Workflow Configuration - no custom expressions as recipients for deadlines?

Question

The system I work in is an ECC 6.0 system (support package SAPKB70012).
I would like to use SAP's standard workflow for purchase order approval, WS20000075, but a reminder must be sent after 7 days if the release has not taken place yet.
That should not be a problem I thought, because according to [SAP's documentation available at help.sap.com|http://help.sap.com/erp2005_ehp_03/helpdata/EN/92/bc26a6ec2b11d2b4b5006094b9ea0d/frameset.htm], one can activate latest start (and other deadlines) with the reaction Send mail (equivalent to "Display text" in the workflow step definition).
However, no matter what tricks I try, I am not able to configure my recipient. I want to send the message to PurchaseOrder.Responsible.NameWithLeadingUS, but the only expression the configuration will accept is WorkflowInitiator.
It is very frustrating to be this close to using SAP standard and ending up creating a workflow template copy.
Has anyone successfully used Workflow Configuration to enable a deadline with some other expression, not WorkflowInitiator, in a SAP standard workflow which does not have deadline monitoring?
Another thing that surprised me a bit was that I couldn't create a configuration without transport. Not that that's a problem, but I thought one major idea for the configuration was to give me the possibility to have one deadline limit during testing and another in production. The documentation also says the configuration is client-dependent. I suppose I will have to request that the systems are opened for modification for this too (that is, in addition to opening them for definition of release strategies).

Answer 1

I just verified that, in fact the only problem is with the Latest Start expression! But luckily I can paste the expression as you say (just discovered that and will close the question as solved).
I also discovered another bug while verifying what the problem is.
When starting the SWDD_CONFIG transaction directly as opposed to going there from the workflow builder, it opened for a different workflow template. So I used the "Other object" button to change to the workflow template I wanted to define a configuration for. The workflow displayed changes, but the title line of the window does not change. I could live with that referencing the other workflow, but that's just a visible symptom. The real problem is that the container definition is not re-read, so when trying to assign an agent it was actually the container elements from the first workflow template that were available. Nasty!
Edited by: Kjetil Kilhavn on Jan 24, 2008 5:17 PM:
I am creating low-priority customer messages for both of these, so at least SAP has a chance to correct the errors. There is no outside access to the system I work in, so they won't get a chance to verify - but that shouldn't stop them from checking if the problems exist in their own system with the latest support packages applied. Keep your fingers crossed