Introduction

We’re informing all our customers that as of the release of Nintex K2 Five (5.5), Nintex will no longer include Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) on our list of supported browsers. You will be unable to open K2 tools using IE11 once you upgrade to Nintex K2 Five (5.5). This applies to all design-time tools we provide as well as the end-user runtime experiences, such as Management and Workspace.

Microsoft’s upcoming discontinuation of IE11 has signaled to us that it makes sense to prioritize other web browsers over continuing to support IE11. We will focus on optimizing Nintex K2 Five tools for use with other modern browsers which will make for a superior overall experience for you.

As part of this change, the Silverlight-based workflow designer will no longer be supported. Accessing the Silverlight-based workflow requires a browser that supported the Silverlight plug-in, which is only IE11. Therefore, when K2 Five (5.5) blocks IE11 from use, the Silverlight-based designer will also no longer be available.

If you must continue to use IE11 or edit your workflows using the Silverlight-based designer, you must remain on Nintex K2 Five (5.4).

Analyzing Silverlight-based workflow designer use

Attached to this article are SQL scripts that you can run against your K2 database to find out which workflows are deployed from the Silverlight-designer. There are four scripts:

1. Combined-v1.0.sql – Runs the below scripts all together for a single report.
2. LegacyWorkflowActivity.sql – Outputs the K2 version installed and last execution date.
3. ProcessVersionInstances.sql – Filter by “Type=Silverlight Designer” to see process names and categories and how many times the workflow has been deployed (version).
4. WorkflowInstanceCount.sql – Outputs the workflow names and categories. Filter by “Type=Silverlight Designer” to see how many active instances are left per workflow, and when the last instance was started.
5. ProcessExecutionActivity.sql – Outputs all workflows and details on instances (completed, active, running, error, etc.) and last execution dates.

If you have Silverlight Designer-based workflows that are still actively being run (started dates in the past month), you may want to rewrite those workflows in the new workflow designer, so that you can continue to edit and maintain those processes.

Steps to Remove Silverlight Dependencies

The following steps can help you plan your removal of Silverlight dependencies, to prepare for upgrading to Nintex K2 Five (5.5).

1. Identify the Workflows. Run the script attached to this KB article, or a script that your account manager has available. This will identify Silverlight-based workflows and which workflows have active instances.
2. Analyze the Workflows. If workflows are no longer being used (meaning, no instances have been started in years), there is no risk to upgrade to Nintex K2 Five (5.5). Those workflows that still have active instances can continue to run through the process to completion. If you have workflows that are actively being developed, meaning there are versions deployed recently using the Silverlight-based designer, you should rewrite those in the new workflow designer. NOTE: Any SmartObjects or SmartForms that you use in Silverlight-based workflows can be rewired to the new workflow designer; they do not need to be recreated. Only the process logic will need to be recreated in the new workflow designer.
3. Rewrite the Workflows. Create a new workflow and build out your process. This is a great time to investigate the processes, making sure nothing has changed or needs to be updated. Perhaps this is a good time to document your process using Promapp, or look at Nintex Workflow Cloud capabilities to rebuild your workflow as well. There is no migration tooling available; whether you rewrite your workflow in Nintex Workflow Cloud or in the K2 workflow designer, you will need to rebuild.
4. Test the Workflows. Make sure you test your workflows thoroughly to ensure that your process is as you expect.
5. Deploy the Workflows. At this stage, you will have both the Silverlight and workflow designer processes running. If they are integrated with the same SharePoint list, instances will be created in both processes. You will need to go back into the Silverlight process and remove the start event (or change to a manual start), and redeploy. This will keep your historical data and process audit reports intact, but no longer create new Silverlight-based process instances. The same holds true for SmartForm-started workflows, edit the rules to only start the new workflows. Once you’ve made the changes to how workflows start, you should be fully cut over and no longer relying on the Silverlight designer.

If you need assistance in any of the above steps, Remote Services or our Professional Services departments are available to help. Reach out to your Nintex account representative for more details.