The simpleWorkflow extension is a set of Yii components that is dedicated to provide an easy way to manage the life cycle of CActiveRecord objects inside a workflow. It provides features to control the behavior of the active record in its associated workflow : transition tasks, status constraints, event model.
Note that the simpleWorklfow extension, following Yii 1.1 life cycle, has also reached end of life. Please consider using yii2-workflow extension with Yii 2.x
- Yii 1.1.4 or above
- Extract the released files under
protected/extensions. - add the SWPhpWorkflowSource component to your configuration
'components'=>array(
// adding the simple Workflow source component
'swSource'=> array(
'class'=>'application.extensions.simpleWorkflow.SWPhpWorkflowSource',
), ...- add simpleWorkflow extension base folder to your imports
'import'=>array(
...
'application.extensions.simpleWorkflow.*', // Import simpleWorkflow extension
), Once installed and correctly configured, the simpleWorkflow extension will handle the workflow for any model.
To enable simpleWorkflow for a given model, you must attach the SWActiveRecordBehavior behavior to this model.
class MyModel extends CActiveRecord {
public function behaviors()
{
return array(
'swBehavior' => array(
'class' => 'application.extensions.simpleWorkflow.SWActiveRecordBehavior'
)
);
}
}The model can then be inserted into a workflow, and evolve among statuses inside this workflow. For instance, the code below insert an existing record into a workflow, or if already done, displays its current status :
$m=MyModel::model()->findByPk('1');
if( $m->swHasStatus() ){
echo 'status : '.$m->swGetStatus()->toString();
}else {
$m->swInsertToWorkflow();
$m->save();
}For more information on how to use the simpleWorkflow extension, please refer to the full documentation
Creating a workflow 'by hand' can become an error-prone task when several nodes and edges are required. One good option is to create the workflow using a visual tools, and after some searches it seems that one of the best application to do it is yEd Graph Editor. Of course, it is free to use !
Want to know more ? Read how to use the GII command to create your workflow...