User manual

User manual for the Dew-X document workflow and file archive system. Here you will find, among others: information on how to create processes yourself.

  • First steps

    I am an important* member of an Organization

    1. Create an account on Dew-X
    2. Log in
    3. Participate in the processes of the Organization to which you will be invited

    I am an Innovator

    1. Create an account on Dew-X
    2. Log in
    3. Create your first Organization
    4. Build the first processs in your Organization
    5. Invite members to your Organization
    6. Together, take your Organization to a higher level
    7. Help others – be an important* member of other Organizations

    * whoever you are, you are responsible for the transfer of each Organization you are a member of to another galaxy. Whatever you may think about it or hear from others, you are important 🙂

  • Registration

    Creating an account on Dew-X is incredibly simple.

    Fill out the form at https://workflow.dew-x.com

    Dew-X register form

    Enter your first name, last name and email address.

    Specify your password (minimum 8 characters, lowercase letter, capital letter, special character, number), see our terms and conditions, which are available here: https://dew-x.com/en/regulations-for-the-provision-of-electronic-services and accept them, also agreeing to the processing of your personal data.

    You will receive an e-mail from us with an activation link (if it didn’t arrive, the address you provided may be wrong; also check the SPAM folder), and after clicking it, information about creating an account in the System.

  • Login

    You can log into the Dew-X System at https://workflow.dew-x.com

    Dew-X login panel

    Enter the e-mail address you used to register and your password.

    Forgot your password: reset it – you will receive further instrutions via e-mail.

    You do not have an account – register.

    More on registration here: click

  • My board

    This is the first view you will see when logging in.

    If you don’t have any tasks to do, it will look like this:

    Everything will change when the tasks start arriving

    What you will find on it depends on many factors, e.g. whether you have joined an existing organization, have you created your own organization, are there tasks to be completed, etc.

    On the left side you can see a collapsed menu panel. Its items are discussed with specific functionalities.

    The second menu can be found on the right side of the screen (desktop)

    Right menu descript

    Not all of its positions are always visible. For example, the view can be like this:

    right menu start

    An important element of My Board are the task tabs visible in the Closer to deadline section.

    Your tasks are there, of all your organizations, for which you have the least time to complete.

    Task tab

    Below this section you will find a list of tasks to be completed by you in the current Organization

    mine in current

  • Organizations

    In the Dew-X system, an Organization is a formal entity (company, institution, foundation, association, etc.) or informal (e.g. a social group) defined for the purposes of using the System.

    Organizations are created by users. Everyone can create many of them. They can also be a member of multiple organizations that have been created by other users.

    Each User automatically becomes a member of the Dew-X Organization and potentially others created by the Operator. These organizations can be used to handle the processes related to the functioning of the System, e.g. to report errors, comments, ideas, correspondence, settlements, etc

    You can read more about the roles and permissions of users here: Roles and users

    The available Organizations are visible when you click the icon

    Ikona Organizacji

    in the main menu on the left side of the screen.

    You can join many already existing Organizations. To do this, select “Join organization” in the menu and enter at least three characters, and a list of public Organizations will be displayed, but note: to join an existing Organization, your accession must be approved by its administrator – we will send your request to they.

    From this point you can choose the Organization you want to work for at the moment.

    organizations

    In the view: My board, you can also switch between organizations in the menu on the right side of the screen.

    organizations right menu

    You can read about creating new organizations here: click

    Read more about the users here: click

  • Creating new organizations and editing

    Organizations are created by users. Everyone can create many of them. They can also be a member of multiple organizations that have been created by other users.

    The available Organizations are visible when you click the icon

    Organizacje w obiegu dokumentów i spraw Dew-X

    To create a new Organization press the + Create new sign in the main menu on the left side of the screen under the Organizations list

    organizations

    or the Create an organization button in the menu on the right side of the screen (only available in the view: My Board)

    organizations right menu

    Just enter its name. The system will complete it with #number itself, so that the full names will not be repeated.

    Organizations can be public or private.

    Public are searchable and thus any user can request to join them.

    Private ones cannot be searched, so to join them you need to receive an invitation from their member.

    When creating your own Organization, you decide who will become a member and what rights they will have.

    If, after creating an Organization, it is necessary to change its name or status (public / private), you can do it through the screen:

    Note: when changing the name or status of an Organization, the system will also change the #number. This change will not affect any existing processes, files, data or its members.

    You can read more about the users here: click

    You can read more about user roles and permissions here: click

  • Users
    Being the owner or administrator of a given Organization, you can:
    • invite new users (+ Add)
    • accept requests to join from new users
    • change the permissions of the members of the Organization
    • disconnect members of the Organization

    To do this, use the users panel available from the main menu on the left side by selecting the Administration icon:

    and then

    Użytkownicy - ikona w menu

    Note: If you are not the administrator or owner of any Organization, this button will not be available to you. It will also disappear when you switch to an Organization where you do not have these permissions.

    users list

    last names and e-mail addresses have been hidden

    From here, you can perform all the operations described above.

    When adding a new user, you must enter his e-mail address

    add user

    Until he accepts your invitation, it will be presented on the list of users as follows: first name – identifier, e.g. john.smith, last name: email domain, e.g. gmail.com. After accepting, the data declared by them will be displayed in these fields.

    Select the edit icon for a given user and change their role and status Outside / Inside the Organization

    edit user

    You can read more about the roles and rights in the System here: click

  • User groups

    If necessary, you can build user groups.

    To do this, in the Administration Panel, select Groups and then the + Add button.

    Specify the name of the Group, e.g. Board, Sales, Production, HR, etc.

    Visible outside the organization: The group (and therefore its members) will be visible to users with the status “Outside the organization”.

    You should assign selected users to the created Groups.

    A user can be a member of many groups.

