Workflow access denied but still task is completed

Frank Martin 431

I made a simple SharePoint 2013 workflow using SPD in SharePoint 2016. When an item is created, task is assigned to Group2 for approval. There are two security groups.

Group1 - this group can create items

Group2 - this group can approve/reject items

On this list there is another SharePoint 2010 workflow running which set permissions as follows. Initially when workflow is started, both groups have Contribute permission on list item. The workflow removes Contribute permission for user who created item and replace it with Read permission.

Now the problem is when the user who created item, tries to approve workflow, it gets error which is fine (because it has Read permission). But at the same time workflow status is changed to Completed which means task is now complete. This doesn't make any sense! If the user doesn't have permission and it is throwing error, why task is set to Completed? Because of this workflow gets stuck as now when Group2 tries to do anything, it cannot because task is Completed.

Screenshot given below.

workflow

Haoyan Xue_MSFT 19,711 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-04-18T01:36:50.0233333+00:00

Thank you for your question.

We are currently looking into this issue and will give you an update as soon as possible.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

1 answer

Haoyan Xue_MSFT 19,711 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-04-18T07:55:28.82+00:00

Hi @Frank Martin ,

Thank you for posting in this community.

Why not combine two workflows into one workflow? Try this. Maybe this will solve your problem.SharePoint Designer 2013 will be discontinued on Jul 14, 2026, so maybe you can migrate and try out SharePoint Online and Power Automate as soon as possible.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/sharepoint-designer-2013

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Frank Martin 431 Reputation points

2024-04-18T08:09:11.04+00:00

Cannot combine these workflows because the feature of setting permission on lists and its items is not there in SharePoint 2013 workflow. It is there in SharePoint 2010 workflow.

My main workflow is SharePoint 2013 and only the part where I am setting permission on list item is being done from SharePoint 2010.

If I only use SharePoint 2013 workflow then user is able to approve/reject even though he is not part of group to whom task is assigned. I thought SharePoint does this automatically OOTB but looks like that is not the case.

So, basically my main pain area is not to allow user to approve task if he not part of that particular group. I know I can do this via code like Event Receiver but I wanted to see if it is possible via workflow.

Frank Martin 431 Reputation points

2024-04-18T08:09:18.26+00:00

Cannot combine these workflows because the feature of setting permission on lists and its items is not there in SharePoint 2013 workflow. It is there in SharePoint 2010 workflow.

My main workflow is SharePoint 2013 and only the part where I am setting permission on list item is being done from SharePoint 2010.

If I only use SharePoint 2013 workflow then user is able to approve/reject even though he is not part of group to whom task is assigned. I thought SharePoint does this automatically OOTB but looks like that is not the case.

So, basically my main pain area is not to allow user to approve task if he not part of that particular group. I know I can do this via code like Event Receiver but I wanted to see if it is possible via workflow.

Haoyan Xue_MSFT 19,711 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-04-18T09:09:33.98+00:00

Hi @Frank Martin ,

Thank you for your detail explaining.

Unfortunately, Based on my searches and attempts, there's no way to accomplish your overall needs via workflow. This is the downside of SharePoint Designer, there are fewer actions that can be implemented. Thank you for your understanding.

Haoyan Xue_MSFT 19,711 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-04-22T07:03:26.5866667+00:00

Hi @Frank Martin ,

How's going today? Do you have further concerns regarding this issue? Please feel free to talk with us if you have other questions. If the above info is helpful to this question, you can click "Accept Answer". Have a nice day!

Haoyan Xue_MSFT 19,711 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-04-26T08:59:37.61+00:00

Hi @Frank Martin ,

Please kindly consider this comment as a warm follow up, I would like to know if your problem still occurs. Please feel free to reach us if any questions or concerns you may have. If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

Haoyan Xue_MSFT 19,711 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-04-30T08:50:52.1666667+00:00

Hi @Frank Martin ,

We have not received a response from you. We would appreciate it if you would like to share a recent update on your problem. Please feel free to reach us if any questions or concerns you may have.If the above info is helpful to this question, Please remember to "Accept as answer" to close this case and this will help people in this forum who have similar questions to yours find the answer easier.
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