Overview
A workflow is a method of combining several actions and commands into a single bundle. Creating a workflow can save you time by allowing you to perform multiple commands on many devices in a single task, instead of applying each command one by one.
Note! This method can also be applied to a newly enrolled device for quick “onboarding”. We’ll see that you can apply a workflow to a group of devices in such a way that any new device added to the group will immediately have the workflow applied to it as well.
Accessing the Workflow Command
There are several methods to access the Workflow command:
- - From the sidebar menu>Automation>Workflows,
- - From a device’s three-dot menu>Automate>Workflows,
- - From the Device Dashboard for a particular device>Repositories Actions>Workflow,
- - From the Bulk Actions button>Automation>Workflows.
Method One: From the Sidebar Menu
To access Workflows from the sidebar menu:
1. In the main sidebar menu, click Automation>Workflows.
A repository will open, showing all existing workflows.
Workflow Repository
2. Select a workflow item from the list. If you wish to create a new workflow, refer to the section Creating a New Workflow Item below.
Method Two: From the Device’s Kebab Menu
To access Workflows from the device’s kebab menu:
1. In the sidebar menu, click the Devices icon to open the Devices Table.
The Devices Table opens, with a list of available devices.
2. Select the device to which you wish to apply the Workflow, click on the device’s three-dots menu in the far-right column, and click Automate>Workflows.
3. The Workflow repository opens, displaying all stored workflow items.
4. Select a workflow item from the list. If you wish to create a new workflow, refer to the section Creating a New Workflow Item below.
Method Three: From the Device Dashboard
To access Workflows from the device’s Device Dashboard:
1. In the sidebar menu, click the Devices icon. The Devices Table opens, with a list of available devices.
2. Select the device to which you wish to apply the Workflow and click on the row of that device in the Devices Table.
The device’s Device Dashboard opens:
3. In the right-hand section, click on the Repositories Actions tab.
4. In the drop-down list, click on the Workflow option.
The Workflow repository will open.
5. Select a workflow item from the list. If you wish to create a new workflow, refer to the section Creating a New Workflow Item below.
Method Four: From the Bulk Actions Button
To access Workflows from the Bulk Actions button:
1. In the sidebar menu, click the Devices icon to open the Devices Table.
2. Select the device to which you wish to apply the Workflow by clicking on the checkbox in the far-left column of that device, to activate the Bulk Actions button.
3. Click on Bulk Actions>Automate>Workflows.
The Workflow repository will open.
4. Select a workflow item from the list. If you wish to create a new workflow, refer to the section Creating a New Workflow Item below.
Creating a New Workflow Item
1. Click the Add New button in the lower-left corner of the Workflow repository to add a new workflow.
2. Supply a name and description for the workflow. In the Workflow Description field, write the different actions and steps that the workflow will contain.
3. If you wish to keep the workflow item private, click on the Set as Private slider button. When you activate this option, only you will be able to see this Workflow in the Workflow repository.
4. If you wish to allow others to use the Workflow item, but restrict their ability to view its content, click on the Hide content from others button.
5. If you wish to prevent other users from modifying the workflow, click on the Set as read-only button. The lock icon in the upper right corner will appear in a "locked" position.
6. Click on the Commands icon to open the Commands grid.
7. Click on Add Command and select an action from the list.
In the example above, we selected the “Install Package” repository. This will display all of the existing software packages on the repository. You may select an existing package or add a new package, as explained here.
A Practical Example
1. As an example, let’s select the GeoGebra Graphing Calculator application. Click on the GeoGebra tile and click Add in the lower right-hand corner.
The package will now appear in the New Workflow list.
2. You may add several software packages or other commands, using the Add Command. In our example, we also included the Shazam music identification app and the Adobe Reader app.
3. If you wish to change the order of the items, you can drag them by clicking on the Press to drag icon in the command. If you insert an alert in the middle of the workflow, this will inform you that the installation has proceeded as planned.
4. When you have completed adding all the commands to the Workflow, click Confirm. The new Workflow will appear in the Workflow display of all saved workflows.
Editing an Existing Workflow
1. If you wish to add or remove items from the Workflow, click the tile’s Edit icon.
2. The Edit Workflow window appears, allowing you to edit the name, description, and commands involved in the Workflow.
Options for Running the Workflow
Note the checkboxes in each of the commands in a Workflow:
Here is an explanation of their function:
- - Stop on failure: This will stop the workflow from proceeding to the next step if one of the commands fails to execute.
- - Wait until done: This will force the workflow to wait for this step to finish before proceeding to the next step in the Workflow. But the next steps will be executed whether this step fails or succeeds. If you choose not to check this checkbox, then the devices can execute the other steps simultaneously if the queue is not busy and the device can successfully execute the commands.
- - Edit the step: Clicking on the Edit icon allows you to edit the command.
- - Delete the step: Clicking on the Delete icon allows you to delete the command from the workflow.
Executing a Workflow Item
When you create a workflow item by clicking Automation>Workflows in the sidebar menu, the Workflow is stored in the Repository for future reference.
However, you will not be able to execute the workflow from the sidebar menu on a device. If you wish to apply the workflow to a device, or several devices, there are two methods to do this.
Applying a Workflow Item to a Single Device
1. Click on the Devices icon in the sidebar menu. The Devices Table opens.
2. Use the search bar to locate the device to which you want to apply the workflow.
3. Click the device’s three-dot menu>Automate>Workflows.
4. Find the workflow that you wish to apply to your device, click on it to select it, and click Apply.
You will receive an alert in the lower right-hand corner that the Workflow was sent to the device successfully.
Applying a Workflow to Several Devices
There is also a method where you can apply a workflow to several devices at once.
To apply a workflow to several selected devices:
1. Click on the Devices icon in the sidebar menu to open the Devices Table.
2. In the list of devices, click on the checkboxes on the far left of the particular devices to which you want to apply the workflow. The Bulk Actions button will become active. In the example below, we selected the first three Android devices appearing in the list.
3. Click on Bulk Actions>Automate>Workflows to open the Workflows repository.
4. Find the desired workflow, select it by clicking on it, and click Apply.
The selected workflow will be applied to the selected devices.