  • Roles and permissions in the system

    The System has the following roles and rights for Users in an Organization:

    The panel allows you to grant and change permissions, as well as adding and removing users is available from the main menu on the left side of the screen through the Administration icon:

    and then

    Użytkownicy w obiegu dokumentów i spraw Dew-X

    Note:

    1. If you are not the administrator or owner of any Organization, this button will not be available to you. It will also disappear when you switch to an Organization where you do not have these permissions.
    2. The owner can also change his status to “outside the organization”. This procedure will probably be used extremely rarely, but it is justified, for example, in a situation where for some reason the Owner would not want to be visible to users outside the organization. A good example of such a process is the notification system (errors, bugs, support, etc.), in which “inside the organization” there would be only one user, e.g. applications@companyname.com (visible to everyone), and others, including administrators and Owner “Outside the organization”, that is, invisible to all users outside of a given organization.

    In the case of the File Archive, the Owner and Administrators (Admin) of a given Organization have full permissions by default. Other users must be authorized to access documents in particular directories / folders (search and preview) and optionally to add, edit and delete files and folders.

    You can read more on this topic in the chapter on creating directories / folders: click

    and in the chapter on modifying directories / folders: click

    You can read more about creating and editing Namespaces here: click

    You can read more about users here: click

  • Creating new processes

    Being the owner or administrator of a given Organization, you can:

    • create new processes
    • edit existing processes

    To do this, from the main menu on the left side, click the + Build Process button

    Note: If you are not the administrator or owner of any Organization, this button will not be available to you. It will also disappear when you switch to an Organization where you do not have these permissions.

    More about the roles and permissions in the System: click

    Creating a process is divided into several steps

    I. Choose the method of creating the process definition

    1. Create new process
      By choosing this path, you will build a completely new process yourself, using the process definition builder. Remember that you can alternatively modify one of the ready-made templates – in this case, select “Use template”.
    2. Use template
      To create a new process definition, you can use one of the ready-made templates – prepared by the Dew-X team or your own. The uploaded template can be freely modified.
    3. Upload file
      If you have your own file or a file received from someone with a previously prepared process, upload it here and start editing it. It does not matter if it is a flow/processing of a document or a case.

    You make your choice on the screen

    create new process

    If you chose method 3. Upload file – upload it and then proceed as for editing the process, you can read about it here: click

    If you chose method 2. Use template go to the Process templates section

    If you chose method 1. Create new process, continue reading

    II. Decide which of the two types of processes you want to build

    1. Process will start with a document
      The first step in these processes is adding a file, e.g. invoices, letters or contracts. A preview of the document (PDF, graphic) will be displayed next to the form.Popular processes of this type include the flow of invoices, office of incoming letters, agreement acceptance. Other documents can be added as attachments.
    2. Process will start without a document
      This is a process that does not require a document to begin. The user will fill in a form without previewing a document. Popular processes of this type include a purchase application, support application, and vacation application. Documents can of course be added as attachments.

    You make your choice on the screen

    process document

    III. Specify the basic parameters

    1. Choose a symbol that will help you identify the process

      Note: do not attach too much importance to this – the icon has no substantive connection with the process. You will be able to change it late

    2. Name the process a unique name (in a given Organization)
    3. Determine what its first activity will be

    select icon

    IV. Build the first and following forms

    Each form should have some fields. In the Dew-X process definition builder, we implemented fields and ready-made components that we called plugins.

    creator

    Fields come in several forms:

    – text
    – textarea
    – number
    – amount
    – yes/no
    – date
    – date range
    – attachment
    – link
    – e-mail

    Hint: if you want the user to be able to add multiple attachments, links or e-mails, then the fields: attachment, link, e-mail, add only once – by completing the form, you will be able to add any number of them.

    For each field, specify whether it is required or not. In the first case, if the user does not fill it in, he will not be able to proceed further.

    If it is worth adding a header, information or instruction before the field – insert the plugin “Section description” there.

    You can read more about plugins here: click

    You can change the order of added fields and plugins on a given form using the drag and drop method.

    change order

    Fields and plugins can also move between activities

    Select the pencil icon on the toolbar of a given plugin or field and indicate to which activitiy it should be moved

    extension data

    The moved field will disappear from the given activity and will appear at the end of the list on the selected one.

    When you finish a given activity / form, go to create the next activity/ form:

    • by defining its name
    • specifying the deadline
    • deciding what will happen when this activity is not performed (e.g. due to the expiration of the deadline) Two options are available: Undo or End process

    Number of reties

    If, when creating or editing a process definition, we allow for the possibility of extending the time to complete a given activity, we can use the “Redo” functionality. You can find it below the “Deadline (hours)” function.

    The default value is “0”. This means that a task that is not completed before the deadline according to the definition, will go back to the previous one or end at the given activity.

    Value of “1” is one additional chance; “2” is two, that is, including the base time, three cycles, etc.

    Note: when sending a task the user can change the execution time set in the definition once. This change will only affect the first cycle. If retries have been set, they will last as long as it was assumed for this activity in the process definition.

    Each time a user fails to complete a task that has the retry option enabled (value greater than 0) they will receive an email notification informing them that they have just been given an additional chance to complete it.

    Escalate to

    If there is a reason to inform other people in the organization about the non-completion of a task, use the “Escalate to” option.

    In this item, for each activity (except the first one), you can specify the user or users who will receive an e-mail notification each time, informing who, in which activity, in which process and in which organization did not complete the task on time.

    Timecops (that’s what we call them) can only be people belonging to the organization, both with “inside” and “outside” status.

    Note: in special situations the timecop may not have the permissions to access the contents of a task, such as when they have not participated in the task or have not been CC’ed and they do not have administrative rights.

    If a retry is provided for the activity, the timecop will receive a notification each time the deadline of a given cycle expires.

    Ending the process at a given activity

    You can allow a certain process to be completed before all the activities provided have been completed. This will be the action that the user who performs the activity can select as an alternative to forwarding the task.

    To allow such a possibility, at a given activity select Yes in the section “The process can be ended at this activity”

    process can be ended

    You can do this at one or more different activities in the process.

