Prepare for Success

• You must have at least the following permissions to complete this step:
  • Full Control on the List
  • Contribute on the Site
  • Read on the Site Collection

For more information, see Understanding permission levels in SharePoint.

Building an Approval Workflow

Accessing the designer

Now that you know what permissions users need to build and use workflows, let's get a feel for how to access the Nintex Workflow Designer, and see exactly how easy it is to build your first workflow.

1. From your Site Contents, create a new Document Library.

2. Click on the Library tab, and select Nintex Workflow in the Ribbon to open the Nintex Workflow designer.

3. On the Workflow Gallery page, click New list workflow.

Adding an Assign a task action

The first workflow action you use is the Assign a task action. In an approval workflow, this action assigns the document to a selected user/approver (usually a manager) for review. You find Assign a task action in the User Interaction workflow action category.

1. Drag an Assign a task action onto the canvas. By default, the Assign a task action has two task outcome branches, Approved and Rejected.

2. Double-click the Assign a task action to open the configuration dialog.
    
3. In the Participant field, type a user in your tenant to assigns the request. 
    
4. In the Task Title field, type “Document Review” in the field.

In the example above, we assigned MOD Administrator the task.

You can configure the task so that if the recipient of the task (MOD Administrator) doesn't respond within a week, the workflow escalates the task to a different person.

5. Open the Escalate and auto-complete options section.
    
6. Select Escalate to person or group.
    
7. For Escalate on, select the check box for Use date when action is executed, then add 7 business days.
    
8. For Escalate to, select the new assignee at time of escalation. In this case, I will use Admin NTXPM.

Note: You might decide to auto-complete the task instead. Select Auto-complete the task, specify when to auto-complete, and select an outcome.

To change the default email message, open the Initial email options section.

Add two Send an email actions

You can use two Send an email actions to send an email to the initiator notifying them whether their document has been approved or not.

1. Drag two Send an email actions onto the canvas, one onto the Approved branch of the Assign a task action and one on the Rejected branch.
    
2. Double-click on the Send an Email action on the Rejected branch to open the configuration dialog.
    
3. In the To field, click on the List Lookup icon.
    
4. In the drop-down menu, select Workflow Context and then Initiator.

5. In the Subject field, type Document review: Changes required.
    
6. In the Email Body field, type: Your document requires changes.

7. Double-click on the second Send an Email action on the Approved branch.
    
8. In the To field, click on the List Lookup icon.
    
9. In the drop-down menu, select Workflow Context and then Initiator.
    
10. In the Subject field, type: Document Review: This document has been approved.
     
11. In the Email Body field, type: Your document has been approved.
     
12. Click Save.

Publish and run the workflow

Now that you've completed the workflow, you should automate the start of the workflow and publish it.

1. Click Publish in the Ribbon and call the workflow: Simple Approval Workflow.
    
2. In the Start Options, check the Start when item is created box and click Publish.

3. To run the workflow, you close the Workflow Designer, open your Document Library, and then submit a new item.

The workflow runs.

Check for Success

• Where you able to access the Nintex Workflow designer?
• Were you able to publish the approval workflow?
• Were you able to run the approval workflow?