Workflow Overview
Ondexx uses the Page Lifecycle Workflow to update and publish pages in a Site. This workflow allows an in-progress draft of a page to be worked on without affecting the content of the live page. The Lifecycle also adds an approval process before new page versions can be published.
Typically, End Users are unaffected by this workflow, as they only see Live page versions.
The basic Page Lifecycle is as follows:
Page Status vs. Lifecycle Status
Pages in Ondexx have both a Page Status and a Lifecycle Status, both of which are related to the Page Lifecycle. These are visible in the Page Lifecycle panel and Page Details overlay.
Lifecycle Status refers to the most recent Page Version’s place in the Page Lifecycle. For example, if there is a draft version of the page, it would be “Draft,” or if a new version of the page was pending approval, it would be “Approval Queue.”
Page Status refers to the published state of the page as a whole. Until the first version of a page is published, the page is Unpublished not visible to End Users. After it goes live, the page is Published.
Page Status
Page Status refers to the published state of the page as a whole, and is visible in the Page Lifecycle panel and Page Details overlay.
Unpublished
When a page is initially created, its Page Status is Unpublished and cannot be seen by End Users.
Published
Once a page has its first version approved, its Page Status becomes Published and can be seen by End Users.
From this point forward, End Users will see the most recent of the page that has completed the Page Lifecycle (i.e. has been approved and published)
Retired
When a page is removed, its Page Status becomes Retired and is no longer accessible to End Users.
More information on this process can be found in this article: How to Remove Pages or Delete Drafts
Lifecycle Status
Lifecycle Status refers to the most recent Page Version’s place in the Page Lifecycle and is visible in the Page Lifecycle panel and Page Details overlay.
Draft
When a new Page Version is created, it becomes an editable Draft.
Drafts can be edited by users with the “Edit Pages” right, and cannot be viewed by End Users. Once the Draft has been completed and is ready to be published, it can be submitted for approval, moving it to the next step of the Lifecycle.
A list of all Draft Page Versions can be found in the Draft Console workflow page, found under Workflows > Draft Console.
Approval Queue
When an Editor completes their work on a Draft, they submit it for approval, and the Lifecycle Status moves to Approval Queue for review.
Page Versions in the Approval Queue cannot be viewed by End Users, and cannot be edited.
A list of Page Versions submitted for approval can be found in the Approval Queue workflow page, found under Workflows > Approval Queue.
Before the new version can be published, a user with the “Approve Page” right will need to approve it. Alternatively, they can decline the page, reverting it to a Draft, and notifying the submitter.
Scheduled Release (optional)
When a Page Version is approved, the option is available for it to be scheduled for release at a specific date and time, instead of immediately published. If a date and time is set, the Lifecycle Status is set to Scheduled Release.
Page Versions scheduled for release behave similarily to those in the Approval Queue, in that they cannot be edited and cannot be seen by End Users.
A list of Page Versions scheduled for release can be found in the Release Manager workflow page, found under Workflows > Release Manager. From this menu, Approvers can Decline its approval, change the release date, or release the page immediately.
Live
Once a Page Version has been approved and published, its Lifecycle Status becomes Live. If this is the first version of new Page, its Page Status becomes Published.
Live Page Versions are now visible and searchable by End Users. Likewise, Editors can now edit the Page to create a new Draft Page Version if needed.
Expired
When a new Page Version is published and becomes Live, the previous Page Version becomes Expired. Page Versions are now
Optional Workflow Additions
Certain optional workflows can affect the Page Lifecycle, adding additional steps or requirements. These need to be enabled in a Site before they can be used, and are detailed below.
Content Sign-Off (optional)
Content Sign-Off is an optional additional phase of the Page Lifecycle, that must be enabled at the site level. Sign-off allows a specific user to be designated as a Signer for a Page Version, and will require their specific approval before the page can be published.
Page Versions that have had Signers added have the following Lifecycle:
Draft → Awaiting Sign-Off → Approval Queue→ Release Manager (optional) → Live
For more information on Content Sign-Off, refer to this article: Content Sign-Off Overview