    Default performer in the process

    If a given activity is to be performed by a specific user by default, you can select them from the list:

    default user

    Notes:

    Only users from inside a given Organization will be on the list, but if they have not accepted joining it yet, selecting them will not be possible.

    In the course of the process, the person performing the task will be able to consciously change the addressee or indicate multiple addressees for the next activity.

    If it is easier to build an activity on the basis of an existing one, use the functionality called Duplicate Action.

    This feature is used to duplicate an entire activity in a process.

    It can come in handy when the next activities in the process have similar fields, e.g. there are many Approvals.

    activity copy

    The duplicate activity will appear last, but by using the Reorder feature (mentioned above) you can place it anywhere in the process.

    Of course, each of the resulting activities can then be edited to give them separate characteristics.

    Note:

    We recommend that you think about using the same field names in the next activities of the process, because in the case of fields with the same names in the report (more about reports: click) in the summary sheet, only the last, final value is presented. If your goal is to present each of these fields separately, call them different names, e.g.:

    – in the HR activity: HR Approval (instead of Approval)

    – on the activity Legal Department: Legal Approval (instead of Approval)

    – at the Management Board activity: Management Board approval (instead of Approval)

    You can change the order of activities in the process using the drag and drop method available in the menu on the right side of the screen

    change activity order

    V. Select highlighted fields

    Specify from 1 to 3 variables (“Highlighted fields” option) that are worth showing on the tab of a given process instance

    hihglighted fields

    Hint: for vacation requests, this can be, for example: name, last name and date range, and for invoices: name, tax ID and net amount. These fields will be visible on the task tab without going into its details.

    Note: when the form with the selected highlighted variables is sent to multiple people to be completed, the values filled in by them will not be displayed on the tab of the instance.

     

    VI. Publishing

    When you finish creating the last activity, select Publish

    publish

    from now on, it will appear on the list of processes in a given organization and will be available for use.

    Each process can also be Saved as a file

    You can save your work to a file at any time by creating or editing a process.

    To do this, select Close in the menu on the right and then Save as file.

    save as file

    Save the file to a location of your choice on the disk.

    This file can be used when creating a new process.

    In this case, in the builder/creator, in the first activity, select the option I have a process file.

    Do not worry – you can edit a process multiple times (read more about editing an existing process here), refining it endlessly, even when users start using it.

  • Editing an existing process definition

    Any previously created process definition can be edited. Thanks to this, it can be supplemented or improved.

    Note: this operation does not delete its previous history – all processed documents or cases will be preserved. The tasks in progress will be completed according to the previous activities. All new ones will follow the new rules.

    The following instruction is also used to build a new process based on an existing template (your own or a template provided by Dew-X) and applies to methods 2. Use a template and 3. I have a file a the process mentioned in step I: here

    To edit a process, select it from the menu on the left (remember to check what Organization you are in – the same process names may be used in your different organizations),

    then select the gear and edit at the bottom right of the screen

     

    Optionally, from here you can also change only its name and icon, save it as a file or delete it entirely.

    Note: deleting a process will also delete all its history, including documents, descriptions, approvals etc.

     

    You can switch between the activities by clicking on their names at the top of the screen

    Creator 1

     

    Add, remove, and change the order in which the fields and plugins, appear on the form

    change order

     

    Move fields and plugins between activities

    Select the pencil icon on the toolbar of a given plugin or field and indicate to which activity it should be moved

    extension data

    The moved field will disappear from the given activity and will appear at the end of the list on the selected one.

     

    Number of reties

    If, when creating or editing a process definition, we allow for the possibility of extending the time to complete a given activity, we can use the “Redo” functionality. You can find it below the “Deadline (hours)” function.

    The default value is “0”. This means that a task that is not completed before the deadline according to the definition, will go back to the previous one or end at the given activity.

    Value of “1” is one additional chance; “2” is two, that is, including the base time, three cycles, etc.

    Note: when sending a task the user can change the execution time set in the definition once. This change will only affect the first cycle. If retries have been set, they will last as long as it was assumed for this activity in the process definition.

    Each time a user fails to complete a task that has the retry option enabled (value greater than 0) they will receive an email notification informing them that they have just been given an additional chance to complete it.

     

    Escalate to

    If there is a reason to inform other people in the organization about the non-completion of a task, use the “Escalate to” option.

    In this item, for each activity (except the first one), you can specify the user or users who will receive an e-mail notification each time, informing who, in which activity, in which process and in which organization did not complete the task on time.

    Timecops (that’s what we call them) can only be people belonging to the organization, both with “inside” and “outside” status.

    Note: in special situations the timecop may not have the permissions to access the contents of a task, such as when they have not participated in the task or have not been CC’ed and they do not have administrative rights.

    If a retry is provided for the activity, the timecop will receive a notification each time the deadline of a given cycle expires.

     

    Decide how the process should behave when the task is not completed at a given activity

    change activity data

     

    Enable or disable the ability to end the process at a given activity

    You can allow a situation where the process can be completed before all the activities provided have been completed. This will be the action that the user who performs the activity will be able to choose as an alternative to forwarding the task.

    To allow such a possibility, at a given activity select Yes in the section “The process can be ended at this activity”

    process can be ended

    You can do this at one or more different activities in the process.

     

    Specify or change the default user in the process

    If a given activity is to be performed by a specific user by default, you can select them from the list:

    default user

    Notes:

    Only users from inside a given Organization will be on the list, but if they have not accepted joining it yet, selecting them will not be possible.

    In the course of the process, the person performing the task will be able to consciously change the addressee or indicate multiple addressees for the next activity.

     

    Changing the order of the activities

    change activity order

     

    Changing the highlighted fields

    hihglighted fields

     

    Deleting unnecessary activities

     

    Delete activity

     

    Adding new activities

    Copy steps: “Duplicate activities”

    This function is used to duplicate an entire activity in the process.

    It can come in handy when the next activities in the process have similar fields, e.g. there are many Approvals.

    activity copy

    The duplicate activity will appear last, but by using the Reorder feature (mentioned above) you can place it anywhere in the process.

    Of course, each resulting activity can then be edited to give it separate characteristics.

    Note:

    We recommend that you think about using the same field names in the next activities of the process, because in the case of fields with the same names in the report (more about reports: click) in the summary sheet, only the last, final value is presented. If your goal is to present each of these fields separately, call them different names, e.g .:

    – in the HR activity: HR Approval (instead of Acceptance)

    – on the activity Legal Department: Legal Acceptance (instead of Acceptance)

    – at the Management Board activity: Management Board approval (instead of Approval)

     

    Saving a process as a file

    You can save your work to a file at any time by creating or editing a process.

    To do this, select Close in the menu on the right and then Save as file.

    save as file

    Save the file to a location of your choice on the disk.

    This file can be used when creating a new process.

    In this case, in the builder/creator, in the first activity, select the option I have a process file.

    publish

    Note: This option is only available in the last activity; if the added activity is to be one of the previous ones – add it and then move it using the Change order function

     

    After editing – Publish the new version

    Publish process

     

  • Plugins, Extensions

    At Dew-X, plugins/extensions are form components that provide additional functionality.

    Plugins/extensions are used when creating or editing forms while creating new processes  lub editing existing ones.

    We add them by defining the name and selecting one of the available ones

    Creator 1

     

    Some, such as the Section description, require filling in the content

    Add extension description

    Thanks to this plugin/extensions, you can add any text to the form, e.g. information or instructions for the user.

    Another, such as the Central Statistical Office, only requires specifying whether it will be required to fill in its fields on the form or not.

    This plugin looks like this when added to the form:

    GUS extension

    and allows you to automatically download company data from the Central Statistical Office after providing the NIP number and enter them into the form.

    Note: sometimes the database of the Central Statistical Office does not contain complete information, e.g. the BP fuel company does not have the tax identification number provided and it is impossible to find it using this parameter.

    There are also other plugins available:

    • Selection list – allows you to add a field containing a list defined in this plugin, from which the user, when completing the form, will make a selection
    • Separator – allows you to add an additional break in the form between fields or plugs in the form of invisible or various types of lines
    • User data – the plugin will automatically fill in the name, surname and e-mail address of the person filling out the form
    • Table – by defining the names of subsequent columns and the type of data to be placed in them, the plugin will allow you to build a table. A sample table may contain, for example, columns: product name, net amount, VAT amount, gross amount and will allow the user to add and fill any number of rows containing these amounts. Columns containing “amount” fields will be automatically summed up. Note: on printouts from the system, data from tables are presented in lines. (amounts / costs)
    • Data sheets – you may use a previously prepared data sheets template that can be filled out or presented at various activity of the process.  You can read more about this plugin here
    • Dictionary – a more extensive version of the Selection list. Thanks to it, you can put fields with a defined list of values and labels on forms. This can be, for example, a list of cars, employees, customers, suppliers, locations, projects, cost centers, case types, etc. You can read more about this plugin here
    • Link with label – allows you to add link label that will appear on the card
    • Namespaces – allows you to add connection with one or many namespaces. You can read more about creating and editing Namespaces here: click
    • Button – it allows you to add button that triggers external action. Specify the alignment (left, center, right), the text to be displayed and the URL
    • VAT and gross – calculate VAT and gross based on net and VAT rate
    • Math operation – perform simple math operation. The following functions are available: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division

     

  • Dictionaries

    Dictionaries are a special type of plugin that allows you to put fields with a defined list of values and labels on forms.

    This can be, for example, a list of cars, employees, customers, suppliers, locations, projects, cost centers, case types, etc.

    It seems to be quite similar to another plugin – Selection list.

    However, there are at least a few situations where Dictionaries will be a better choice than a simple selection list. For example, when:

    • the list changes quite often
    • the same list is used in several different processes
    • in addition to the value, the list items should also have a description

    Preparation of the dictionary

    The Dictionaries module can be found after selecting the Administration icon in the main menu:

     

    The new Dictionaries we create using the Add button

    Then we name it:

    Add dictionary

    Dictionaries list

    From here we can:

    • rename each dictionary
    • disable / enable its visibility
    • edit its contents

    Note: Dictionaries cannot be deleted. If you no longer need the dictionary, you have two options – change it (rename and change its contents) or disable its visibility.

    Import from file

    This is the fastest way to create or edit a dictionary, especially when the dictionary contains multiple entries. Preparing an MS Excel file is quite simple. However, there are a few important rules to keep in mind:

    • the system always retrieves data from the first sheet, regardless of its name (even if it’s called Sheet2 and Sheet1 is the second one)
    • the system skips the first line, treating it as a header (use it like this and don’t put your data there)
    • the system will always treat the data from the first column as values, and the second column as labels
    • after importing the dictionary, you will be able to edit it, including adding new lines and deleting unnecessary lines

    Xlsx example

    Other remarks:

    • the “Value” field must not be repeated, it must be unique in a given dictionary
    • the “Value” field must have a value for each row
    • the “Label” field for a given line can be left blank

    Import dictionary values

    Dictionary values list

    Using a dictionary during editing a process

    Dictionaries are one of the plugins (more about plugins).

    Add extension

    Name the dictionary field, for example: “Select a car from the list” and select a dictionary from the list of available dictionaries.

    Select dictionary

    If you are not sure if you have used the correct dictionary – check it on the form preview (menu on the right).

    Form preview

    Publish a version of the process.

    Whenever you change this dictionary in the future, the new values and descriptions (labels) will appear wherever it is used.

  • Table and Data sheets (previous name: Global Table)

    Table and Data sheets are plugins available in Dew-X.

