Creating Workflow State Notifications

Use state notifications to notify users or groups whether files in a specific state and location are checked in or checked out.

You can also notify users if files have been in a state too long.

For example, a project leader can be notified when project files have been updated by the engineers or a manager can be notified if files have been waiting for approval for more than five days.

To create a state notification:

  1. Click a workflow state.
    The state's Properties dialog box opens.
  2. On the Notifications tab, click Add Folder Notification.
  3. In the Select Folder dialog box, select the folder containing the files that you want to trigger the notification.
    All subfolders of the selected folder are assigned the same notification unless you set different notifications for them.
  4. In the Folder Notification dialog box, for Type, select one of the following:
    • Check in - Notifications are sent when files are checked in from this folder.
    • Check out - Notifications are sent when files are checked out from this folder.
    • Delayed in State - Notifications are sent when files have been in the state longer than a period of time you specify.
  5. On the Notification Properties tab, the type of notification you select determines the options available. Do one of the following:
    • For Check in and Check out notifications, restrict the notification to only the file creator or the last user to modify the file's state.
    • For Delayed in State notifications, specify the number of days the files can remain in the state before the notification is triggered and how often to resend the notification.
  6. On the Recipients tab, click Add Recipients.
  7. In the Add recipients dialog box, select groups or individual users to have permissions to receive the notification.
    Select one or more groups or expand All Users or a group to select individual users.
    Type a string in the Filter field to display only users and groups whose names contain that string.
  8. Click OK twice.
  9. Repeat steps 2 through 8 to add more folder notifications.
  10. When you have finished adding notifications, click OK to dismiss the transition's Properties dialog box.
  11. To save your workflow changes, click Save or File > Save.
When users receive a state notification, the message contains links and information about the file that triggered the notification.
When a user initiates the action that generates a notification, a notification is not sent to that user. For example, a check out notification is not sent to the user who checks out the file.