[Yanel-dev] Workflow UI

[Michael Wechner]

Hi

We currently have the workflow and versions available via the Yanel 
Toolbar and also via the page info, e.g.

http://www.yanel.org/en/download/unix.html?yanel.resource.meta

whereas this is very generic and it  might be sufficient in some cases, 
but in others it isn't.

For example if one has an approve/reject kind of workflow, then it would 
be nice that the editorial stuff can send/enter a message upon reject. 
The same could be true for other transitions.

Of course one can always customize the toolbar menus and create such 
input screens, but it would be nice
if this would be somehow more configurable and out-of-the-box.

Now after some thinking I don't think it makes to enhance the workflow 
definition XML (which is actually just an implementation), e.g.

<workflow xmlns="http://www.wyona.org/yanel/workflow/1.0">

<!-- IMPORTANT: Please see access policies, whereas in particular 
ac-policies/.policy -->

<states>
<state id="draft" initial="true"/>
<state id="review"/>
<state id="approved"/>
</states>

<transitions>
<transition id="submit" from="draft" to="review">
<condition 
class="org.wyona.yanel.impl.workflow.RoleCondition">workflow.write</condition>
<description xml:lang="en">Submit for Review</description>
<description xml:lang="de">Zu überprüfen</description>
</transition>

<transition id="reject" from="review" to="draft">
  . ....

because this is aside from the implementations independent of Yanel webapp

src/core/java/org/wyona/yanel/core/workflow/Workflow.java.

Hence I am thinking it might make sense to introduce another 
configuration file, which is rather
used by the ToolbarImplementation, e.g.

<workflow-menus xmlns="http://www.wyona.org/yanel/workflow/1.0">

<transitions>
<!--
<transition id="submit" handler-url=""/>
-->
<transition id="reject" handler-url="/workflow/reject.html">
  ....

whereas

http://localhost:8080/yanel/MY_REALM/workflow/reject.html

is then calling a regular resource, which as input parameters receives 
the transition ID, revision number, etc.

WDYT?

Thanks

Michael