    An example table can be built so that it contains columns with fields: product name, net amount, VAT amount, gross amount, and columns with other plugins, such as Selection List or Dictionary. A template created this way will allow the user involved in the process to add and fill in any number of rows containing this data.

    Columns containing “amount” fields will be automatically summed.

    Note: on printouts from the system, data from tables are presented in rows.

    A standard table can be built directly in the process builder when creating or editing a process definition.

    Another special type of tables are Data sheets.

    They allow you to create templates of many different sheets, which can then be used repeatedly both in a given process and in various other processes.

    A great advantage of this type of sheets is their “wandering” nature – adding the same sheet on the next activities of a given process allows different participants of the process to fill in the same sheet.

    Furthermore, a given table can also be added at a specific activity in a non-editable form to present the data collected in the course of the process.

    Preparing a Data sheets template

    The Data sheets module can be found by selecting the Administration icon on the main menu:

    We create new Data sheet using the Add button.

    We prepare the Data sheet template in a builder similar to the process definition builder.

    A data sheets template created this way will be automatically enriched with the data of the table-filling user (first name and last name) and the date of the last modification after it is placed in a given process.

    Note: once created, the Data sheet template cannot be deleted. It will also not be possible to change its name. If you have made a mistake or do not want a particular template to continue to be used, simply turn off its visibility.

    Use of the data sheets when editing a process

    Data sheets are one of the plugins.

    When editing a activity in a process:

    1. Select the Data sheet plugin
    2. Specify whether it should be editable or not for a given activity (note below)
    3. Select a data sheet template from the list (of course, it must be prepared in the Administration module beforehand)

    Notes:

    1. When adding a Data sheets to a activity in a process, specify whether it is to be editable at the activity or not. If you choose non-editable, the user will not be able to fill it in on a given activity, but will see what has been entered into it on other activities.
    2. Data sheets will not be visible in the History tab. A Data sheet can and usually does have data collected on many different activities – it would be confusing to put them in the history on earlier activities as well. You will always find this data in the Data tab.
  • Process templates

    In order to speed up and facilitate the creation of new processes definitions in your organizations, we have prepared several ready-made templates.

    In the new processes definition builder, more here select path 2. Use template

    Use template

    Then select one of the templates

    Templates list

    On the left, you will find templates prepared by the Dew-X team, and on the right, those that will be created automatically based on your processes, including those created by modifying Dew-X templates and uploaded from a file.

    The templates prepared by the Dew-X team will be successively supplemented.

    At the moment these are

    • Approval of a contract
    • Satisfaction research
    • Office of incoming letters
    • Messages
    • Flow of cost invoices
    • Ideas
    • Vacation on request
    • Occasional holidays
    • Annual leave
    • Advance
    • Demand
    • Error report

    Each of them includes a short description.

    It is very likely that the template we have prepared will require modification to suit your organization perfectly.

    After selecting a given process as a template, you can edit it (more about editing an existing process: click ).

  • Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

    Optical character recognition or optical character reader (OCR) is the electronic or mechanical conversion of images of typed, handwritten or printed text into machine-encoded text, whether from a scanned document, a photo of a document, a scene-photo (for example the text on signs and billboards in a landscape photo) or from subtitle text superimposed on an image

    Source: Wikipedia

    Some document flow processes are initiated by the appearance of a document.

    Classic examples of such processes are: the office of incoming letters and the flow of invoices, but the document may (but does not have to) also begin with complaints, vacation requests or the flow/processing of contracts.

    In this case, when creating a process definition in the Dew-X process definition builder, select the “The process starts with adding a file” option.

    You can read more about creating processes here

    When running this type of process, the user will be asked to add a file each time.

    If it is a PDF or one of the supported image files, the image of that document will be displayed in the form window on the left

    OCR in form

    Some of the files attached in this way already have a text layer hidden under the image of the document, e.g. invoices generated to PDF directly by the invoicing program.

    By selecting a text fragment with the cursor, you can copy it, as it is done e.g. in the content of e-mails or MS Word files.

    Some, however, will be only images.

    In such a case (and only if you need it) press the icon:

    OCR icon

    Then wait for the content to be read.

    After a while, you will be able to copy text fragments directly from the document

    OCR example

    and paste it into the form fields.

    In the above example, copying the tax identification number and pasting it into the CSO plug-in field will allow you to download the invoice issuer’s data and automatically fill in the form fields such as name, address, zip code and city.

    Of course, you can copy a lot more, even the content of the attached contract.

    Note: Image files subjected to the OCR process will be converted to PDF format.

  • Completing tasks - starting a process

    A previously prepared process (more about creating processes: here) can be started by any member of a given Organization.

    We enter a specific process through the menu on the left

    We will be taken to its view

    Pressing “+ Click to start” will open the form of the first activity of the process, for example:

    First form

    After filling it in, select “Send”

    Send form

    In this window, we can change the scheduled time for the next activity, add comments and indicate the person (or people) to whom we want to send the task.

    If we have administrative rights (more about roles and rights: click) in a given Organization, we can also invite new members who are not on the list from this level by clicking on the person icon on the right

    Add user 1

    Important: Specify whether the user is to be inside or outside your organization

    Outside or inside organization

    More about the users here: click

    Each task can be send to one or more people.

    If you send to multiple people, the following window will appear:

    By selecting “No,” the task will proceed (to the next activity) immediately after being completed by any of the designated persons.

    If “Yes” is chosen, the task will wait until all designated persons provide their input, but only until the predetermined time for that task has elapsed.

    After the time has elapsed:

    • If at least one of the designated persons has provided their input, the task will proceed. In such a case, the next activity performer will see the following message:

    • If no one has provided their input, according to the decision specified in the process definition, the task will return to the previous activity or the process instance will be terminated.

    After sending, you will find this task in the process view in the In progress or Completed section, depending on whether your activity was or was not the last one.

    More information about task states in process you will find here

  • Completing tasks - new task in a process

    If someone has sent you a task to be performed in a given process in a given Organization, you will find it in the My Board view

    They are undertaken by clicking on the arrow in the lower right corner on the task card.

