Share Workflows

Workflows are saved to your ArcGIS account. As the workflow's author, you alone have access to the workflow initially. Sharing a workflow gives others access to the workflow.

The way you share a workflow depends on the level of access you want to give:

A quick way to share a workflow with another workflow author in your organization is to provide the other author with the URL to Workflow Designer appended with a parameter that points to the workflow. This opens Workflow Designer and the workflow. For example:

https://apps.vertigisstudio.com/workflow/designer/#workflow=4979f7d88b444308bd2fcc0eeb31dfe2

See also...

Share a Workflow with an Author Outside your Organization

Share Workflows with End Users

To run a workflow, users must have access to both the workflow and an application that hosts the workflow. In some Web AppBuilder in Portal for ArcGIS scenarios, end users also need access to the widget.

Follow the instructions for the type of host application you use:

Share Workflows Hosted by a VertiGIS Studio Application

To share a workflow that is hosted by a VertiGIS Studio application, share the ArcGIS workflow item.

Consider creating ArcGIS groups especially to manage access to your workflows.

Sharing Guidelines for VertiGIS Studio Applications

Follow these guidelines for sharing a workflow hosted by a VertiGIS Studio application:

Share Workflows Hosted by a Web AppBuilder in Portal for ArcGIS App

To share a workflow that is hosted by a Web AppBuilder in Portal for ArcGIS app, share the ArcGIS workflow item. In some cases, you may also need to share the widget item. These scenarios are described in the Sharing Guidelines.

Consider creating ArcGIS groups especially to manage access to your workflows.

Sharing Guidelines for Web AppBuilder in Portal for ArcGIS

Follow these guidelines for sharing a workflow hosted in a Web AppBuilder in Portal for ArcGIS app:

Share Workflows Hosted by a Web AppBuilder (Developer Edition) App

To share a workflow that is hosted by a Web AppBuilder (Developer Edition) app, share the ArcGIS workflow item. You do not need to share the widget item.

Consider creating ArcGIS groups especially to manage access to your workflows.

Sharing Guidelines for Web AppBuilder (Developer Edition) Apps

To secure a Web AppBuilder (Developer Edition) app, deploy the app to your website and use the website's security to manage access to the app.

Follow these guidelines for sharing a workflow hosted by a Web AppBuilder (Developer Edition) app:

Share an ArcGIS Workflow Item with End Users

To share an ArcGIS workflow item with end users:

  1. In ArcGIS, click Content and open the workflow item that you want to share.

    If the workflow is open in Workflow Designer, you can open the workflow item in ArcGIS by clicking the View link in the Info panel.

  2. Click Share.

    Location of Share button

  3. Indicate who you want to share the workflow with and click OK.

    The workflow will now be visible to the members of the groups or organization that you shared the workflow item with.

    If you share a workflow item with a group that does not allow its members to update the group's items, the members can open and save a copy of the workflow, but they cannot modify the original workflow. For instructions on allowing workflow modifications, see Share Workflows with Authors.

Share Workflows with Authors

Within an organization, there is usually more than one person who can maintain the organization's collateral, like workflows. To allow authors in your organization to share workflows, create an ArcGIS group with Access and Update Capabilities. Sharing a workflow with this group allows group members to modify all aspects of a shared workflow—the workflow itself, description, tags, and metadata.

In ArcGIS, groups with Access and Update Capabilities are closed to users outside the organization in which the group was created. To share a workflow with someone outside your organization, export the workflow and send the exported file.

Administrators of your ArcGIS organization are allowed to modify everything.

Main Steps to Share Workflows Within your Organization

  1. Create an ArcGIS group with Access and Update Capabilities.

  2. Share the workflow item with the group.

  3. If you use on-premises Workflow, share the Workflow Designer item with the group. Use the same method as to share a workflow item with end users.

    This allows authors to run Workflow Designer.

  4. If you use Web AppBuilder in Portal for ArcGIS to host workflows, share the widget items. Use the same method as to share a workflow item with end users.

    This allows authors to configure their Web AppBuilder apps to run workflows.

Create a Group with Access and Update Capabilities

To create a group in ArcGIS, click Groups and then click Create a Group

Follow these guidelines when creating a group for sharing among authors:

Share an ArcGIS Workflow Item with Authors

To share a workflow item with authors:

  1. Open your Content page in ArcGIS.

  2. Click the icon that shows the item's Shared status—, or —to open the drop-down menu. Select the workflow item and click Share.

    Location of Shared status in the list of ArcGIS items

  3. Select Access and update capabilities.

    The Share Access and Update Capabilities dialog box opens. This dialog box allows you to share the item with groups that have Access and Update Capabilities.

  4. Select the group and click OK.

    The workflow is added to the group's Content. Any member of the group can modify the workflows listed in the group's Content.

    Shared workflow in the Modify Workflows group

For more information on creating groups, refer to the Esri documentation for the version of ArcGIS you use.

Open Shared Workflows in Workflow Designer

Just as you can share your workflows with other workflow authors, other workflow authors can share their workflows with you. VertiGIS Studio Workflow Designer's File menu's Open option has a Shared With Me filter that lists the workflows that are authored by someone in your organization and shared with everyone, the entire organization, or a group that you belong to.

To open a shared workflow in Workflow Designer:

  1. In Workflow Designer, click File in the sidebar.

  2. Click Open.

  3. In the Filter by drop-down list, select Shared With Me.

    A list of workflows that are shared with you displays.

  4. Select the shared workflow that you want to open.

    If you know the workflow's title or part of the title, you can search for the workflow.

  5. Click Open.

  6. If you are allowed to modify the workflow, the workflow opens in Workflow Designer.

    If you are not allowed to modify the workflow, you are asked whether you want to open a copy of the workflow. If you open a copy, you can modify the copy and save it to your ArcGIS account.

    Prompt to open a copy of a shared workflow

Share Workflows by URL

An easy way to share a workflow with another workflow author in your organization is to send the workflow's URL. The other author can then use the File menu's Open by URL option to open the workflow in Workflow Designer, provided the author has the necessary access.

To share a workflow using its URL:

  1. Use one of the following methods to copy the workflow's URL:

    • Open the workflow in Workflow Designer, click Info in the sidebar and click the Copy to clipboard icon.

    • Open the workflow item in ArcGIS and copy its URL from the address bar.

    The URL must be fully qualified and use the HTTPS protocol.

  2. Send the URL by whatever means you prefer, for example, by email.

To open the workflow in Workflow Designer, the recipient clicks File | Open by URL, copies the URL into the URL box, and clicks Open.

The recipient must have permission to access the item.