Create task completion objects that could be added to other, referenced objects in order to keep the status of who and when marked an assignment as completed.

Required Vault Structure elements #

Assignments module creates a separate object for each assignment completion. To create a separate object, certain elements need to be created.

Object Type

• Completion (required)

Class

• Completion (required)

Property definitions

• Assignments Completion (required)
  Choose from list “{Object Type you created}” (multi-select)

• Completion User (required)
  Choose from list “Users”

• Completion Date
  Date

• Completion Date UTC
  Date

• Completion Time
  Time

• Completion Time UTC
  Time

• Completion Timestamp
  Timestamp

• Identifier
  Text

Configuration #

After you have successfully installed the application, you should configure Assignments.

1. Open M-Files Admin
2. In the left-side tree view, expand the desired connection to M-Files Server.
3. In the left-side tree view, expand the Document Vaults node.
4. Still, in the left-side tree view, expand the vault where you installed the connector and select Configurations.
5. Expand Other Applications
6. Expand Extension Kit
7. Click on Assignment

Field description #

Field	Value	Description
Enabled	Yes/No	Specifies whether the module is in use.
Configuration mode	Configuration mode	Display simple or advanced configuration options for module.
Vault Structure
Assignments completion object type	List of objects types	Specifies the object type of a created object. Defined in section 1.
Assignment completion class	List of classes	Specifies the class of created objects. Defined in section 1.
Assignments completion property	List of property definitions	Specifies property definition that will contain a list of all Assignment Completions. Defined in section 1.
Vault Structure > Assignments Completion class properties
Completion Name	List of property definitions	Specifies property definition that will be the Name of newly created Assignment Completion. Defined in section 1.
Completion User	List of property definitions	Specifies property definition that will contain information about Users who completed the assignment.
Completion Date	List of property definitions	Specifies property definition that will contain information about the Date of assignment completion.
Completion Date UTC	List of property definitions	Specifies property definition that will contain information about Date UTC of assignment completion.
Completion Time	List of property definitions	Specifies property definition that will contain information about the Time of assignment completion.
Completion Time UTC	List of property definitions	Specifies property definition that will contain information about Time UTC of assignment completion.
Completion Timestamp	List of property definitions	Specifies property definition that will contain information about Timestamp of assignment completion.
Assignment	List of property definitions	Specifies property definition that will contain reference to assignment.
Identifier	List of property definitions	Specifies property definition that can be used as a more specific Identification of assignment that is completed. E.g. Document Approval, Document Review…
Apply to all or selected assignments	One of the following: AllSelected	All. If this option is selected, every assignment completion will create Assignment Completion object (created in section 1 and configured previously) and add it to the assignment. Selected. If this option is selected, a new configuration is visible (Assignments filters) that allows defining more specific rules. Rules allow the definition of Assignment classes and required property definitions that point to the object for which Assignment is created. That way you can create different Assignment classes and control for which classes you want to create a Completion object.
Assignments filters	List of assignment filters	Displayed only if Apply to all or selected assignments flag is set to Selected. List of filters that allow fine grained selection of assignment classes that trigger creation a Completion object.
Assignments filters > Assignment Filter [n]
Assignment completion identifier	Text	Specifies identifier that will be added to newly created Assignment Completion object after assignments are completed. The identifier is used to add extra information to completion object.
Assignments filters > Assignment Filter [n] > Assignment
Class	List of classes	Assignment class that filter rule applies to.
Source object property	List of property definitions	Specifies property that needs to exist on the Assignment to apply this rule.
Assignments filters > Assignment Filter [n] > Source
Completions property	List of property definitions	Assignment Completion reference that will be added to the source object when Assignment Completion is created.

Use Case #

Document Approval Workflow with assignment completion information in document #

M-Files Elements #

It is often the case, that customer needs to keep information about document approval (who approved and when) in the document itself. Even though the M-Files history has needed information, it is not possible to include that information in the document.

Assignment module creates separate objects (in this example called Approvements) that contain information about who and when completed which Assignment.

To support this case, certain M-Files elements are created:

Required elements #

Element	Name	Description
Object Type	Approvement	An object of this object type will be created after a user marks assignment as completed
Class	Approvement	Object of this class will be created after user marks assignments as completed
Property Definition	Approvement Name	Name of Approvement object. Configured as a simple concatenating of properties: %Approver User% – %Approvement Date% – %Approvement Time% This property is very important as this property will be visible in the document.
Property Definition	Approver User	User that marks assignment as completed.
Property Definition	Approvement Date	Date when the assignment is marked as completed.
Property Definition	Approvement Date UTC	Date UTC when an assignment is marked as completed.
Property Definition	Approvement Time	Time when the assignment is marked as completed.
Property Definition	Approvement Time UTC	Time UTC when an assignment is marked as completed.
Property Definition	Approvement Timestamp	Timestamp when an assignment is marked as completed.
Property Definition	Document Approvers Approvements	List of all approvement objects for an assignment for Document Approvers
Property Definition	Document Authors Approvements	List of all approvement objects for an assignment for Document Authors
Property Definition	Document Reviewers Approvements	List of all approvement objects for an assignment for Document Reviewers

Approvement class with all properties:

In most cases, document approval workflow has three important steps: authors approve, reviewers approve and final approval.

To support three different approval states we need to have three different assignment classes:

Assignment Configuration #

With all the elements created, it is possible to configure the Assignments module.

The first part of the configuration is used for connecting elements that module looks for and created elements:

After that, for each assignment class, we will add Assignment Rule that will create Assignment Completion objects and add them to the referenced object (in our case Document) [Source Object Property] in property (in our case Document Authors Approvements, Document Reviewers Approvements, Document Approvers Approvements) [Completions property].

The Result #

To create a new document, the user needs to select Author(s), Reviewer(s) and Approver(s).

In the state Document Authors Approve separate assignment is created and assigned to Document Author – Cristiano Ronaldo. After Cristiano marks assignment as completed, Extended Assignments module creates a separate object (of class Approvement) and add this object to property metadata on Document (Document Authors Approvements)

The same behavior is for the next stages of Document Approval workflow and the result for this example is next:

As it is visible, the document is now in state Document Approved with information about who, when and in which state, approved this document. Now it is possible to add information in the document.

As this output with semicolons might not be good enough, we have created Macro Properties module which, among others, can convert multi-select lookups to the list of lookups displayed one value per line: