apidocs

ActivateFlowDef API

Activates a workflow definition, allowing documents to be submitted to the workflow. The workflow must pass all validation rules before it can be activated.

Endpoint

/srv.asmx/ActivateFlowDef

Methods

• GET /srv.asmx/ActivateFlowDef?authenticationTicket=...&domainName=...&flowName=...
• POST /srv.asmx/ActivateFlowDef (form data)
• SOAP Action: http://tempuri.org/ActivateFlowDef

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
authenticationTicket	string	Yes	Authentication ticket obtained from AuthenticateUser
domainName	string	Yes	Name of the domain/library containing the workflow
flowName	string	Yes	Name of the workflow definition to activate

Response

Success Response

<root success="true" />

Error Response

<root success="false" error="[ErrorCode] Error message" />

Required Permissions

• User must be authenticated (anonymous users cannot perform this action)
• User must have administrative rights to the domain containing the workflow
• User must have permission to manage workflow definitions

Workflow Activation Requirements

Before a workflow can be activated, it must meet the following criteria:

1. At least one step defined - The workflow must contain one or more workflow steps
2. Valid step configuration - Each step must be properly configured
3. Task assignments - Each step must have at least one task with valid player assignments (users or groups)
4. Active folder - The workflow must have a valid active folder path assigned
5. No circular dependencies - Step transitions must not create infinite loops

Example

Request (GET)

GET /srv.asmx/ActivateFlowDef?authenticationTicket=abc123-def456&domainName=Engineering&flowName=DocumentReview HTTP/1.1
Host: server.example.com

Request (POST)

POST /srv.asmx/ActivateFlowDef HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

authenticationTicket=abc123-def456&domainName=Engineering&flowName=DocumentReview

Request (SOAP 1.1)

POST /srv.asmx HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: text/xml; charset=utf-8
SOAPAction: "http://tempuri.org/ActivateFlowDef"

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
  <soap:Body>
    <ActivateFlowDef xmlns="http://tempuri.org/">
      <authenticationTicket>abc123-def456</authenticationTicket>
      <domainName>Engineering</domainName>
      <flowName>DocumentReview</flowName>
    </ActivateFlowDef>
  </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

Success Response

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<root success="true" />

Error Response Example

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<root success="false" error="Workflow must have at least one step defined" />

Related APIs

• CreateFlowDef - Create a new workflow definition
• CreateFlowDef1 - Create workflow with end folder
• CreateFlowDef2 - Create workflow with supervisor
• CreateFlowDef3 - Create workflow with full options
• DeactivateFlowDef - Deactivate an active workflow
• GetFlowDef - Get workflow definition details
• GetDomainFlows - List all workflows in a domain
• AddFlowStepDef - Add a step to workflow
• AddFlowTaskDef - Add a task to workflow step
• SubmitDocumentToFlow - Submit a document to active workflow
• SubmitDocumentToFlow1 - Submit with player assignments

Notes

• Once activated, documents can be submitted to the workflow using SubmitDocumentToFlow API
• An active workflow cannot be modified - it must be deactivated first using DeactivateFlowDef
• The workflow validation checks are performed server-side during activation
• If activation fails due to validation errors, the error message will indicate the specific issue
• Workflows can be re-activated after being deactivated
• Active workflows appear in the workflow submission UI for users with appropriate permissions

Error Codes

Common error responses:

Error	Description
[901]Session expired or Invalid ticket	Invalid authentication ticket
[2730]Insufficient rights. Anonymous users cannot perform this action	User is not authenticated
Domain not found	The specified domain does not exist
Workflow definition not found	The specified workflow does not exist in the domain
Workflow must have at least one step defined	Cannot activate workflow without steps
Step [N] must have at least one task	A workflow step is missing task definitions
Task [N] in step [M] must have at least one player	A task has no assigned users or groups
Active folder path is not valid	The workflow’s active folder path is invalid or inaccessible
User does not have permission to activate workflows	User lacks workflow management permissions

Workflow Lifecycle

Created (Inactive) 
    ?
[ActivateFlowDef] ? Active (Ready for submissions)
    ?
[DeactivateFlowDef] ? Inactive (No new submissions)
    ?
[ActivateFlowDef] ? Active (Can be re-activated)

Best Practices

1. Test Before Activation: Verify workflow configuration using GetFlowDef before activating
2. Document Requirements: Ensure all steps and tasks are properly documented for workflow participants
3. Permission Review: Verify that all assigned players (users/groups) have appropriate access to the active folder
4. Notification Setup: Configure task notification settings before activation
5. Version Control: Consider naming conventions for workflow versions (e.g., “DocumentReview_v2”)