and copy the associated OpenAPI Specification (OAS) and REST URLs to call the workflows from outside the Nintex Workflow tenancy.

Note: While workflows are paused, events are ignored. That is, a paused workflow does not run, even if the configured workflow start event occurs.

Important: If your workflow is configured to start when an item is updated and also includes an action that updates the same item, we recommend using different connections with separate accounts for the start event and action. For more information, see Best practices when designing workflows.

Jump to:

Access the Workflows page

The workflow list is displayed in the Workflows page.

  • On the top navigation, click Automate.

  • If you are already on Automate but on a different page, click Workflows on the left navigation.

Open the workflow designer

The Create workflow button that's available in the Workflows page opens the workflow designer. The workflow designer page is where you create, save, and publish workflows.

  • On the left navigation of the Workflows page , click Create workflow.

The workflow designer appears where you can begin creating a workflow. For more information about the workflow designer and creating workflows, see Workflow designer and Create a workflow.

Manage workflows

You can edit, delete, filter, edit tags, import, and export workflows with the options available in the workflows page.

Each workflow in the Workflows list has an options menu that lists options relevant to that workflow. While there are options common to all workflows there are some options that are only available to some workflows depending on the type of workflow or the status of the workflow.

  • To open the options menu, find the workflow you want and click that's displayed on the right of the workflow you want.

For information about all the different options available, see Options () .

Workflows can be filtered based on start events; status; workflow name, ID, and owner; the user who last edited the workflow; and tags.

  1. On the Workflows page, click Filter. A filter drop-down appears on top of the workflow list.
  2. Click the filter drop-down. To filter based on:
    1. Select the Start event option and select one or more start events. For example, Nintex, Box, etc.

      2. (Or)

      Select a particular start event, and choose the required event(s). For example, start event: Box and event: Box - New file.

      Apart from the above filter options, with SharePoint Online start events, you can also filter workflows configured with a specific SharePoint Online Site or List.

      For example, you can select SharePoint Online for Start event, and select a site listed under the Location option. Once the filter is applied, workflows configured with the selected site along with the workflows using lists from the selected site are displayed.

      For more information about SharePoint Online start events, see SharePoint Online start events.

    1. Click Apply.

      2. The workflows are displayed based on the selected filter options. If multiple events are selected, workflows containing any of those events will be displayed.

    1. Select Status.

    2. In the Status drop-down field, select the status.

    3. Click Apply.

      The workflows are displayed based on the selected filter options.

    1. Select Workflow name.

    2. Type the workflow name.

    3. Click Apply.

      The workflows are displayed based on the selected filter options.

    1. Select Workflow ID.

    2. Type the workflow ID.

    3. Click Apply.

      The workflows are displayed based on the selected filter options.

    1. Select Workflow owner.

    2. Select a user.

    3. Click Apply.

      The workflows are displayed based on the selected filter options.

    1. Select Last edited by.

    2. Select a user.

    3. Click Apply.

      The workflows are displayed based on the selected filter options.

    Filter based on the workflow type.

    1. Select Type.
    2. Select Production or Development in the type drop-down that's displayed.

      3. The workflows are displayed based on the selected filter options.

    1. Select Tags.
    2. Select one or more tags, and click Apply.

      3. The workflows are displayed based on the selected filter options. When multiple tags are selected, all the workflows with the combination of the selected tags and the workflows containing any of those tags will be displayed.

  1. (Optional) Click Add filter to apply multiple filters.

    The workflows that satisfy the selected filters are displayed.

You can edit

  • On the Workflows page, click the name of the workflow you want to edit.
  • On the right of the workflow you want to edit, click and then select Edit from the options menu.

To tag a workflow:

  1. On the Workflows page, click on the right of the workflow you want to tag.
  2. Select Edit tags from the options menu.
  3. In the Edit tags dialog box, from the Tags drop-down, select one or more tags. You can assign a maximum of 10 tags to a workflow.

    4.

    If you cannot find an appropriate tag, you can create a new tag by typing a tag name and clicking on the Add option. If you are a designer and do not see the Add option, request your tenant administrator to configure Tag settings from the Tags page.

  1. Click Update.

    2. The newly assigned tags are displayed below the workflow name.

Workflow can be exported and imported to another tenant.

