Working with Transition Actions

To update variables, the file in the vault must pass through a workflow transition that includes the import transition.

To create a transition action that triggers the import of values from an XML file:

  1. In the workflow transition where you want to trigger the import of values, create a transition action.
  2. Type a Description, for example, Import cost and article from XML.
  3. Select Import data from XML from Type.
  4. In Run on files with extensions, type the file types for which this action should trigger. Separate multiple file types with a semicolon, for example, sldprt;sldasm. Leave blank to trigger on all file types.
  5. In Filename of file to import from, type the name of the file containing import data. Use an asterisk (*) as a wild card, for example, SW*.xml. Do not include a path.
The transition action imports values from polled XML files that match the file name.

Deferring Transitions

You can create a transition condition that prevents a file transition until the XML import has occurred and data is available for updates.

To defer a transition:

In the Transition Properties dialog box, create conditions on the transition that triggers the import. Use these parameters:
Op Condition
Type Variable
Variable Name For example, ArticleID or Cost
Configuration Leave blank to include all configurations
Argument Type !=.

For example, for a file in the vault with no values for ArticleId or Cost, the transition fails with a warning if the file starts the state transition before the import completes. After the import completes, the transition is successful and ArticleId and Cost are assigned values.