Integrate Office for the web with document workflow processes
Warning
This documentation is for an upcoming feature and might undergo dramatic changes prior to final release. Pre-release features are available in the Test environment only.
Hosts can integrate Office for the web into workflow processes, so that users can work with UI directly in Office for the web to manage documents in a workflow.
For example, consider a host that caters to customers in the education field. The host can provide a way for students to submit documents as part of an assignment. With the Office for the web workflow features, hosts can configure Office for the web to display a Submit button directly in the Office for the web UI that, when activated, displays host-specific UI letting the student submit the document.
Supporting workflows in Office for the web
In Office for the web, documents that are a part of workflows display a button that replaces the Share button. The button's text is specific to the WorkflowType.
| WorkflowType | Office for the web workflow button text |
|---|---|
| Assign | Manage Assignment |
| Submit | Turn In |
Important
In Office for the web, the Assign and Submit workflow types are mutually exclusive. Only one of the two workflow types should be set for a given document session.
Much like Share, when clicked, the workflow button can either navigate to a URL in a new browser tab or window or send a message to the host frame.
To navigate to a URL, set the WorkflowUrl property to the URL to which Office for the web should navigate.
To post a message to the host frame instead, set the WorkflowPostMessage property to true. When clicked, Office for the web sends the UI_Workflow message to the host frame. The message includes the type of workflow that the document is a part of.
Tip
Office for the web always saves the latest copy of the document to the host when the workflow UI is activated. This ensures that the host always has the latest copy of the document to use in the workflow.
Important considerations
WOPI clients, including Office for the web, aren't designed to understand what the workflow is and how it behaves. In other words, when you use the WorkflowUrl or WorkflowPostMessage properties, Office for the web displays the workflow button and behaves appropriately when triggered. But if, for example, you want to prevent a user from submitting the same document multiple times, you must handle that in your own UI. In other words, Office for the web and other WOPI clients don't know anything about the workflow process except that a document is a part of a workflow and to display the appropriate UI. This provides a WOPI host great flexibility in their workflows, but the host is also responsible for managing the workflow as a whole.