Note: To move workflows from one tenant to another, you can export them from the source tenant and import them to the destination tenant. Connections, data lookups, Xtensions, and component workflows are not exported, but will be replaced if the same assets exist in the destination tenant. When you export a workflow from a tenant and import it to another tenant, Nintex Workflow tries to match these dependencies to what is available in the destination tenant. To ensure smooth migration, you must create the required connections, data lookup, Xtensions, and component workflows in the destination tenant before you import workflows. For more information, see Move workflows across tenants.

Export a workflow

When you export a workflow, you have two options:

  • Generate a workflow key to import it into another tenant. When you use this method to export a workflow, a workflow key is generated that you need to copy and use when importing the workflow.

  • Download the workflow as a file and use that file for the import.

  1. On the Workflows page, on the right of the workflow you want, click and then select Export from the options menu.

    The Export a workflow panel is displayed.

  2. To export a workflow, select the Key or File tab based on how you want to export the workflow.

  • Select the Key tab.

    1. To generate a key, click Generate.

    2. The generated key is listed along with its expiration date. You can now copy the key to import this workflow to this or another tenancy.

    3. To copy the key, click next to the Workflow key field.

    4. Click Ok to close the Export a workflow panel.

  • Select the File tab.

    1. Click Download file.

      The workflow is exported saved to a zip file.

    2. Click Ok to close the Export a workflow panel.

 

Import a workflow

The workflow import function allows you to import your workflow as a new workflow or to import and overwrite an existing workflow. When you import a workflow, you can either use a workflow key generated when exporting a workflow or a zip file that gets created and saved when exporting a workflow.

  1. Export and import a workflow.
  2. On the upper right of the Workflows page, click Import.

  3. To import a workflow, select the Key or File tab based on your preferred method and based on how you exported the workflow.

  • To import using a Key:

    1. Select the Key tab.

    2. Paste the copied workflow import key in the Workflow key field.

    1. In Workflow name, type a name for your workflow. To overwrite an existing workflow, type the name of the workflow you wish to overwrite.
    2. Click Import.

  • To import using a workflow File:

    1. Select the File tab.

    2. Click Browse.
    3. Browse and select the file to import.
    4. Click Open.
    5. In Workflow name, type a name for your workflow. overwrite an existing workflow, type the name of the workflow you wish to overwrite and click the Override if there is an existing workflow with the same name checkbox.
    6. Click Import.

The imported workflow appears at the top of the Workflow list with the specified workflow name. Imported workflows are set to Draft status, with Edited by set to the name of the user who imported the workflow.

You can configure the values of the imported workflow using the Configure workflow panel.

For more information about mapping of Connections, data sources, Xtensions, and component workflows in imported workflows, see Move workflows across tenants.

You can find URLs for Component workflows A workflow that can be started from outside the tenancy; the workflow uses the "Component workflow" start event. and forms. Copy the URL to the web form or open the web form using the Form URL and snippet option available in the options menu for a workflow. You can also copy the code snippet for embedding the form on a web page.

Find a form URL or snippet

For more information about Nintex - Form, see Nintex - Form.

  1. On the Workflows page, on the right of the workflow you want, click .

  2. From the drop-down menu that appears, select Form URL and snippet. A dialog box appears listing the workflow name and the URL for the web form.

    Note: This option is available for workflows configured with the start event Nintex - Form (Web form option) only. Note: For legacy forms configured with the start event Nintex - Public web form, the option is Public web form URL.

  3. To copy the URL of the web form, click the copy button for the link or copy the URL from its text box. Using this URL, you can paste it into a web browser to open the form or you can share the URL to interested parties.

    Alternatively, you can click the Open in new tab icon to directly navigate to the form in a new tab.

  4. To copy the code snippet for embedding the form on a web page, click the copy button for the snippet. Using this code, you can embed the form to your web page.

    5. To be able to copy the code, make sure that access to the Nintex - Form is set to Anyone with the form URL and the form is available as URL.

Find a Component workflow URL (OAS, REST)

See Nintex - Component workflow for more information.

  1. On the Workflows page, on the right of the component workflow you want, click and then select API endpoints from the options menu.

    The Component workflow dialog box appears. The workflow name is identified in the first section heading for the OpenAPI specification.

    Note: To reference the workflow name or identifier in your workflow design, use the related workflow instance variable. For example, you can insert this variable into an email message that is sent when the workflow runs, to pinpoint the workflow that sent the message. The workflow ID also appears in workflow URLs used for forms and Component workflows.

  2. To copy a URL or other item in the Component workflow dialog box, click Copy to the right of the item you want.

    Alternatively, you can copy the URL or item from its text box.

