Using Guest Account for Tasking (Enabling Non-Portal Users to Interact with Flow)
Last Updated: 07/15/2016Introduced in Verision: 2.0
The Guest account is an optional user accout that can be used to get non-portal users, such as an outside vendor for example, to engage in a flow. The guest account user is enabled under System > Settings > Portal Settings, by checking the Enable Guest Account checkbox found under Portal Settings. Assigned forms can be one of the following 3 states:
Session
Assigned
Assigned to guest
If a form is assigned to the Guest account, no login form will come up when the assignee goes to process the task. Also, the task will not appear in any task list. Typically, an email containing a link is sent to the user to invite him/her to process a task. The process will know that the task is associated with the Guest account and rely on that account’s credential information automatically.
Example
In this example, a guest user is emailed a link to a flow for them to fill in a form to bid for a training project. Two flows will be built: one that contains the form, and one that serves as a “start” flow for the form that sends the email containing a link to the form.
First, we will build the flow containing the email. The flow will take in the assignment link URL string input data so it can provide that as a link in the email body.
Create a new flow named Send Form Link to Guest.
Click on the Start step for the flow. From the Properties panel, under Form Input Data, click on Add.
Enter AssignmentDataURL as the name, and select the data type String. Click OK to save.
Add a Send Email step to the flow. Connect the Start step to the Send Email step. Connect the Sent path out of the Send Email step to the End step.
Configure the From and To address information. In this example, the recipient address is a constant
Save and close the flow.
Next, create the flow that will contain the form. Name the flow Flow for Guest.
Add a form to the flow and configure it as desired. In our example, the form is configured to solicit a bid from a vendor to develop a training course.
Outside of the form Designer, under the Properties for the form, set Form Assignment > Assignment Type to AssignedToGuest.
Under a new Option Start that is available to us after assigning the form we can pick Flow To Run. This option is available for the External Form Step as well.
In the Show Flow To Run dropdown menu we are given two options: SharedFlow and Private.
With the SharedFlow selected we can receive and use some parameters from the flow that starts:
URL Parameter Name
Assignment ID Parameter
Step Tracking ID Parameter
Flow Tracking Parameter
Select Private from Show Flow To Run
As we can see, we are not available to get those parameters from Shared Mode in Private
Change Back to SharedFlow Mode…
Under Form Assignment > Start, set the Flow to Run value as the flow created to send the email, in this example, Send Form Link To Guest.
In the URL Paramter Name field, type the name of the input data created on the Start step for the process that sends the email. The name must be exact.
Connect the form to the End step. Save and close the flow.
Now, when the flow runs, the user email address specified in the flow that sends the email should receive an email with the link to the task. When the link is clicked, the portal loads and the form is presented without requiring Guest account log in.
