Using workflow translator for cloud

1 Overview | 2 Translate your hosted app workflow | 2.1 Invalid workflow | 3 Add your cloud-compatible workflow to the cloud

Overview

The Workflow Translator for Cloud is an option in the hosted app workflow builder to support your cloud migration.

The tool provides a simple way to support the recreation of a custom workflow from the hosted app as a cloud-compatible workflow for use in your Confluence Cloud site.

https://fast.wistia.com/embed/medias/pql582luzs.jsonp

Space workflows are included in the migration to Confluence Cloud. Page workflows are not included, but can be consolidated as a space workflow with a content label filter before migration. Workflow translator is useful to move a workflow individually to a Confluence Cloud site, for example, in advance of a space migration to test the cloud functionality.

Translate your hosted app workflow

Workflow Translator for Cloud is available in the workflow builder in the global workflows dashboard, the space document management dashboard, and from a page when a page workflow is applied.

A global administrator must enable the workflow translator for your hosted Confluence instance.

In the space document management dashboard:

Open the three-dot menu for a space scope workflow

Space document management dashboard

Choose Edit to open the workflow builder.

Workflow builder

Choose the Cloud Translator button.

The Actual Workflow dialog box displays the current server or data center workflow.

Workflow builder - Workflow Translator for Cloud

Before translating the workflow, you can edit the server workflow markup in the Actual Workflow dialog box. Changes made in this dialog box are retained when you return to the workflow builder and markup editor in your server or data center app.

Choose the Translate button to translate the server workflow to cloud-compatible JSON code.

cdmc_workflowtranslator_highlightedunsupported_translated.png

Workflow builder - Workflow Translator for Cloud with a workflow translated to JSON

The Translated Workflow dialog box displays the cloud-compatible JSON code workflow.

Workflow Translator for Cloud - translated workflow template JSON code

The Untranslated macros dialog box displays workflow elements and parameters that the cloud translator has not translated.

Workflow Translator for Cloud - Untranslated Macros dialog box

Unsupported elements

There are some elements and parameters that the workflow translator does not support, which are available in the cloud but have different features and functionality. Some of these, such as triggers, can be added to the workflow in the cloud app visual builder or code editor.

The workflow translator includes the following warning message about different functionalities in the cloud:

User and group condition parameters in an approval work slightly differently in the cloud, and you should check the functionality by applying a workflow in Confluence Cloud.

Confluence usernames used in the workflow must be replaced with the corresponding user IDs in Confluence Cloud

E-signature authentication for an approval reviewer is only available through the use of a time-based token generated by a third-party authentication app. When approval reviewer authentication is required, you need to review whether your system user access processes are compatible.

All dialog boxes in the Workflow Translator for Cloud are scrollable if required to view all the content.

Copy the cloud-compatible JSON code to the clipboard using the Translated Workflow copy icon.

Paste the copied workflow template code into the JSON code editor in the Comala Document Management Cloud app space settings and save it as a new workflow in your cloud site space.

Suppose you copy several templates and save them as text files before adding them to the cloud app. In that case, use a code editor rather than a text editor to avoid the creation of unrecognized characters in the JSON code, such as “ (curled) in place of " (straight).

Invalid workflow

A warning message is displayed if the translator cannot translate the hosted app workflow.

Check that the workflow is valid in the hosted app.

If the error persists, contact Appfire support.

Add your cloud-compatible workflow to the cloud

After translating a hosted app workflow into cloud-compatible JSON, this can be copied and pasted into the app JSON code editor in the cloud app instead of creating a new workflow from scratch in the cloud.

Once added, this workflow can be edited with both the visual editor and the code editor.

Navigate to the space document management dashboard in the cloud app

cdmc_documentmanagmentdashboard_cloud_bundledworkflows_no_active_wf.png

Comala Document Management Cloud - Space settings

Choose Create New Workflow

Workflow visual editor Cloud - Create Workflow visual editor

Select the Code Editor icon

The Workflow schema code for the base two-state workflow is displayed.

cdm_cloud_code_editor_pasted_crewatenewworkflow_base_workflow.png

Code editor Cloud - Workflow Schema

Highlight all the code in the dialog box and delete it
Paste into the empty Workflow schema dialog box the copied cloud-compatible JSON code

Code editor Cloud - Workflow Schema with added JSON code

Choose Save
Choose Exit

cdmc_documentmanagmentdashboard_cloud_translated_workflow added as custom_wf.png

Comala Document Management space settings - Translated workflow added

The workflow is added to the dashboard and as an option in the workflow picker when adding a page workflow.

The new workflow does not include any workflow elements and parameters listed in the Untranslated Macros dialog box in the hosted app Workflow Translator for Cloud.

You need to review your cloud workflow and edit it where appropriate to meet your needs in the cloud. You need to

Add any features available in the cloud (with different functionalities) that were not translated by the Workflow Translator for Cloud
Review your cloud process where there is a feature difference between the hosted app and the cloud, and the feature is not available

The workflow, including workflow triggers, can be edited in both the cloud app JSON code editor and the visual editor.

For details of workflow elements that are not translated or that have different functionalities, see: Workflow elements translated using workflow translator