    You can now use the copied URL to view the JSON definition of the workflow and configure the tool or application of your choice to start workflows via HTTP REST calls. See Nintex - Component workflow.

The Cancel a request to publish option cancels an existing request to publish a workflow and changes the status of the workflow to Draft.

  1. On the Workflows page, find the workflow you want, then click , and select Cancel request to publish. A confirmation message is displayed.

  2. Click Yes to confirm the cancellation.

    The status of the worklfow changes to Draft and is displayed in the Status column on the Workflows page.

When a workflow is paused, it stops listening for the configured start event. Paused workflows never start.

  • On the Workflows page, on the right of the workflow you want, click and then select Pause or Unpause from the options menu.

Manually start a workflow

You can start an instance of a workflow manually. Starting the workflow initiates an instance An occurrence of a workflow. of the workflow and will be available on the Instances page.

Manual start is only available for:

Business owners can manually start a workflow with a SharePoint Online or Nintex - Form start event from the Workflow tracking page in My Nintex. For more information, see Start workflows with a SharePoint Online or Nintex - Form start event.

Note: When you manually start a workflow, you are prompted for values to simulate the start event.

  1. On the Workflows page, on the right of the workflow you want, click and then select Manual start from the options menu.

    The Manual start dialog box is displayed. The fields displayed depend on the type of start event.

  2. Enter the values based on the start event as described below:

    Note: Values entered and submitted through manual start are submitted as a simulation only. It does not create, or edit any record or object associated with the start event. The values entered in the form may be referenced by subsequent workflow actions in the workflow instance. After the workflow starts, all workflow actions execute as designed.

    You can use the Item ID of an existing list item to manually start a workflow with a SharePoint Online start event. The details of the item are passed and used as a real event to start the workflow. The SharePoint site URL and List name fields are populated based on the details defined in the start event configuration of the workflow.

    1. Enter the Item ID of the SharePoint Online list item you want to use to start the workflow.

    2. Click Retrieve item to retrieve details of the list item. Some item details are displayed in the Item preview.

    3. Check the item details displayed in the Item preview and make sure that you want to start the workflow with this item.

    4. Click Start to start an instance of your workflow with the Item you entered. The details of the item is passed and used as a real event to start the workflow and execute workflow actions as designed.

    The start form is displayed.

    1. Fill the form fields.

    2. Click Submit.

      The form data you fill is used as a real event to start the workflow and the workflow actions are executed.

    1. Fill the fields.

    2. Click Start.

    Starting the workflow initiates an instance An occurrence of a workflow. of the workflow. Details about running and completed workflow instances are available on the Instances page.

Workflow permissions

Workflow permissions control which users can access workflows and their instances. The workflows visible to a user in a tenant depend on the assigned role.

Role based access

  • Global administrator or Automation administrator role: These users have full access to all workflows in the tenant and can view and manage all workflows within the tenant.

  • Other users: Can view and edit only those workflows where they have been assigned the workflow owner permission.

For information about all user roles and their permissions, see User roles.

Assigning Permissions:

Workflow permissions can be assigned or removed by:

  • Workflow owners

  • Global Administrators

  • Automation Administrators

You can assign permissions to both individual users and groups. Users can be designated as either Workflow owners or Business owners.

Workflow permission types

  • Workflow owners: Workflow owners can assign workflow permissions, modify the workflow, and view its instances and tasks. Users with an Administrator role have the same permissions as Workflow Owners.

    Note: 

      • Every workflow must have at least one workflow owner (user or group) assigned.

      • You cannot remove yourself from the workflow owners list.

  • Business owners: Business owners of a workflow can view instances and tasks for that workflow in the Workflow tracking page in My Nintex.

For more information, see My Nintex.

  Workflow owner Business owner
View workflow ✔ ✘
Edit/Delete workflow ✔ ✘
Pause workflow ✔ ✘
Maintain My Nintex settings ✔ ✘
Access instances in Automate ✔ ✘
Access tasks in Automate ✔ ✘
Assign workflow permissions ✔ ✘
Access workflow tracking in My Nintex ✘ ✔
Task override ✘ Depends on My Nintex Business owner settings
Delegate tasks ✘ Depends on My Nintex Business owner settings

To assign permissions:

  1. On the Workflows page, on the right of the workflow you want, click .
  2. Select Permissions from the options menu.
  3. From the Workflow permissions window that appears, do any of the following:
    • To assign all users with the Workflow owner or Business owner permissions:
      1. Click in the Workflow owners or Business owner field. A drop-down menu appears listing the users in the tenancy.
      2. Click Everyone.
    • To assign Workflow owner or Business owner permission to a group of users:
      1. Click in the Workflow owners or Business owner field. A drop-down menu appears listing the groups and users in the tenancy.
      2. Select the Group you want to assign permission to from the GROUPS list.
        • Hover over the name of the group and click Show members to see the list of members in the group.

