For some users an error appears: "the workflow does not exist on the server" when starting manually
kbt137171
PRODUCTIssue
When manually running a workflow, a user will get the below error message stating that the workflow does not exist on the K2 server and it cannot be run: "The selected workflow does not exist on the K2 server. Contact your administrator for more information."
This is on the SharePoint Item/Doc > Ellipses > K2 Workflows.
Symptoms
Some user accounts will get this message while others might not.
The user account could have site collection and full control on Sharepoint but this will not change the behavior.
The user will also be unable to push the "Start" button for that workflow from this page as it will be completely disabled for them.
The user will also not be able to see any of the past workflow instances started on this item in the below Workflow History part of the form.
Resolution
This error message is misleading and can also be due to the fact that this particular user does not have the proper rights at the workflow level. At the very least, the user will need start rights for this error message to go away.
This behavior has been logged as a bug with K2 and is currently under investigation internally. The error message should properly present you with a message that the start rights for the account that sees this error have not been set.
It should be noted that this error message for the workflow not existing can be caused by other issues with the workflow such as the workflow being deleted from K2 but still being linked to a Sharepoint list (this is via the Workflow Setting within the K2 DB). When deleting workflows, ensure to select the option to clear all historical data and ensure all entries for that workflow get deleted. If start rights were added here and the user still gets this error, log a K2 Support ticket as further investigation is required.