Saving and sending a Workflow Configuration

The core of the PlanetPress Suite workflow tools is the PlanetPress Watch service which, once started, constantly runs in the background to perform the tasks included in its current configuration file. The PlanetPress Workflow Configuration tool lets you create, edit, save and send configuration files.

As you are working on your configuration, you can save that configuration file as a file on your local hard drive.
Saving a configuration file never replaces the current PlanetPress Watch service configuration. To do this, you must use the Send Configuration command.

When the PlanetPress Workflow Configuration program sends a configuration, the PlanetPress Workflow service is stopped and restarted, if it is currently running, and the new configuration starts being applied immediately.

Saving a configuration

Files created and edited using PlanetPress Workflow can be saved as PlanetPress Workflow configuration files anywhere on your computer or even a network location.

To save the current configuration:

  • From the PlanetPress button, choose Save.
  • If you were editing the current PlanetPress Watch service configuration or if you were editing a new configuration file, you are prompted with the Save As dialog instead.

To save the current configuration under a new name:

  • From the PlanetPress button, choose Save As.
  • Browse to the location where you wanted to save the file, enter the new name of the configuration in the File name box and click Save.

Sending a configuration

PlanetPress Workflow Configuration saves entire configurations in the form of a single file. Like any other file, configuration files may be saved and reopened, as well as renamed as desired. Simply saving a configuration has no effect on the configuration actually used by the PlanetPress Workflow when it is started. To change any currently active configuration, you must use the Send Configuration command.

When you use the Send command, the PlanetPress Workflow Configuration program uses the currently opened configuration (Any_name.OL-workflow) to overwrite the PlanetPress Workflow Service's current configuration (ppwatch.cfg).

Note: .OL-workflow files are equivalent to .pp7 files made with older versions of PlanetPress Workflow. They contain the processes and such used by Workflow.

If the PlanetPress Workflow Service is running when you send a new configuration, it stops and restarts automatically with the new configuration. If the service is stopped before sending the configuration, it will not restart automatically.

Note: When you send a configuration to your PlanetPress Workflow service, all its active processes are applied; see also:Activating or deactivating a process.

Sending a Configuration to the local server

  1. Open the configuration you want to use as PlanetPress Workflow’s new configuration.
  2. Edit the configuration, if required.
  3. When the configuration is ready to be used, from the PlanetPress Workflow button, choose Send Configuration, then Send Local.

Sending a Configuration to a remote server

  1. Open the configuration you want to use as PlanetPress Workflow’s new configuration.
  2. Edit the configuration, if required.
  3. When the configuration is ready to be used, from the PlanetPress Workflow button, choose Send Configuration, then Send Remote.
    A list of available PlanetPress Workflow servers on the local network appears.
  4. Put a checkmark next to each server where the configuration should be sent.
  5. Click OK.

If a server is grayed out, this may mean you do not have access to send a configuration remotely to it. For more information, please see Access Manager.

Note: If PlanetPress Workflow service is paused when you send a new configuration, it will not stop and restart. Since PlanetPress Workflow service reads its configuration file when it starts up, when you resume processing, PlanetPress Workflow service will continue using the old configuration.