--- title: "Comala Workflow" canonical: "https://support.appfire.com/space/CDML/682591102/Comala%20Workflow" format: markdown --- > Macro (aura-html) ## What is a Comala Document Management Workflow? > Macro (excerpt) > > ![image](media://9eaf5d14-c022-4389-8231-e0353edd62cc) > > A Comala workflow codifies a business or compliance process into > > - [states](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649595551) > - [transitions](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649563425) > - [tasks](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649694408) > - [reviews](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/650153766) > - and [event trigger actions](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649759655) ## Workflow application A Comala workflow manages the document development process in a Confluence space. ![cdmc_customworkflow_diagram_4states.png](media://1939e5c3-e4c4-4cbb-9665-6756c93c5aa1) A workflow template can be applied to all the pages and blog posts in a space by a space administrator as a space workflow or individually to each page as a page workflow by a page editor (if there is no active space workflow on the page) > Macro (children) Only one workflow can be applied to a page or blog post. However, workflow application across all the pages in a space can be filtered by content label or content type allowing multiple workflows to be active in the space but applied to different documents. ## [States](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649595551) These define the milestones (states) of your document management process. In our example, the states in the workflow are the **Draft** and the **Approved** state. > 📝 Documents (blogs or pages) can only have a single workflow state applied at any time. The current workflow state is displayed in the [workflow status bar](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/650117676) on the page with an applied workflow. ![cdmdc_workflowbreadcrumbs.png](media://7c79806c-3675-45cb-8700-be8e5f0f8e35) The workflow byline link is used to open the [workflow popup](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649659846). The workflow popup is the main way an editor interacts with the applied workflow. This may include - transitioning the workflow state - approving or rejecting the content - assigning users to an approval ## [Transitions](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649563425) These define the routes (the transitions) from one workflow state to another state in the workflow. In our example workflow, there are two transitions - the **Draft** state has an **approved** transition to the **Approved** state ![graphic_draftstate_approvetransitionsarrow_approvedstate.png](media://f6941583-707d-4f6a-8896-e34c8f04b625) - the **Approved** state has an updated transition to the **Draft** state ![graphic_approvedtstate_updatedtransitionsarrow_draftstate.png](media://a54dab33-1446-490b-af8e-2de37a621000) A transition is from one state to a destination state. A state may have more than one transition available. Some transitions from the current state can be seen in the [workflow popup](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649659846). For example, a user manually transitions the workflow to the destination state using a **Submit** button ![cdmdc_wfpopup_draftstate_submit_to_approved.png](media://fdc2f8c0-d5e4-4605-802c-10004229e704) Other transitions are undertaken by the workflow based on a workflow event - if a state has a content review, it has an **approved** transition and/or a **rejected** transition available in the state ![cdmdc_wfpopup_draftstate_approved_to_approved.png](media://e140c5ae-11a5-45b2-90c3-ae67b3f82794) - the transition occurs based on the user review decision using the **Approve** or **Reject** option ## [Tasks](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649694408) Workflow tasks provide similar functionality to Confluence tasks, however, workflow tasks are stored at page level. Workflow tasks are managed using the [Tasks popup](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649824290) on the page. ![cdmc_taskspopup_draftstate_twotasks.png](media://1434b562-735a-4d40-a345-c2edbc786d34) A workflow state must be configured in the workflow to - add tasks by the workflow, for example automatically on the transition to a state - be **taskable**, allowing a user to manually add a task when the workflow is in that state ## [Reviews](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/650153766) Content reviews are key events in the content production lifecycle, where reviewers check the content and decide whether it can progress to the next state. A content review (approval) is added to a state and can be configured to transition from the current state when one or more users approve or reject the content. ![cdmdc_wf_popup_approval_draftsate_assignable.png](media://5503b2e4-f5df-43e2-b83d-c6d791f4c88d) You can - assign specific users as reviewers for each review - require a minimum number of approval decisions before the related approval transition takes place - allow the manual assignment of reviewers using the workflow popup ![cdmdc_wf_popup_approval_draftstate_assignable_twoassigned_oneapproveddecision.png](media://1e484848-3e0a-4405-a218-56f5eeed1eb0) ## [Events](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649759655) → [Triggers](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649563178) → [Actions](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649858941) As users interact with content and the workflow, events are sent which can be used to trigger workflow actions. Triggers and trigger actions can be used to augment the content production process, for example, to automate workflow transitions, to create custom notifications, or to complete tasks. ## Workflow Templates Comala Document Management workflows are scripted using macro notation, which is stored in a workflow template. Comala workflows can also be created and edited using the visual editing tool [workflow builder](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/650151179). Workflow templates can then be applied - to individual pages (in [Page Mode](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649628831)) by a user on the page or blog post - or to all the documents within a space (in [Space Mode](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649531846)) by the space administrator > 📝 Global administrators do not apply workflows. A global administrator manages the workflows available in the instance to be added to each space. Workflow templates are stored in and can be added to the following Comala document Management dashboards - [global workflows dashboard](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649530159) [GLOBAL ADMIN] - [space workflows document management dashboard](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649629354) for each space[SPACE ADMIN] - [page workflows templates dashboard](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649827962) for each space [SPACE ADMIN] > ℹ️ The [page workflows templates dashboard](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649827962) is managed by the space administrator. This dashboard lists the workflows that can be added to individual pages in the space by a page editor (if page workflows are enabled for the space, and no space workflow is enabled for the space). See: [Templates](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649628549), [Macros](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/650151673), [Examples](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649790922) ## Custom workflows You can create your own custom Comala Document Management workflow. The easiest way is to edit and customize an existing workflow. A workflow can be created or an existing workflow edited in the [workflow builder](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/650151179) (or the [markup editor](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649596028)). ![cdmdc_wf_builder_customworkflow_workflowpanel_navigatorpanel.png](media://8f669fbe-625d-4e07-9477-0bfeda96714c) The [workflow builder](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/650151179) (and the [markup editor](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649596028)) is available in - the [global workflows dashboard](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649530159) - the [space workflows document management dashboard](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649629354) - on a page If creating your workflow on a page, you can use the page tools menu to choose the starter workflow [custom states workflow](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649891941) as a starting point to create a workflow for your needs. ## Related pages - [https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/2144731156](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/2144731156) - [https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/2329215088](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/2329215088) - [https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649628831](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649628831) - [https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649531846](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/649531846) - [https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/650248771](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/650248771)