Slow down SmartForms rules processing

Hello wkucardinal,

How is the event triggered?  If it is a server event, this may be helpful: http://help.k2.com/kb000272

Basically, here is the full scenario.  It is a solution built solely on K2 SmartForms and SharePoint, and is driven by a K2 Designer-based workflow.  It is important that this remain the basis of the solution as it is intended to be a lightweight, disposable application, without any reliance on K2 Studio or custom code.  With that in mind:

I've built a SmartForm that forms the basis of a ticketing/help desk application.  On submission of the form, the ticket gets written to a SharePoint list with initial details regarding the ticket that have been collected from the form.  The user also has an option of attaching one file attachment when they submit the ticket.  On clicking of a submit button, rules fire to make this happen.

Problem 1: 

Action: User A opens a ticket with an attachment called "log.txt".

Result:  Attachment is uploaded to SharePoint library storing attachments successfully.

Action:  User B opens a new ticket with an attachment called "log.txt".

Result:  Rule errors out with a naming conflict error.  Log.txt already exists in the SharePoint library.

Resolution:  Create folders in the SharePoint library to store attachments for each individual ticket.  It is reasonable to ask users to not use the same file names on a single ticket.  Although the naming conflict can still occur, it is less likely to occur than if all attachments were stored in the root of a document library.

Now, I need a way to dynamically create a folder for each ticket's attachments.  I generate a ticket number as part of the form submission, so I can create a folder with the ticket number.

Problem 2:  You cannot create a SharePoint library folder using any SmartForms rules, nor can it be done with a SmartObject method execution.  The only method I have found to do this out of the box is using SPWI and a SharePoint-based workflow.

Resolution 2:  When the ticket information is stored to SharePoint (after the user clicks submit, but before the attachment is uploaded), have the creation of a new list item (the ticket details) trigger a SharePoint workflow whose sole job it is to create a new folder with the ticket number as the name in the attachments document library.

Problem 3:  There is additional overhead with resolution 2 that is timing based.  Although the folder is always created in 1 or 2 seconds, sometimes the SmartForms rules execute so quickly, they try to upload the attachment BEFORE the folder is created.  This generates an error and user is unsure what to do.

I ended up figuring out that if I added in enough rules after the list item creation rule, and the attachment upload rule, I could slow the form down just enough to not ever error, but it is far from what I would call a leak-proof solution.  At the end of the day, I have decided to just not allow users to include an attachment when they initially start a new ticket.  Once the ticket is started, they will be redirected to a new view of their ticket that will allow attachment upload.  This will allow enough time for the folder to be created by the SPWI workflow.

At the end of the day, if I could create a SP folder from a SmartObject method, this wouldn't be a problem.  But I do also think there should be a rule to sleep rule execution for a pre-determined number of seconds.  I have run into this issue before and I usually end up just coming up with a different way to do it that was not part of the original plan.

I hope this is enough detail!

Mike -

What you describe is what I am already doing, except I am using a SharePoint list to store ticket information, not a smartbox.  I try to avoid the smartbox as much as possible because I don't really want that data in the K2 db.  Also, I want to report on it via SharePoint in addition to K2's interface, so it is a better solution.

However, what you suggested does not address my quandary, which is that I need to create a SharePoint folder for each ticket number that is generated in order to store attachments related to that ticket in a specific folder referencing the ticket.  I am only able to  create a doc library folder through a SPWI workflow, and because the ticket number is not allocated until the form is submitted, the smartforms rule tries to upload the attachment to a doc library folder that has not always had time to be created yet by the SPWI workflow.

My "workaround" was simply to not allow users to upload attachments on the initial form submission.  I was never able to figure out how to slow down the SmartForms rules processing enough for the SPWI workflow to create the doc library folder consistently.