    Tasks also go to the view of a given process. The tab may then look like this:

    The form of our activity will be displayed, e.g. this:

    Acceptance form

    We can view the data collected in the previous activities by switching between forms or by using the “Data” button

    This moving preview will in many cases make it easier for us to complete the current form.

    After filling it out, select “Send”.

    Note: if it is possible to end the process at a given activity (although there are further activities), then instead of “Send”, “Next” will appear with two options:

    Next options

    By selecting “Send”, a window will appear:

    Send form

    In this window, we can change the scheduled time for the next activity, add comments and indicate the person (or many people) to whom we want to send the task.

    Note: The “Send to” field may be filled in with the so-called default performer of the next activity. However, you can still change the recipient.

    If we have administrative rights (more about roles and rights: click ) in a given Organization, we can also invite new members who are not on the list from this level by clicking on the person icon on the right

    Add user 1

    Important: Specify whether you want the user to be inside or outside your organization

    Outside or inside organization

    More about the users here: click

    Remember that until you send it, you can always roll back the task to any previous activity

    Return activity

    Each task can be send to one or more people.

    If you send to multiple people, the following window will appear:

    By selecting “No,” the task will proceed (to the next activity) immediately after being completed by any of the designated persons.

    If “Yes” is chosen, the task will wait until all designated persons provide their input, but only until the predetermined time for that task has elapsed.

    After the time has elapsed:

    • If at least one of the designated persons has provided their input, the task will proceed. In such a case, the next activity performer will see the following message:

    • If no one has provided their input, according to the decision specified in the process definition, the task will return to the previous activity or the process instance will be terminated.

    After sending, you will find this task in the process view in the In progress or Completed section, depending on whether your activity was or was not the last one.

    More information about task states in process you will find here

  • Completing tasks – last activity in a process

    If your activity is the last activity in the process, the procedure is the same as New task in process, but instead of the Send or Next button in the lower right corner, the Finish button appears

    Return end button

    Until it is archived (completed), you can go back to any previous activity

    Return activity

    Select Finish – this process flow will be completed and archived, and the tab with access to the history of operations will be placed (for all participants) in the Completed section.

     

  • Task statuses in a process

    From the point of view of a given user, each task takes one of three statuses:

    1. To do
      There are tasks that I have created myself, but have not sent them yet, and those that someone assigned me to perform
    2. In progress
      These are the tasks that have been with me and have been transferred to other people as well as those that were added to my information (CC) but have not yet been completed
    3. Completed
      An archive type where all tasks that were in the “To do” section or that were added to my information (CC) and whose process has already been completed go to

    In the view of a given process in a given Organization, the main screen is divided into the above three sections.

  • CC (Carbon Copy)

    There is sometimes a need for a user who is not involved in the flow of a given case to have the opportunity to familiarize himself with it. That’s what the CC functionality is for.

    It can be either a person who will not participate in this instance of the process at all, or a person who will be added to it in later stage.

    When completing the form in the process, you have an additional button available:

    By clicking on it, the following window will open:

    Here you can add any number of users to CC list.

    Note: users from outside of the organization can only add people from within the organization, however, if an insider adds someone from outside the organization, they will also reveal that person to all users outside the organization who view the list of previously added people.

    Added users will receive email notifications.

    If they do not participate in the flow of this document or case, they will not be able to perform any actions in it, but they will be able to familiarize themselves with what has been done so far. They will find it In Progress or Completed in given process.

    If any CC’d persons have already been added to a given process instance, then when opening the CC window, we will see them in the list:

    Nothing prevents you from sending them a notification again.

    The list of people who have been added CC’d can also be viewed in the CC tab visible after entering the details of a given instance:

    It contains information about when, who and with whom a given task has been shared.

    Note: The CC tab is only visible to users with the status Inside the Organization.

    You can read more about possible user statuses here: click

  • Namespaces - creating and editing

    Namespaces are entities that bind data, processes and documents, but do not have workflow mechanisms of their own. Namespaces are intended to allow the creation of entities such as clients, projects, as well as working time records or a register of incoming letters. They allow you to create objects with similar features to workflow forms, but managed and presented differently.

    You can read more about Namespaces here

    In the menu, select the Namespace icon and then + Build Namespace

    You can use a file with a previously saved Namespace template or use the wizard.

    You must select an icon, specify a name and a 3-5 character prefix.

    In the next step, we determine who will have access to a given Space.

    Note: Users with the Owner and Admin role have full access regardless of settings.

    In the next step, we build the form in a similar way for forms occurring in processes.

    We have Fields and some Plugins available.

    Finish editing with the Publish button

    If you need to edit the definition in the future, use the gear button (in the desktop version in the lower right corner of the screen).

    Note: In Namespaces you can only edit the labels and required / not required status of previously created fields and plugins. If a field or plugin requires more editing, e.g. changing the type, dictionary, selection list, etc. turn off its visibility and add another one according to current requirements.

  • Namespaces - adding and editing records

    We add records in a Namespace directly from the tabular view of a given Namespace using the + Add button

    A new record is created by filling out a form whose template was prepared when editing a given Namespace.

    Note: User can:
    – complete the form: the record will be saved with the values
    – exit the form: the record will be created, but will not have any fields filled in
    – delete a record: it will not be listed in the given Namespace

    In Namespaces, in each case the next number after the prefix will be assigned (and therefore blocked).

    To enter the details of a given item, use the arrow at the beginning of each row of the table view. From this level we can also edit a given line and view additional information such as:

    •      history
    •      comments
    •      used in instances
    •      used in other namespaces
    •      visibility (available to the creator, Owner and Admins)
  • File archive

    The archive, the document management module, allows the files to be stored, described and used by authorized persons.

    It is most often used to manage contracts, e.g. with customers, suppliers or employees, invoices, protocols, HR documents, call recordings, technical documentation, etc.

