Start a workflow

  • Article

Applies To: Office SharePoint Server 2007

This Office product will reach end of support on October 10, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see , Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

After you activate a workflow and add it to a list or library, an authenticated user can run the workflow on an item in the list or a document in the library. When you add the workflow, you specify whether you want the workflow to run automatically or manually. If the workflow is configured to start automatically, the default settings are always used when the workflow begins. If the workflow is configured to start manually, the user can modify the default settings, such as specifying workflow participants and specifying a due date.

Starting a workflow

The procedure for starting a workflow depends on whether it was configured to start manually or automatically and whether you start it from within Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 or from within the 2007 Office system. Choose one of the following procedures to start your workflow depending on its configuration and how you want to start it.

Important

By default, users with Edit Item permissions can start a workflow. When you add the workflow, if you specify that Require Manage List permissions are needed to start the workflow, only list administrators (that is, anyone with Manage List or Web Designer permissions) can start the workflow.

Start a workflow automatically

  • To start a workflow automatically, add or update a document or item in the associated library or list.

    If the workflow is set to start automatically, the workflow starts running immediately.

Start a workflow manually in Office SharePoint Server

  1. From the SharePoint document library or list, click the item and select Workflows from the drop-down menu.

  2. On the Workflows page, in the Start a New Workflow section, click the workflow you want to start.

  3. On the Start page, specify the participants, type an optional message, specify the due date, and click Start to start the workflow.

Start a workflow manually in Office 2007

  1. From the 2007 Office system, click the Office Icon in the upper-left corner and select Workflows.

    Note

    The document or list item must be saved to a library or list with associated workflows.

  2. From the list of available workflows, click Start for the workflow you want to start.

  3. On the Start page, specify the participants and the due date and click Start.

See Also

Concepts

Add a workflow to a list or document library
Add a workflow to a content type