User Tasks

A user task is a unit of work that must be carried out by a user. A user task comprises of one or more Dalet Flex console screens (or a wizard), through which a user interacts with Dalet Flex to get work done. A user task is a workflow-based concept and user tasks are always carried out as part of a workflow.

Examples of user tasks are:

  • Enter Metadata: Entering metadata to describe an asset
  • Approve Content: Watching a preview of some content and commenting and approving it.

New task instances are created when a workflow instance moves to a user task node.

What is a Task Definition?

To really understand user task orchestration in Dalet Flex, it’s important to understand the difference between a task definition and a task instance.

A task definition defines the type of task and the work to be carried out by a user. Task definitions are used to create user task nodes in workflow definitions.

There are some fundamental rules that apply to all valid task definitions:

  • Task definitions must reference a wizard.
  • A task definition is a type of Dalet Flex object which can be created and edited.
  • It is not always necessary to carry out workflow tasks through interacting with wizards in the Dalet Flex console. It is also possible to create separate user interface components and interact directly with the Dalet Flex task API from other systems.

What is a Task Instance?

A task instance represents a single instance of a task definition. A task instance is created when a workflow instance reaches a user task node. Once the task instance has been created and assigned, it can be accessed from the My Tasks section of the Dalet Flex console. Once the task Instance has been completed, the workflow instance that created the new task instance is notified and the workflow instances moves to the next node.

Think of a task definition as a list of instructions for doing a specific task and information about who should follow these instructions. Although this task definition defines the instructions for carrying out a specific task, it isn’t a task itself. A single task definition with a list of instructions can be used to carry out lots of instances of work against lots of individual assets. Each individual unit of work as an “instance” and the list of instructions to follow as the “definition”. In summary, a task definition defines what must be done and who must do it. A task instance is a single instance of these instructions which must be carried out by a single user.

What is the difference between User Task Types and Wizards?

A user task is a workflow concept that links together a user and a wizard that comprises of pages. Hence a task type is synonymous with a wizard. Both refer to an ordered sequence of pages, through which you interact with Dalet Flex in order to carry out work. Dalet Flex’s task definition and wizard framework is very extensible so that developers can create their own task types and wizards with their own associated pages.

Below we have listed some of the task types that Dalet Flex provides “out of the box”.

  • Approve Metadata: Review the metadata associated with an asset and update and approve the metadata.
  • Select Keyframes: Select and amend the data for keyframes that are associated with an asset.
  • Preview: Watch the proxy for an asset in Dalet Flex and add comments.
  • Add Metadata: Enter metadata for an asset in Dalet Flex.

It’s important to understand the difference between a user task and a wizard. A user task references a wizard and must be carried out as part of a workflow. A wizard is a user interface component that offers a sequence of pages or screens that must be worked on in a specific order. A wizard does not have to be carried out as part of a workflow and can be run in “stand-alone” mode.

Task Definition Object Properties

Property Support Explanation
Scope Account The scoping of this object
Visibility Whether the object supports visibility
Plugins Supports plugins
Extended Config. cross Whether the object has an extended configuration tab
Scripting Whether the object can be configured using scripting
Enable / Disable Whether the object can be enabled and disabled
Start / Stop Whether the object can be started and stopped
Copy Whether the object can be copied
Export / Import Whether the object can be exported and imported
Delete Whether the object can be deleted
Unique Name Whether the object name must be unique within its scope
Variants Whether the object supports variants

Creating a User Task Definition

  1. On the toolbar, click New and select Task Definition from the drop down menu.
  2. In the Create new Task Definition section, fill in the relevant details such as name, visibility, wizard, assignment, and so on.
  3. Click Save to finalise.
  4. Click Enable.