URGENT: Cutomize Email functionality for Action Items

Question

Experts,
I need to your help for a customization I need to help setup immediately.
Here is the requirement : Client does not currently have an E-mail notification functionality turned on for Action Items. The requirement is to have E-mails sent out when ever an Action Item is Assigned to a User. The email should be sent to both the user who has been AssignedTo and the person who actually assigned.
I believe this need customization to Criteria Workflow email and/or cutomization to the out of the mail templates - reviewr_mail.htm and reject_mail.htm .
I am not sure which workflow is tied to Action Items.
Any expert advise on this would tremendously help .
Thanks in advance.
Rakesh

Answer 1

Old Old (6 years) data that only partly covers this, and on a current server may need some tweaking but this may help.
The following are required and assumed for custom workflow email functionality:
Stellent Content Server 7.x or higher
A working knowledge of CS
A working knowledge of CS workflow step event architecture
A working knowledge of Idoc Script.
Business Problem
You wish to customize the email message, subject, template, or all of the above, sent out by CS Criteria workflow.
Idoc Script Explanation
There are several new or newly exposed Idoc Script variables and functions, as well as old stand-bys, that make customizing 7.x Criteria Workflow emails quick and easy. All the functions and variables described herein may be found in the Idoc Script reference guide.
Emails will be triggered by criteria workflow:
Upon Step Entry
Upon Reject
Upon execution of the <wfNotify()> Idoc Script function
Customizing Email Templates
There are two primary workflow email templates that are used to generate the email messages sent out to recipients. These are: reviewer_mail.htm and reject_mail.htm both of which are located in the default templates directory at:
< Stellent Home Dir >/shared/config/templates
These templates may be modified like any other template according to established component architecture best practices. The templates are Idoc Script enabled and, as such, may evaluate dynamic code and draw dynamic results when the server is creating the mail message. Of course, after the message instance is created from the template and sent off to the mail server, no additional scripting may be done. Email message template modification provides the greatest flexibility and opportunity for truly customized and dynamic workflow emails.
It should be noted that not only may the email templates be modified for universal email changes, but also you may create custom workflow email templates based on the standard templates. Custom templates may be called as desired by adding them as the optional third parameter to <wfNotify()>.
Example:
<wfNotify(userName,"user",templateName)>
or
<wfNotify(aliasName,"alias",templateName)>
If no template is specified, SCS will use the system default template.
Although email template modification is relatively straightforward, such modification requires careful component development. Consequently, some clients prefer to modify the most important portions of the criteria workflow email: the subject and the message.
Customizing the Email Subject Line
Criteria workflow email subject lines may be modified in several ways. The core string resource may be modified according to standard component architecture. Additionally, the wfMailSubject IdocScript variable may be declared in criteria workflow step event scripting to give greater control and flexibility for narrowly targeted customization.
The default criteria workflow email subject lines are defined in the ww_strings.htm file located at:
< Stellent Home Dir >/shared/config/resourced/lang
The string definitions are:
<@wwWfIsNotifyOnly=Workflow notification for content item '{1}' is in step '{2}'.@> {1} = content item title. {2} = name of step in workflow.
<@wwWfReadyForStep=Content item '{1}' is ready for workflow step '{2}'.@> {1} = content item title. {2} = name of step in workflow.
<@wwWfRejected=Content item '{1}' has been rejected.@> {1} = name of content item.
These may be aliased (superceded) in a component resource file. They are typically called with the localization Idoc Script function <$lc()$>. See the <@dynamichtml wf_approve_mail_subject@> include definition in std_page.htm for an example of how email subject line string includes may be implemented.
For simple criteria workflow subject line changes Idoc Script, rather than full-blown components, may be used. The Idoc Script variable <$wfMailSubject="my subject"$> can be placed in step event script. The value of <$wfMailSubject$> can also accept Idoc Script. For example:
<$wfMailSubject="My Custom Subject Line for the content with title <$dDocTitle$>"$>
Note that no eval() function is required for the Idoc Script variable to evaluate when included in the wfMailSubject variable.
If wfMailSubject is place in the entry event of a workflow step, then any email messages triggered by content entering the step will receive the customized subject line. Additionally, wfMailSubject may be declared just prior to a wfNotify() function and the email(s) generated by that function call will receive the custom subject line.
Customizing the Email Message Line
The email message line is not the same thing as the email body. Rather each SCS criteria workflow generated email contains several lines of standard data:
Message: message line
Workflow Name: workflow name line
Workflow Step: workflow step name line
Content Item:     content id line
The message line will default to one of two messages depending on whether or not the workflow step is a "notification only" (i.e. 0 required reviewers) step or not. The relevant localized strings are:
Notification only: <@wwWfIsNotifyOnly=Workflow notification for content item '{1}' is in step '{2}'.@> {1} = content item title. {2} = name of step in workflow.
Review Required: <@wwWfReadyForStep=Content item '{1}' is ready for workflow step '{2}'.@> {1} = content item title. {2} = name of step in workflow.
See the <@dynamichtml wf_approve_mail_message@> include definition in std_page.htm for an example of how email message line string includes may be implemented.
For simple criteria workflow message line changes Idoc Script may be leveraged in step event scripts. The Idoc Script variable <$wfMessage="my message"$> may be placed in step events to give the workflow emails custom message lines. Like wfMailSubject, the value of wfMessage can accept tagged Idoc Script variables without requiring an eval() wrapper. If wfMessage is declared in the entry event of a workflow step, workflow generated email messages for that step will use the value assigned to wfMessage. Additionally, wfMessage may be declared prior to a wfNotify() function and the email(s) generated by that function call will receive the custom message line.
These are not the only ways to customize criteria workflow email attributes. However, the SCS 7.x Idoc Script API provides these methods, functions, and variables to make customizing workflow emails simple.
Requirements, Pre-Requisites, and Assumptions
The following are required and assumed for custom workflow email functionality:
Stellent Content Server 7.x or higher
A working knowledge of CS
A working knowledge of CS workflow step event architecture
A working knowledge of Idoc Script.