      Note: GROUPS list is shown only if there are groups created in the tenant. For information about adding and editing groups, see Create, edit, and manage user groups.

    • To Workflow owner or Business owner permissions to an individual user:
      1. Click in or type the names of users in the Workflow owners or Business owner field. A drop-down menu is displayed with users related to your search query.
      2. Select the users you want to assign owner workflow permissions to.
  4. After you make changes, click OK.

Regenerate a component workflow token

The tokens of component workflows that are close to expiring or have already expired must be regenerated. Component workflows that are close to expiring will have a warning icon and workflows that have already expired will have a red error icon appearing against the workflow name to make them easily identifiable.

Caution: Regenerating a token replaces the current active token, which will be invalid in 24 hours. Regenerating a token that is revoked or expired will make the component workflow become available for external start again. After the token is regenerated, you must update the external workflows or applications that call the component workflow with the new token.

Note: 

  1. On the Automate > Workflows page, on the right of the workflow that has the expired or warning icon, click and then select API endpoints.

  2. Click next to the Token field and select Regenerate from the menu.
  3. Click Regenerate to confirm.

    4. The token is regenerated and the component workflow is valid for external start again.

Form access

Use the Form access setting to configure which authenticated users have permission to access the start form. You can select which users and groups in the tenant have access to view and submit the start form configured in the workflow. Access can be given to one, multiple, or all authenticated users and groups in the tenant. Authenticated users are users who are already defined in the User management page.

Important: 

  • Only the users configured via the Form access setting will see the form in My Nintex and Nintex Mobile.

  • For the form access setting to be available for a workflow, the Give form access to setting in the start form configuration must be set to Authenticated users in this tenant. See Configure the start event . By default, this allows all authenticated users in the tenant to access the form. You can use the Form access feature to restrict access to specific users or groups that you choose.

  • The Give form access to setting is available in the form configuration only when Allow only authenticated users to access forms check box is not selected in Form settings.

  1. On the Workflows page, on the right of the workflow, click and then select Form access.

    The Form access panel is displayed. Everyone is selected by default. You can remove this and add the users and groups you want.

    The Form access setting is available for the workflow only when the start form is configured to allow access to authenticated users in the tenant.

  2. In the Authenticated users field, select the users and groups. You can only select users who are already defined in the User management page.

    Tip: Select Everyone to give access to all authenticated users in the tenant.

  3. Click Save.

My Nintex settings

Use My Nintex Settings to configure what information Workflow initiators, Task assignees, and Business owners can see in My Nintex for the workflow. You can specify who has access to see the form submissions and task details and history of instances of workflows they have interacted with as well as configure who can override and delegate tasks.

In My Nintex, participants can see forms they have submitted and tasks they have responded to. You can use the settings in this section to allow other participants that are part of the process to see the form submission and task history for instances of a workflow.

In Nintex Workflow, for a workflow instance a participant is either the user who submitted the form or responded to a task. All participants can see the forms and all files uploaded to submitted workflow start event forms or task forms for a workflow instance, depending on the settings selected in My Nintex settings and File upload storage.

A participant has permissions to submit forms and close task forms via Nintex Mobile and My Nintex in the Nintex Workflow tenant.

Access My Nintex settings

  • On the Workflows page, on the right of the workflow you want, click and then select My Nintex settings from the options menu. The My Nintex settings panel is displayed on the right.

Important: All options are selected by default to give full visibility of all form submissions and task history to all participants who have interacted with an instance of a workflow.

Workflow initiator settings

Configure these settings to specify what the workflow initiator has access to view.

  1. On the Workflows page, on the right of the workflow you want, click and then select My Nintex settings from the options menu.

    The My Nintex settings panel is displayed.

  2. Select any of the following settings:

    • View submitted start form: The Workflow initiator is always able to see forms they submit and this check box is always selected by default.

    • View task details: When selected, Workflow initiators are able to view all the task outcome details in the details panel.

