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7. Tasks

If a process is created during document type configuration and it includes user tasks, users can work with tasks independently of documents.

To view user tasks, open the Tasks workspace and select the My Tasks shortcut. This page displays all open tasks where the current user is an assignee, candidate, or observer.

You can also work with tasks through custom shortcuts of the Tasks type (see Shortcuts).

The All Tasks shortcut displays all open tasks available to the current user. Access to all tasks in the system is granted by the bpmAdmin role.

The Task Archive shortcut displays all tasks available to the current user. The task list shows their status: Open, Completing, Completed, or Canceled.

When opening a task, the user sees an interface similar to a document — a configured form with attributes, action buttons, save/delete buttons, and a side menu (gear icon) with options such as Task Participants, Links, and Audit (for Administrators).

For users with the bpmAdmin role, a task overview dashboard is available, displaying charts with task execution statuses across the system. You can access it by opening the Tasks workspace and selecting the Overview Dashboard shortcut.

7.1. Delegate Tasks​

The position delegation functionality applies both to document access and task management. A delegate automatically gains permission to view documents and work with tasks assigned to the primary assignee.

Attention:

The delegate receives notifications only for new tasks of the authorized person. Existing tasks (created before delegation) will be available without notifications.

To delegate tasks, perform delegation of authority.

To open delegated tasks, go to the Task Registry (the Tasks workspace → the My Tasks shortcut). Tasks with the Open status are available for execution by both participants. For more details about tasks, see Tasks.

To stop delegating your tasks to an assistant or acting substitute, configure the access time frame. For more information, see Stop Delegation.

7.2. Action Buttons in the Task Shortcut​

Action buttons allow you to execute tasks without opening the form, directly from shortcuts. This is convenient for quick processing or bulk execution of repetitive operations.

If you have the additional package nectain-ui installed, action buttons are displayed not only in the toolbar A, but also in the Actions button B when previewing the task form.

7.2.1. Configure Action Buttons​

Action buttons are displayed directly in Tasks-type shortcuts and allow you to quickly perform required operations, such as “Approve” or “Reject”, without opening the full task form.

  1. Create actions for task execution — create the actions you want to display on the buttons. For example: "Approve" and "Reject".

  2. Create a task form. During creation, pay attention to the following:

    1. In the Actions tab 1, enable the actions you created in step 1 2.

    2. In the settings of the required actions, select the Simple action checkbox 3.

    Notes:
    • If an action is part of a group, note that only one action in the group can have the Simple action status. A simple action can be either a child or a parent action.
    • Only an action with the Confirmation request dialog type can be a simple action. If another dialog type is selected, the system will prompt you to change it to Confirmation request to make the action simple.

  3. Link the created form to the task.

    1. In the navigation pane, select the Studio workspace 1.

    2. Go to the Process Library shortcut 2.

    3. Open the required process 3.

    4. On the form, select the user task 1.

    5. In the task settings, expand the Form section 2.

    6. In the Form section, select Task Form 1.

    7. In the Task Form box 2, select the form you created in step 2 from the list.

    8. In the toolbar, select the Save A or Save and Close B icon.

  4. Start the business process:

    1. Deploy the business process definition.

    2. Create a process based on the business process definition.

7.2.2. Use Action Buttons​

To use action buttons, make sure you have completed all required configurations from the Configure Action Buttons section.

To use the configured action buttons:

  1. The user who wants to use action buttons must be a task participant or a delegate.

  2. Go to one of the following shortcut types:

    • Standard shortcut My Tasks
    • Standard shortcut All Tasks
    • Custom shortcut of the Tasks type

  3. Enable multi-select mode 1, and then select the required tasks for which action buttons were configured 2.

  4. In the additional panel that appears, select the required action.

    If you have the additional package nectain-ui installed, you can use action buttons not only in the toolbar A, but also in the Actions button B when previewing the task form.

    Notes:
    • The additional panel displays up to five actions. If more actions are configured, the remaining buttons will be hidden in the overflow menu.
    • If an action in the additional panel is inactive, it means it is not available for the selected tasks.
    • Only actions with the Simple action status are displayed in the additional panel.

  5. Select the confirmation button to execute the action.

    Tip:

    If you have many similar actions, such as “Approve document”, “Approve request”, “Approve invoice”, you can group them into a common group. This simplifies bulk task execution, as instead of several separate buttons, there will be one universal action — “Approve”.

7.2.3. Group Actions on Buttons​

You can group actions on task forms to simplify bulk execution of operations.

Example: Suppose you have three tasks with similar actions: “Approve contract”, “Approve request”, “Approve invoice”. All these actions can be combined into a single group called “Approve”.


How it works:

  1. Select all three tasks in the shortcut.
  2. The Approve button will appear in the additional toolbar.
  3. Click Approve — the system will automatically execute the required action for each task. This significantly speeds up working with a large number of similar tasks.

To group actions into one group:

  1. Open or create an action for task execution that you want to make the parent action of the group.

  2. Select the Parent action checkbox 1.

  3. In the toolbar, select Save 2.

  4. Open or create an action for task execution that you want to make a child action of the group.

  5. Select the Child action checkbox 1, and then in the Parent action box 2, select the action you set as the parent (step 2).

  6. In the toolbar, select Save 3.

    7.3. Assign an Assignee to Multiple Tasks​

Using the Assign action, you can quickly assign multiple tasks to a single user in just a few clicks. This functionality is especially useful for managers who regularly distribute tasks among team members. The action is available in Tasks-type shortcuts — both custom and system (including My Tasks, All Tasks, and Task Archive). The action is available for the following task roles: Assignee, Candidate, or Supervisor.

  1. Go to a Tasks-type shortcut.

  2. Enable Multi-select mode 1.

  3. Select the checkboxes next to the tasks you want to assign to a user 2.

  4. In the toolbar, select Assign Assignee 3.

  5. In the Assignee box 1, select the required user from the list.

  6. Select Assign Assignee 2.