Transition Properties Dialog Box

You can use a transition's Properties dialog box to:
  • Change the name or description of a transition.
  • Define the conditions required for a file to pass through the transition.
  • Change revision number counters.
  • Specify what actions the transition triggers
  • Specify roles for parallel transitions.
  • Assign permission to run transitions.
  • Add notifications to a transition.

To display a transition's dialog box:

Move the cursor over the transition in the workflow editor until a hand icon appears, then click.

Name Lists the transition name.
Description Add descriptive text about the transition.
Type Select the type of transition. Options are:
Normal

A file changes state when one user runs the transition.
Automatic

The workflow design automatically moves files to another state without requiring user action.

All files in the source state automatically pass through this transition. If you have added transition conditions, only files matching those conditions will pass. See Example: Automatically Routing Files to Different States (For SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional only).
Parallel

A specific number of users must approve the transition before the file changes state.
Automatic transition and Parallel transition are available in SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional only.
Authentication Requires users changing file states through this transition to supply their password. When selected, the change-state dialog box includes a Password field. Select this option for every transition that requires electronic sign-off.
If the transition type is Automatic, this option is not available.
Hide when sibling parallel transition is chosen ( SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional only) Hides this transition from users under these circumstances:
  • This is one of several transitions from this source state.
  • One of the other transitions is a parallel transition.
  • The parallel transition has been initiated by a user.
Overwrite Latest Version (Files only) Overwrites the latest version of the file when changing file state through this transition.

Roles Tab (For SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional only)

The Roles tab is only available when Parallel is selected as the transition type. Use it to add, remove, and edit roles whose members can participate in the parallel state change.

If you import a .cex file for a role or for a parallel transition that includes a role into a vault that already has a role of the same name, the data from the imported role does not replace or combine with the existing role. No messages are displayed.
Add Role Opens the Add Role dialog box to let you create a role and add members.

If roles are defined, you can expand the Add Role control and select them.
Remove Role Removes the selected role from the Role list.

If other transitions use the role, it remains defined in the database and available under Add Role. If the role is no longer used, it is removed from the database.
Edit Role Opens the Edit Role dialog box for the selected role so that you can modify it.

This dialog box contains the same controls as the Add Role dialog box.
Role Lists the roles whose members can run this transition.
Required Users Shows the number of users who must run the transition before the state changes, followed by the number of users in the role.

Check that the number of required users is not set higher than the number of users added to the Role for the vault directories where the transition will be used.

Groups can have users with different directory access. When you add users to a role by selecting a group, check how many members of the group have access to the directory where you want the transition to be run. If you require three users to approve the transition for files in folder X, you must add at least three users to the role who have access to folder X.

Permissions Tab

Use the Permissions tab to control which users and groups can send files through this transition.

Add Users/Groups

 Opens the Add Users/Groups dialog box, where you can select users and groups that have permission to run the transition.

Remove

 Removes the selected user or group from the list of groups who can run the transition.
Name Lists users or groups with permission to run the transition
Permission list Selected check boxes indicate permissions that have been granted.
Disallow sequential state changes

Users may not make two sequential state transitions on the same file.

For example, you can use this option to prevent users from approving their own files.
Permit

Users can send files through the selected transition.

Users must have this permission even if the transition is automatic.

Conditions Tab

Create conditions to define which files can pass through the transition.

Variable Lists the conditions that prohibit the state change.
Select a variable from the list of variables or select one of the following:
Or

Creates an OR container. By default all conditions must be true (AND). Use OR containers to group conditions where only one condition must be true.
Category

Matches files and items by category, as specified by Value.
Filepath

For files, matches by file name, extension, or path, as specified by Value.
Object type

Matches files by object type (BOM, File, or Item), as specified by Value.
Revision

Matches files by revision number, as specified by Value.
Child Reference State (For SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional only)

Defines conditions on the state of immediate child references to control the parent file transition.

When you define conditions, you can transition the parent file if:
  • Its child references are not selected for transitioning with the parent file and are already in a state that meets the defined condition.
  • Its child references are selected for transitioning with the parent file and after transition, are in a state that meets the defined condition.
  • The warning, Child references do not meet the state conditions, is not set to blocking.

    This warning is set to blocking by default for new and upgraded users.

By default, when this warning is not set to blocking, only those parent files that fulfill the child reference state condition are selected for transition.

To change the state of the parent file, in the Do Transition dialog box, select Change state.

In the Do Transition dialog box, SOLIDWORKS PDM checks this condition only on the immediate children of selected files. If a child file is not selected for transition, SOLIDWORKS PDM does not check the condition on any of its children.
Remove

Available when you select an existing condition. Removes the selected condition.
Comparison Lists the comparison operator for each condition.

Expand the list to choose a text, numeric, or date comparison operator.

These examples show the color differentiation for these operators:
Text Does Not Contain Date Not Equal To
Number Less Than Yes or No Equal To
The comparison operators that are available depend on the variable type you select.
Value Defines the value used to determine which files match the condition.
Configuration / Path Specifies the data card configuration tab to search for the value.

This option is available only when the condition is a variable.

Leave Configuration / Path blank to search all configurations.

For the Child Reference State conditions, the Path type value is valid. For all other variables, the Configuration type value is valid.

Actions Tab

Define events that run as a result of the transition.

The actions run in the order that they are listed in the Actions list.

See Adding Transition Actions.

Add Action Opens the Transition Action dialog box, where you can define an event to run as a result of this transition.
Remove Action Removes the selected action.
Edit Action Opens the Transition Action dialog box for the selected action, so you can modify the action.
Move Up Moves the selected action up in the list.
Move Down Moves the selected action down in the list.
Type Indicates the action type that is selected in the Transition Action dialog box.
Description Shows the description from the Transition Action dialog box.

Revision Numbers Tab

Use the Revision Numbers tab to specify how revision number components defined for the source state increment or reset as files pass through this workflow transition.

See Revision Numbers for details.

Values entered on the Revision Numbers tab are intended to allow the revision component counter values to be silently incremented or reset as a file passes through the transition.

This defines how each counter of a multi-component revision number will behave on the next use of the increment revision operation on a transition or when the Set Revision command is run manually (See Example - Creating Revision Numbers with Major and Minor Counters).

For single component revision numbers, the counter behavior is defined in the Revision Numbers tab of the destination state. Do not use this to avoid skipping or duplicating revision values.

Name Lists the revision number components associated with the destination state.
Increment by Specifies the number that increments the current component counter.
Reset to Specifies the number to which the counter is reset.
Preview Shows how a component of the revision number looks for the specified Reset to value.

Notifications Tab

Use the Notifications tab to automatically send users a notification when files pass through this workflow transition.

Controls

You can use the controls at the top of the tab to add notifications to the list, or to delete or modify notifications that you select from the list.

Add Folder Notification Prompts you for the folder to add the notification, then displays the Folder Notification dialog box.
Remove Notification Deletes the selected notification.
Edit Notification Displays the notification dialog box appropriate to the selected notification in edit mode.

Notifications List

The notification list contains folder notifications that you created.

To sort the notification list, click a header.

Recipients Lists users or groups to receive the notification.
Dynamic Select users or groups to receive notification while transitioning a file.
Applies to Shows the file or folder that the notification applies to.
Restrictions Lists restrictions that have been applied to the notification.

Notifications can be restricted to files that the user created or files for which the user was the last person to change state.