    • View completed task forms: When selected, Workflow initiators are able to view the completed task form through a link available in the details panel.

  3. Click Save.

Task assignee settings

Configure these settings to specify what a task assignee has access to view. A task assignee is a recipient of the task.

Note: Users can always view their own start form and task activity details. This includes all individual responses to the same task even if the View completed task forms setting is not selected.

  1. On the Workflows page, on the right of the workflow you want, click and then select My Nintex settings from the options menu.

    The My Nintex settings panel is displayed.

  2. Select any of the following settings:

    • View submitted start form: When selected, all task assignees will have access to a link that opens the submitted form from the details panel in My Nintex. If this check box is not selected only the workflow initiator is able to see the link.

    • View task details: Whens elected, all task assignees are able to view all the task outcome details in the details panel.

    • View completed task forms: When selected, all task assignees can see the completed task forms in My Nintex.

    • Delegate tasks: When selected, assignees will have the ability to delegate tasks through the task activity feed in My Nintex.

  3. Click Save.

Business owner settings

Configure these settings to specify if a business owner is able to delegate or override tasks in My Nintex for workflows they own.

  1. On the Workflows page, on the right of the workflow, click and then select My Nintex settings from the options menu.

    The My Nintex settings panel is displayed.

  2. Under the Business owner section, select or clear the following settings.

    • Delegate tasks: When selected, business owners will have the ability to delegate active tasks to another user to respond to the task on behalf of the assignee. See, Delegate tasks.

    • Override tasks: When selected, business owners will have the ability to override tasks through the Workflow tracking page in My Nintex. See, Override tasks .

  3. Click Save.

Column, setting, or selection Description
Filter

Displays a filter section at the top of the workflow list. The following options are displayed in the filter section:

  • Filter drop-down displays the start event; status; workflow name, ID, and owner; the user who last edited the workflow; and tag options to filter the workflows.
  • Add filter: Displays a filter drop-down.
  • Delete( ): Removes the selected filter drop-down.
  • Apply: Saves the selections and displays the workflows based on the selected filter options.
  • Cancel: Closes the filter section.
  • Clear selection: Clears the filter selections.

Import

Displays the Import section, with fields for the workflow key and the workflow name.

Name

Workflow name specified when the workflow was saved or published. Drafts of published workflows include the icon .

Note: In your workflow design, use the workflow instance variable "Workflow name" to reference the workflow name. For example, you can insert this variable into an email message that is sent when the workflow runs, to pinpoint the workflow that sent the message.

Description

Workflow description specified when the workflow was saved or published. It appears below the name of the workflow.

Start event

Configured start event for the workflow.

Type

Workflow type as counted for subscription: 

  • Development: Intended for testing and development use only. Counts as a development workflow under your subscription license.

  • Production: Intended for production use. Counts as a production workflow under your subscription license.

Status

Published or draft status of the workflow.

  • Published: All workflows that are published shows the Published status.

  • Draft: A draft workflow is a saved workflows that's not published.

If you edit a published workflow and save the changes, it becomes a draft version of that workflow and is given the status Draft.

Last edited

The date and time that the workflow was saved or published.

Edited by

The name of the user who saved or published the workflow.

Options ()

Lists selections relevant to the indicated workflow.

  • API endpoints  (for Component workflows): Displays Component workflow URLs for the workflow.
  • Form URL and snippet (for form-triggered workflows): Displays the Public web form dialog box listing the workflow name, public web form URL, and code snippet for embedding the form into a web page.
  • Manual start (for published workflows): Displays the Manual start dialog box for manually starting the workflow.
  • Edit: Opens the workflow in the Workflow designer.
  • Cancel request to publish: Cancels the existing publish request sent for the workflow and changes the status to Draft.
  • Delete: Deletes the workflow from the tenancy.
  • Pause: Ignores the configured start event if it occurs; does not start the workflow.
  • Unpause: Resumes listening for the configured start event and starts the workflow when it occurs.
  • Edit tags: Displays the Edit tags dialog box with the drop-down listing the available tags.
  • Export: Displays the Export workflow dialog box, listing the following items.
    • Workflow name
    • Workflow key and Copy button (or Generate button)
    • Valid until date (expiration for current key)
  • Permissions: Displays the Workflow permissions dialog box for managing who has access to the workflow.
  • Instances: View all instances of this workflow that were initiated in the past five days.
  • My Nintex settings: Settings to specify who has access to see the form submissions and task details and history of instances of workflows they have interacted with.