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While it is fully possible to use SPD for this purpose I hesitate to do so. Not just because I am a developer, but because I prefer the right tool for the right job. I don't use a hammer to get a wingnut in place, even if it would be possible.
However, I really love your way of inspiring creativity. People seriously underestimate what is possible with SPD. I've previously used SPD to mimic a ticket handler functionality using simple intelligence to determine if an incoming email to support@example.com should be routed to helpdesk, how important it is, and to handle automatic escalation. I wouldn't put it into production, it was used primarily to demonstrate what you are doing here, that SPD can be very flexible if you need it to be.
What I really miss is more focus on combining 'regular' development with SPD, specifically creating custom activities. Quite often semi-power users need to do more advanced tasks or end up creating the same, repeating set of tasks multiple times. Being creative may solve the problem of creating advanced tasks, but if ten people want to accomplish more or less they same they tend to end up creating ten different solutions, taking ten times as long and frustrating IT ten times as much. These power users should learn when it is not efficient to create new solutions and either create or have someone create a more versatile custom activity.
Again, SPD out-of-the-box is not always the best or even a good solution, but combine it with some custom development and it can become truly amazing in a lot more cases.
.b
Paul?
I think that K2, Nintext and maybe some other 3rd party tools would be more than adequate to do this. However, many people are not going to get access to a product like that and that's why I wrote about this subject.
But I have a problem, my list has several content types. Is it possible tu attach this workflow to all content types with sharepoint designer??
You can't attach a sharepoint designer workflow to a content type, at least not in any normal sense of it. If it's possible at all, it would require coding.
Thanks
Some people say the practicle limit is even smaller.
If the "ReminderEmailCounter" equal 0, that means no email has been sent. There is no need another field to flag this.
Also, what is the purpose of knowing whether email has been sent or not? Can we pause 24 hours when the workflow start and then check that task status,if it is not "complete", just send out the emails and set the counter.
Will it work?
Thanks.
There are some 3rd party tools that do this a little easier (shameless plug, first one is my own!)
http://www.pentalogic.net/sharepoint-reminder.aspx
http://www.bamboosolutions.com/
http://www.sharepointboost.com/alertreminderboo...
This means that when MSFT releases a fix for this bug and you install it, this workflow will no longer work.
MSFT already released many months of patches, SP1 and the infrastructure update so it seems like it's very low priority, if it is actually a bug they plan to fix.
However, I was just doing some developing and I was testing a workflow and did not want to wait 24 hours so I set it to 5 minutes. It never sent me the email and it only looped 4 or 5 times before finally deciding to be Complete instead of In Progress. The workflow should remain In Progress right? I didn't know if this was a glich or something. Maybe not enough time has been given for the service to run correctly.
i tried adding Log message to workflow history list option but whenever I am viewing the workflow history of a specific record, the old message is still the one displayed.
any thougths on this?
thanks!
i tried using the Log message to workflow history but whenever I am vieewing it, the old message still appears..
any thoughts on how to fix this?
thanks!
I have tried various techniques like this including using one list to loop through another, but they seem problematic. I’m glad that some people were successful following your well detailed instructions. But I was not one of them. I only get one instance of the workflow to run. i.e. changing the emailremindercount does not fire off a new instance of the workflow.
For example I have users in Hong Kong, London and New York.
If I create a task so that it has a due date of 25th December in Hong Kong when users open it in London or New York the due date appears as the 24th not the 25th.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Is there anyway of assigning an all day flag to a task due date in the same way as the calendar does for example.
Great article, we have a problem with alerts and this article is a solution, and have a question.
One question : is posible to use a group of sharepoint or shareponit's group for to be a destinatary of mail?
One question : it is possible that I can use your articles translated into Spanish in a site sharepoint?
Thanks Pagalvin for your article
everything works fine. the "poked" filed updates itself but the update doesnt trigger the workflow to start again.
I set it to everytime an item changes, menual change triggers it but not the "scripted one" from the workflow.
I'm clueless....
All done in Sharepoint Designer. You should consider adding Log messages to the instructions below. By the way, when testing, dont set the counter to 5 minutes.. it wont always work. Plan the testing over a few days.. make it realistic and be patient! I read there are some bugs when setting the time triggers too low..
Create some Workflow steps. Each step is separated with commented ### marks:
Make certain the workflow starts when a new item is created or modified.
### Check if task is set to Completed when created/updated ####
If Status equals Completed
Stop Workflow
### Create a "date" variable named strReminderDate for a 2 day warning that task will be due ####
If Status does not equal completed
Add -2 days to Due Date and output to strReminderDate
Then pause until strReminderDate
Else If Status equals Completed
Stop Workflow
### Email 2 Day Warning to Assignee unless uncompleted task was created within 2 days of Today and Pause until Due Date ###
If Status does not equal Completed and Due Date is greater than Today
Email Assigned To:
Pause until Due Date
Else If Status equals Completed
Stop Workflow
### Email Assignee and pause for 3 days to be escalated if task not complete ###
If Status does not equal Complete
Email Assigned To:
Pause for 3 days
Else If Status equals Completed
Stop Workflow
### Escalate uncompleted task to Manager ###
If Status does not equal Completed
Email Manager
Stop Workflow
Else If Status equals Completed
Stop Workflow
##############
The problem with your method (and the reason that Paul's requires a "poke" column) is the Pause until strReminderDate or Due Date action. This pauses the workflow and causes it to stop "listening" to list updates so that if the due date is changed the workflow will not detect the change and update.
If you're going to use an SPD workflow for this application then you need to use a method like Paul's to loop the workflow with a frequency (daily, weekly, whatever) that is acceptable to your end user.
List has two columns: Due Date (manually entered by user) and "One week Reminder" (calculated date based on "Due Date")
i.e User create the doc Today(2-6-2009) and enter "Bill Due Date"=3-8-2009 so "One Week Reminder" will be 3-1-2009
How can workflow send out email on 3-1-2009?
Once the user gets the email, he/she will update the "Bill Due Date" to some future date and again one week before that date, workflow should sent out remonder.
Thanks
Right new I am using Sharepoint Alert Reminder Boost (http://www.sharepointboost.com/alertreminderboo...) which serves me well. I think the difference between your solution and the third party tools is that for some tech savvy your solution is great, brings some sort of accomplishment while third party tool is more reliable and easy to use.
Nevertheless, your blog gives me fresh knowledge. Thanks!
Does anyone know if there is a way of scheduling tasks in a Sharepoint list automatically?
Very useful your post...I was just looking for the way to do that.
Regarding hide fields used as counters and flags, it is a very good link of a tool that you just have to run in your server:
http://spstipsutilitypack.codeplex.com/Release/...
http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepointdesigner/archiv...
Apparently, these instructions won't work post-SP2. Hope this helps someone else as it was driving me crazy.
Of course, the SP2 "fix" is not documented anywhere on the official list of SP2 changes.
The problem occurs to all who has made DECEMBER CUM UPDATES and then SP2 etc..
The easiest way to get around this is create an event receiver for the list which cancels Workflow associations everytime the item is changed. And then create the workflow with changed and new item creation.
Have it in 2 steps. But the problem is History Cannot be logged but who cares because my Users have no persmission to see all those.
Hope this technique helps
The changes work only when the pausing completes and it doesnt respond whatsoever for any change in any field unless i manually terminate the workflow.
This method worked fine before December and its not working with anybody after that..
Just let me know if am right or wrong.