    Any documents can be stored in the Archive, but the size of a single file cannot exceed 50 MB.

    Archive functionalities are described in four chapters of the manual:

    1. Creating directories / folders
    2. Modification of catalogs directories /folders
    3. Adding and describing documents
    4. Using the Archive
  • Archive - creating directories / folders

    You can create multiple directories / folders by specifying different permissions and forms for each of them.

    While in a given Organization, select the File archive icon from the main menu on the left side of the screen.

    Then click on the “Create folder” tab

     

    Select the icon that distinguishes the given directory (note: do not look for a substantive relationship – the icons are only used to quickly distinguish folders) and name the directory, e.g. Agreements. Both the name and the icon can be changed later.

     

    In the next activity, you can define the permissions of individual people to a given folder and its files.

    Add users belonging to a given Organization and decide if they can add, edit and delete files and folders.

    Note: Owner and Administrators have full permissions by default – you don’t need to add them to this list.

     

    The last activity is to build a form to describe individual files in a given folder. Building it carefully will be very useful in the future use of the Archive.

    You can choose from many predefined field types, such as text, number, amount, selection: yes / no, date, date range, link, and e-mail.

     

    You can preview the appearance of the form and modify it in this view at any time

    File archive preview form

    When you finish building the form, all you need to do is select the highlighted fields, i.e. 1-3, which will be displayed on the tabs of individual documents.

    File archive highlighted fields

    Finish creating with the Publish button

     

  • Archive - modification of directories / folders

    An authorized person can modify previously created directories / folders in the Archive, even if documents have already been added there.

    You can get to editing in two ways:

    • from the main Archive view by selecting the appropriate icon on the directory / folder tab

    • from the view of a given directory / folder by selecting the gear wheel in the lower right corner of the screen

    File archive settings

    and make appropriate changes.

    If the changes are to apply to the file description form – select Edit

     

    Note: The previous form fields cannot be deleted as they may already have been filled in.

    However, we have two editing options:

    – changing the field label (changing its name) and its due date – the field type will remain the same,

    – disabling the visibility of a given field.

    Show field

    Disabling the visibility of a field previously indicated as highlighted will result in the need to update these fields.

    Finish editing with the Publish button

     

  • Archive - adding and describing documents

    Select one of the previously created directories / folders

    e.g. Contracts

     

    We add files in two ways:


    1. By clicking the “Click to add or drop a new file” tile

    2. By the Drag & Drop method, that is by dragging one or more files into the Archive workspace.

    Note: the second method, depending on the number and size of files, may take longer

    Documents will appear in a given directory and will be displayed together with those added earlier.

    The files described from the undescribed differ in the color of the bars on the card – the ones that are described are white (or gray for the dark mode) and may have filled highlighted fields, the values of which will appear on the cards.

     

    By default, cards are given file names, e.g. Agreement No. 3.pdf, but in the process of adding attributes, the names displayed may be changed.

    Entering individual tabs, we add descriptions of subsequent documents, filling in the form that we previously defined. For some files, such as PDF, their image will be displayed in the window on the left. In this case, you will have the option to copy the content (if the file has a text layer) or use OCR to get this layer. More about OCRclick.

     

    File descriptions can be changed multiple times – just select the details (three dots on the tab)

     

  • Archive – using

    Being in a given Organization, select the File archive icon from the main menu.

    If we have the appropriate permissions, all directories / folders of a given Organization to which we have access will appear on the main screen.

     

    Note: The “+ Create folder” tile may not be visible if we do not have permission to create directories / folders.

    After entering the appropriate folder, all documents will be displayed,

    which can then be searched by the phrase (magnifying glass in the lower right corner), filtered (described / not described / all).

    You can read about advanced search here: click

    By clicking on the three dots in the lower right corner of the tab, we will go to the details of a given document, including the view if it is available for a given file format.

    If a given user is authorized to modify the description or delete the file, he will be able to do it in this view. If not, he will only be able to read the document and download it.

     

  • Identifier

    Each process instance (e.g. another invoice processed in the System or a document added to the File Archive) receives its individual Identifier.

    It is a string of characters, for example: 61e53217632678c254defd24

    It has several functions, of which the following may be important for the User:

    • making searching easier – enter it in the browser window (you can read more about searching here: click)
    • it can be given to another user
    • it can be indicated by reporting a bug or asking a question
    • along with the name of the process will appear in the name of the PDF file after printing the data with or without history, e.g. annual leave_61e53217632678c254defd24.pdf

     

  • Search engine

    The search engine is available in the system menu on the left or at the bottom of the screen in the mobile version.

    Remember to check if you are in the correct Organization, because the search engine only searches the data of the currently selected Organization.

    Wyszukiwanie Obieg dokumentów i spraw Dew-X

    After selecting it, a window will appear:

    It is a universal tool and allows you to search in Processes, Archives and Namespaces.

    Note: documents that were added in the process (both initiating process instances and added as attachments during them) are not available in the File Archive and therefore will not be included in the search results.

    Searching in Processes

    Select Process from the list – it is the only mandatory field.

    All the others can be left blank. These are:

    • Type – you can choose All, only Ongoing or only Completed Instances
    • Start Dates – select the range
    • End dates – select the range
    • Identifier – if you are looking for a specific instance and you know its number, enter it in this field (you can read more about the identifier here: click)
    • Phrase – enter any phrase, the system will search the database for it.
    • User – search for instances in which the indicated person participated in the flow or which were added CC
    • Currently at User – search for instances of processes that are currently at the given person

    Note: Ongoing processes = Mine (To do) + In progress

    If there are process instances meeting the criteria in the System for a given Organization, the following view will be displayed:

    Search result

    Click on the three dots on the selected tab for details.

    If there is no data meeting the criteria in the System for a given Organization, the following view will be displayed:

    No results view

    Note: if the search engine is used by the owner (Owner), administrator (Admin) or searcher (Seach) of a given Organization, the search results will also include process instances in which they were not involved.

