---
title: "Comala Document Management Cloud | Approver assignment process"
canonical: "https://support.appfire.com/space/SUPPORT/383091143/Comala%20Document%20Management%20Cloud%20%7C%20Approver%20assignment%20process"
format: markdown
---
> Macro (toc)

## Overview

Occasionally, you may need to replace a workflow applied to an individual page or update an active workflow applied across pages within a space. What happens to your approvals and the assigned reviewers when you make these changes?

## Scenario One - replace a page workflow

What happens to my reviewer assignments for the workflow approval if I remove a Page Workflow and add a new one to a document?

- existing workflow with **Approved** state

![wfvisual_review_rejected_approvedfinalstate.png](media://ae4c6666-74b6-4e7b-81de-bf5f4e12cdf3)

- new workflow with **Published** state

![wfvisual_review_rejected_publishedfinalstate.png](media://06d79873-43db-43a7-859e-63e05abfc483)

### Answer

When you remove an existing [Page Workflow](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/pages/createpage.action?spaceKey=CDMC&title=Add%20a%20workflow%20to%20an%20individual%20page) from a page and add a new one, the following takes place:

> Macro (toc)

#### Matching Workflow States

Our current applied workflow is in the **Rejected** state.

![wfpopup_rejectedstate_withapprovedfinalstate.png](media://6399fa83-4ea5-43eb-8208-ebdeb13cc922)

If the new workflow has the same state (**Rejected**) as the removed one and the history of workflow events and actions (document activity) is retained:

- the new workflow applied to the document transitions to the current state of the page from the old workflow

![wfpopup_wfwithpublished_finalstate_reviewstate.png](media://644daa4e-e31c-482e-8486-aaa8950f7474)

#### Ongoing Approval Process

If there was an ongoing approval process on the page before switching to the new workflow:

![wfpopup_wfwithapprovedfinalstate.png](media://6b0e2af4-0efc-4863-b3a8-3d57603be5e3)

 The new workflow has the same approval workflow state (**Review**) as the removed one and the history of workflow events and actions (document activity) is retained, then

- the new workflow applied to the document transitions to the current state of the page from the old workflow
- reviewers remain the same unless the page transitions into the approval state

![wfpopup_workflowwithpublishedfinalstate.png](media://97535f62-be1f-49a0-9c53-1533d6cf158d)

- upon a workflow transition into the **Review** state, the reviewers are updated with new user values specified by the new workflow

#### States do not match

If the new workflow does not include the same state as the current state for the removed one, for example

- **Approved** in the original workflow
- **Published** in the new workflow

Switching to a new workflow sets the state as the initial state of the new workflow, even if the history of workflow events and actions (document activity) is retained.

![wfpopup_reviewstate_newwf_withpublishedfinalstate.png](media://55c38ca1-daf6-45ea-9ebe-32b3a8bea074)

## Scenario 2 - update an active space workflow

What happens to my reviewer assignments for a workflow approval if I edit an active [space workflow](https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/pages/createpage.action?spaceKey=CDMC&title=Apply%20a%20workflow%20to%20all%20documents%20in%20a%20space)?

### Answer

The same process of managing reviewer assignments in changing a workflow (Scenario One) is applied when editing an existing applied custom space workflow.

In the following example, the applied space workflow is

- in the **Review** state
- user **Ashley** assigned to the **Approval**

![workflowpopup_originalwf_reviewstate_assignedreviewer.png](media://e672200f-9765-41ec-a68a-47a4a8462d9b)

In the applied space workflow, the reviewer assignment for the **Review **state approval is done by the workflow on the transition into the state. 

![example_workflow_with_review_state.png](media://3a30cb2f-a577-42e4-8295-b248ea1e9643)


While the workflow is in the **Review** state, adding a new reviewer for this approval in the active space workflow won't change the approval reviewer unless a workflow event occurs. For example

- a transition into the state
- an edit to update the page

In our example, the event is a page edit, displayed in the document activity report as “Changed state to **Review** by Adriana. This is the user who edited the page.

![documentactivityreport_activewf_editworkflowupdate.png](media://2ee608e2-b1e8-4f94-8651-b9cc402a16c2)

On the transition event, the updated space workflow assigned the new reviewer value - “Adriana” - to **Approval** in the state.

![wfpopup_newreviewerassigned.png](media://f78487ab-6d33-45cc-8542-b4f8e593d49d)