1. Home
  2. Workflow, Actions, Triggers & Security
  3. Workflow: 4 – Security (Old UI)

Workflow: 4 – Security (Old UI)

The Security tab is where you get to define workflow level security, i.e., which users can do what things with the records created with this form, at each stage of the workflow. You set which roles can just read the record, which edit it, and which can delete it. You can even define who can see or edit each individual field, section or workflow action button.

Example: In an expense management application, an employee can view and edit their expense report records, but the approver can see all employee’s expense reports. The employee doesn’t see the approver section of the form when they create and submit their expense report. Once submitted the approver can view but not edit the information entered by the employee, but they can add comments in the approval section and approve or reject the record. Once approved, the employee will be able to see their own records, but not edit them.

Note: This page is about the original workflow user interface (UI), now found on the ‘Workflow Old’ tab. The new workflow UI is available on the ‘Workflow New’ tab. The available features are similar, but a few of the latest minor features are only available via the new workflow UI.

Workflow Security: Roles and Stages

Defining workflow security involves setting which roles can access the form’s records at each stage in the workflow and what access rights they have.

The workflow stages are defined on the Workflow tab, and are listed on the Security tab so you can set the security for the stages. If you need to add, remove, edit or reorder the workflow stages, please make those changes on the Workflow tab first.

Stages and Roles
Workflow Stages and Roles

Clicking on the Add Role to Stage button next to a stage name, you can add a role to that stage and define the basic access that role should have:

  • View Only – Can see the record but can’t make any updates to the record at this stage.
  • Edit Only – Can see and edit the record but not delete the record at this stage.
  • Edit & Delete – Can see, edit and delete the record at this stage.

Role Level Settings

Icon Description
Add Role to Stage – Clicking on this icon will display a dialog to add a role to this stage and set the permission the role has at this stage.  

 

Workflow Security Add Role to Stage

View Only – Shows that this role has only view ability for this stage. People with this role will be able to see the record, but not edit or delete it.
Edit Only – Shows that this role has edit ability for this stage. People with this role will be able to see and edit the record, but not delete it.
Edit & Delete – Shows that this role has edit and delete ability for this stage. People with this role will be able to see, edit and delete the record.

Workflow buttons – Any workflow action buttons defined for this stage will display above the form. If the button has a light orange background it is visible and usable by the current role at the current workflow stage. If it has a white background, it is hidden. Clicking on the button switches between visible and hidden.
Remove stage role – Removes the selected role from the current stage.
Edit stage role – Edits the permissions the selected role has in the current stage. Clicking on this icon will display the following dialog:Workflow Secuirty Edit Role on Stage
User can save – Sets whether the Save button will be available to the selected role at this workflow stage. This option only displays if the role has Edit or Edit & Delete rights for this stage.

Workflow Security: Section and Field Permissions

The Security tab also displays a representation of the form, and allows the designer to set each section, field, or other form control to be either Hidden, Read Only or Editable, for each role/stage combination.

Section and Field Permissions
Workflow Security
Icon Description
Workflow Security Hide Icon Hidden – This component will not be visible to the selected role at this workflow stage.
Workflow Securiy Lock Icon Read Only – This component will be visible but not editable for the selected role at this workflow stage.
Workflow Security Edit Icon Edit – This component will be editable for the selected role at this workflow stage.

Workflow Security Demonstration Video

The following video outlines workflow security:

 

Next Steps

Below are links to articles that cover the other main areas of creating a workflow:
Workflow Stages
Workflow Action Buttons
Email Templates
Below are the links to the episodes of Building an Expense Reports App tutorial series that include descriptions of setting up a workflow:
Part 5 – Expense Reports App – Workflow
Part 6 – Expense Reports App – Security

Updated on March 2, 2023

Was this article helpful?

Related Articles