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Publish and unpublish

Workflows · Publishing

Release a workflow when it is complete, keep improving it, and never change a request that is already under way.

Cases are started on a published workflow configuration. Publishing freezes the definition and the configuration together into a numbered version. Every case runs on the version it was started on, so you can keep editing the drawing and the configuration without disturbing running cases.

Publish a configurationDirect link to Publish a configuration

  1. Open the configuration from Configuration → Workflows → Configurations.
  2. Solve every finding on the Validation tab. Errors and warnings both block publishing. The two exceptions are advisories: a send task without a mail template, and a display name shared with another configuration.
  3. Select Publish. When there are unsaved changes, NIM saves them first.

NIM confirms: The configuration is published as version N; cases started from now on run on that version. The version is named <configuration>@<N> and is numbered from 1. Publishing unchanged content again reuses the existing version.

When findings remain, NIM refuses with The configuration is not published; every finding on the Validation tab has to be solved first. and opens the Validation tab.

Change a published configurationDirect link to Change a published configuration

Edit and save the configuration or its definition as usual. Saving never changes what is published: new cases keep starting on the published version until you publish again.

While the stored configuration or the drawing differs from the published version, the button reads Unpublish *, and the Published column on the Configurations tab shows Yes *. To publish the changes, Ctrl+click Unpublish *. NIM publishes a new version right away: The configuration is published again as version N; …

Cases that are already running stay on their version until they finish.

What is frozen and what is liveDirect link to What is frozen and what is live

Frozen in the versionLive: takes effect immediately
The drawing: steps, gateways, events, branch labels, and line meaningsDisplay name of the configuration
Apps, prefills, results, and session mappingsDisplay name of each step
Service task actions, timers, and gateway routingSupervisors on the Permissions tab
Case variables, required flags, case subject, and case resultDelegations
Participant bindings and rules
Case data permissions: the mode and the matrix

Changing a live setting does not mark the configuration as changed since publishing.

note

The Apps themselves are not frozen. A step opens the current version of its App. Keep the variables that a published configuration exchanges with an App when you change the App, or publish the configuration again with the new mappings.

Unpublish a configurationDirect link to Unpublish a configuration

Select Unpublish (without Ctrl) to take the configuration off. NIM confirms: The configuration is no longer published, so no new cases can be started; the cases already running are untouched.

After unpublishing:

  • The start form's Start workflow case action fails, because no published configuration starts from the App.
  • The configuration is no longer offered under Start case on the Cases tab, and its steps are no longer offered for new delegations.
  • Running cases continue on their version. Their steps stay in task lists and can still be completed.

To stop running cases as well, cancel them from a supervisor App. See Manage workflow cases.

Publish and unpublish take effect without a confirmation dialog.

Other effectsDirect link to Other effects

  • A copy of a configuration is never published.
  • A configuration that still has cases under way cannot be deleted, and neither can its definition.
  • After restoring a repository, NIM publishes the configurations that were published again. A configuration that no longer passes validation is left unpublished, with a warning in the log.
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