About Tasks

A task is a plugin or a block that is used to build PlanetPress Workflow processes. Tasks can do multiple things depending on the type of task and where they are placed. You can add as many tasks as you like to your processes and order them in any way you can.

There are different types of tasks:

• Input Task: Will either capture data from a specific location, or wait for input from a service or other computer to start processing.
• Action Task: Will manipulate the data in any number of ways. An action task is any task that is not an input or output task or a branch or condition.
• Output Task: Will output data to a specific location or send to a different service or computer.

Some tasks are multipurpose and can be used as either an input, action or output task or any combination. These multipurpose tasks are indicated as such in the task description and can be found in the most relevant section of the available tasks.

All plugins can be found in The Plug-in Bar.

For more information on the tasks that are by default available to you in PlanetPress Workflow, see the following pages:

• Input tasks
• Action Tasks
• Data Splitters
• Process Logic tasks
• Connector Tasks
• PlanetPress Capture
• Metadata Tasks
• OL Connect tasks
• OL Connect Send
• Output Tasks
• Unknown tasks

In fact, the PlanetPress Workflow plugin based architecture enables almost limitless customization. You can create or purchase compatible plugins, drop them in PlanetPress Workflow's Plug-In Bar and use them to perform other operations.

Adding tasks

You can add as many tasks as you want to your process by using the Plug-in Bar in PlanetPress Workflow program.

To insert a task:

1. Open the Plug-in Bar by clicking on its tab. If you can't see the Plug-in Bar tab, click on the View tab in the Ribbon and make sure the Plug-in Bar is highlighted in the Show/Hide section.
2. Locate the task you want to add to your process. You can navigate between the different task categories by clicking the icons at the bottom of the Plug-in Bar.
3. Using your mouse, click and drag the task in your process at the place you want to insert it.
4. Depending on where you place your mouse, you may see that you can replace or insert existing tasks, or not place it at that location at all.
5. When you drop the task in the desired location, a dialog box containing the available task properties is displayed.
6. Set the task properties as required and click OK to close the dialog box.

There are a few things to keep in mind when dropping tasks:

• You can insert input tasks anywhere in the process except in output task locations.
• When you add an output task, a new branch leading to that new task is added above the selected task or branch, except when replacing an existing output task.
• Dropping a task on top of another one replaces it.
• Dropping a task between two tasks will insert it at that location.
• You cannot add a task above the initial input task of a process, since new tasks are always added above a selected task or branch.

Editing a task

To edit a task, you simply need to access and change its properties (see Task properties). You may even do it while your process is in Debug mode (See Debugging your PlanetPress Workflow process).

To edit a task:

1. In the PlanetPress Workflow Process area, double-click the Task icon. A dialog box containing the available task properties is displayed.
2. Edit the task properties as required. Click specific tabs to see all the properties associated with the task.
3. Click OK to close the dialog box and save the new properties.