Workflow configuration window

The workflow configurator allows you to combine and concatenate multiple activities like backup, transcode, or upload into a workflow, which then can be executed in one run on a resource like a camera magazine, or other media files. This procedure gives you more overview in the “Job & Volumes” view as the jobs of multiple activities are grouped by the workflow that started it. Additionally, this allows Silverstack to focus on optimizing the execution of the job’s tasks, e.g., by beginning the transcode of a clip as soon as the offload task for that clip finished – while other clips of the same card are still being offloaded.

The following article describes the workflow configurator in detail, including information about activities, post steps, and errors. Supplementary articles cover the topics configuring a workflow, workflow activities and post steps.

If you run any activity, you are automatically redirected to the workflow configurator. There are different ways to access the feature:

By clicking one of the toolbar buttons like Offload in the top left corner
Via the menu, e.g., File > Backup…
Via the context menu of a library item: Right-Click > Backup…
Drag & drop a folder onto Silverstack’s user interface

Within the workflow configurator, all activities can be selected to be part of a workflow. Specifically these are:

Register in Library
Resource Selection
Backup
Verify
Transcode
Upload
Checksum Creation

The activities of a workflow always work on clips from the Silverstack library. If the clips are not yet known to Silverstack (for example, when offloading a camera card), the workflow’s activities are preceded by a “Register in Library”. In case the clips have multiple file resources, you need to define on which path or volume the workflow should look for files to work with. In that case, the workflow’s activities are preceded by a “Resource Selection” step.

Activities can also contain post steps which are executed after the associated activity finished. The following post steps are applicable:

Report Step

1. The workflow configuration window#

The user interface is divided into two areas. The activity outline on the left contains individual activities while the activity configuration on the right contains the associated settings for the selected activity on the left. The concatenation of input/output or source/destination is the main concept of a workflow configuration. An activity’s output is used as input for the next activity. In case an activity has multiple outputs (e.g., multiple backup destinations within one backup activity), you can choose which output from the previous activity should be used in the next activity. The indentation of the activity outline reflects this relation between activities. By default, the workflow configurator always loads your last configured workflow. But you can also save and recall workflows as preset (see the preset dropdown menu in the top right corner of the workflow configurator).

1.1 Activity outline#

Shows all activities of a workflow. Every workflow needs to have a source on which to perform the individual activities on (e.g., a camera magazine). A workflow’s source is either defined by an activity called “Register in Library” (the files are not yet registered in the library) or a “Resource Selection” activity (the files are already registered in the library). One of the two types is always the first activity of a workflow since it allows you to select a workflow’s input.

Add activity dropdown menu
Adds an activity to the outline. The selected activity defines the hierarchy level of the added activity. You can also do this via the context menu of an individual activity by Right-Click.

Indentation
Indicates the source relation (input/output) between the activities. Indented activities take the output of the previous, less indented activity as their source.

1.2 Activity configuration#

Contains the configuration of the selected activity. An activity’s configuration differs between the various activity types but also shares elements like source, error, destinations or post steps that are the same for all activities.

< > Buttons
Navigates between the activities of the activity outline.

Preset dropdown menu
Allows to save a workflow as preset, load an existing preset or reset the preset to default values.

Source dropdown menu
Sets the source for the activity. A selection is only possible when the previous activity has multiple outputs (e.g., a transcode activity).

1.2.1 Error, warning and info messages#

Every activity may display an error, warning or info message at the top of an activity’s configuration:

Errors do not allow you to start a workflow. They are highlighted with a round warning sign and red text.
Warnings allow you to continue but may result in an unexpected output. They are highlighted with a triangle warning sign and yellow text.
Info messages allow you to continue. They are highlighted with an info sign and blue text.

Details button
Shows details about the associated message.

Quick fix button
Offers a solution to an error, warning, or info.

Configuration#

Add destination button
Adds a destination to the activity. You can disable or delete destinations with the UI elements on the right. The path and wildcard concept of Silverstack is explained in path wildcards.

Individual configuration
Please view workflow activities to learn more about the configuration for each individual activity.

Post steps#

The activity outline indicates if an activity contains a post step by showing the post step name underneath the individual activity. Learn more about the individual post steps.

Add post step dropdown menu
Adds a post step to the activity (e.g., a report step). You can delete a post step by clicking the X icon on the right.

Bottom bar#

Error summary button
Shows a summary of errors that are present in the current workflow. Click the button to navigate to the first error in the workflow.

Cancel button
Closes the workflow configurator.

Start workflow button
Starts the workflow. The button is greyed out if there is an unsolved error in one of the activities.