    Therefore, this functionality can also be used to remove instances of processes that have been carried out incorrectly, and they cannot be undone because they have already been completed or the user with whom they are located is no longer a member of the given Organization. These rights are held by the owner (Owner) and the administrator (Admin).

    You can read more about roles and permissions here: click

    Searching in the Archive

    Search in: Select File Archive

    Search in file archive 1

    Then from the Folder selection list – it is the only mandatory field.

    All the others can be left blank. These are:

    • Type – you can choose All, only Described or only Not described Instances
    • Start Dates – Select the range
    • Identifier – if you are looking for a specific instance and you know its number, enter it in this field (you can read more about the identifier here: click)
    • Phrase – enter any phrase, the system will search the database for it.

    If there are documents that meet the criteria in the Archive for a given Organization, the following view will be displayed:

    Result in file archive

    Searching in Namespaces

    After selecting a specific Namespace in the search engine, you will be taken to its tabular view,

    which allows both sorting and filtering. We enter a specific space by pressing the arrow on the left side of each row.

  • Reports

    The ability to report is an important functionality of workflow systems.

    Reporting does not affect the process itself, but it makes its analysis much easier. First of all, it allows you to extract the data that is collected in the course of a flow.

    In Dew-X, reports are available from the level of a given process, through the icon at the bottom right of the screen (desktop version)

    If you are the Owner or Admin, you see an additional icon

    Generate a report

    or the menu in the bottom right corner for the mobile version

    Report in mobile

    Generating a report is possible for two types / states (In progress and Completed):

    Generate report

    1. Instances In progress
      This type of report will allow you to find out, for example, how many cases are still pending and to extract key information from them, e.g. the value of invoices, the nature of notifications, etc. It is therefore useful, for example, for ad hoc audits. This type of report does not include data from forms that were created (they are in the first activity of the process) but have not been sent. This is a deliberate procedure because the first activity (until it is sent) is often treated by users as a draft.
      When creating this report, the range of start dates of the process instance is given.
    2. Completed Instances
      These reports will contain the data collected during the process in their final version.
      When creating this report, the range of process instance end dates is provided.

    Generate report form

    We have decided that the reports will be delivered as MS Excel files. Thanks to this, immediately after their generation, you will be able to perform further operations such as summing, filtering, sorting, creating pivot tables, charts, etc., etc.

    The xlsx file contains multiple sheets. The first is ~ Instance data, i.e. information about each successive process instance in the given date range, where each instance is a separate row. Subsequent sheets correspond to the activities of the process and if a given activity was performed by several people, the number of rows for a given instance is equal to the number of these people. If there were tables with data in the forms, they are represented in subsequent sheets of the workbook.

    Report xlsx

    Notes:

    • Owner and Admin will generate a report containing all instances, including those in which they did not participate.
    • If the process was modified and there were many versions in the given date range, the reports will include data columns from all versions, and its number will be presented in one of the columns.
    • If the name of an activity in a process or table is too long (more than 31 characters), it is impossible to include it completely in the sheet name. Therefore, longer names will be shortened. If, as a result of shortening, the names will duplicate, we will add the character ~ and a number to the next ones.
    • We recommend that you think about using the same field names in the next activities in the process, because only the last, final value is shown for fields with the same name in the summary sheet report. If your goal is to present each of these fields separately, call them different names, e.g .:
      – in the HR activity: HR Approval (instead of Approval)
      – on the activity Legal Department: Legal Approval (instead of Approval)
      – at the Management Board activity: Board approval (instead of Approval)

     

  • Mobile application

    From the very beginning we were guided by the idea of “mobile first”.

    We decided on Progressive Web App (PWA).

    How do I install Dew-X on my phone or other device?

    Android

    1. Open https://workflow.dew-x.com/ in your phone or tablet browser
    2. Log in to your account or if you don’t have one yet, register
    3. Find the installer icon – down arrow at the bottom of the screen (last menu item)

    The Dew-X icon will appear on your screen and from now on you will be able to launch the Dew-X mobile app in this way.

    If your device supports biometric authentication, you can enable it for this application as well.

    iOS

    1. Open the website https://workflow.dew-x.com/ in Safari
    2. Log in to your account or register if you don’t have one yet
    3. From the main screen, tap the Share button:

    Dew-X tap Share button

    When the sharing features appear, swipe the list until you see the ” Add to Home Screen” option.

    Dew X Add to Home Screen

    After selecting this option, the system will ask you what you want to name the shortcut. Once you click Add, the system will save a shortcut to Dew-X and make it a mobile app.

    Add Dew X to Home Screen

    Note: If you want to receive notifications from Dew-X on your iPhone, make sure you have the appropriate iOS version (>= 16.4). Only from this version does the iPhone support notification management in Safari again.

  • Authorization tokens

    Authorization tokens will be useful to more knowledgeable users and consultants helping with complex Dew-X implementations.

    Thanks to them, you can execute actions in Dew-X from external systems.

    You can generate them in the user menu:

    My token form

    My token

    If this topic is black magic, do not worry, because this functionality does not negatively affect the standard use of Dew-X 🙂

    If, however, you would like to learn more about it – write to us.

  • Webhooks

    Webhooks will be useful to more knowledgeable users and consultants helping with complex Dew-X implementations.

    They allow actions initiated with Dew-X to be invoked on external systems.

    You will find places to place them when creating or editing a process, at each of its activities, in the side panel on the right:

     

    If this topic is black magic, do not worry, because this functionality does not negatively affect the standard use of Dew-X 🙂

    If, however, you would like to learn more about it – write to us.

     

  • API

    API stands for application programming interface. It is an application programming interface through which programs can communicate with each other.

    Using API it is possible to perform complex integrations, e.g. with financial and accounting systems, mobile applications or CRMs.

    Dew-X API documentation can be found here: click

    API

    Simple integrations can be done thanks to authorization tokens and Webhooks.