Please provide a detailed setup tutorial of a fairly complicated real-world workflow example

I would really appreciate something like that as well. It appears that this module is quite capable, but I'm having difficulty getting it to do what I need since I can't find any clear instructions that spell out what must be done. In particular, I'm trying to create an approval workflow for a webform that is assigned to a manager based on the value of a field in the webform. I've been unable to figure out how to use the webform field as a variable for my workflow or find any instructions that address this. Detailed tutorials would be very helpful. Thank you!

While there are countless real-world scenarios to automate, we do ship Maestro with the Form Approval Flow example workflow. That is the basis for a form approval and gated workflow.

To pull a value out of a webform into a variable, please look at the function declaration for "maestro_webform_spv_fetch_submission_value" in the Maestro Webform's maestro_webform.module file.

That function exists to be used in the Set Process Variable task to set a process variable with a webform value.

Here's an example of the Set Process Variable task's variable value when you choose the "By Function" option:

maestro_webform_spv_fetch_submission_value:submission,insurance_quote_type

That will execute the function to look into your submission with the unique identifier of "submission" and will attempt to pull out the value of the field with machine name "insurance_quote_type". This is how we do our initial value setting in our Maestro Insurance Demo.

You should also refer to the documentation that we have created as both the Webform task types and the Set Process Variable task type are explained with examples:

https://www.drupal.org/docs/8/modules/maestro/webform-type-task

https://www.drupal.org/docs/8/modules/maestro/set-process-variable-task

Have you checked out the http://www.maestroinsurance.ca/ demo site we have and the resources under the Why Us link.

It would be helpful if you noted what resources and documentation you have already reviewed and then ask specific questions then we can provide better answers.

Thank you both for the replies. Unfortunately I am still unsure what I need to do to setup my workflows. I agree that there are countless real world scenarios to automate, and it would likely be impossible to create detailed instructions for all of them, but my use case is usually pretty consistent and something along the lines of this:

1. A user submits a webform on which they have selected their unit from a select list.
2. Based on the unit selected, the appropriate manager is notified by email that there is a submission that needs their review.
3. Manager approves, denies, or requests additional information. If additional information is needed the submitter is notified by email.

This module is likely more capable than I really need in order to achieve this, but I was left looking for a new solution since Webform Workflow doesn't have a Drupal 8 release yet. I would love to learn how to use this module, but I have looked at the documentation linked in post #4 prior to my post in #2 as well as watched every video I could find on YouTube. I checked out the information in the "Why Us" link as suggested, and the second video gives an overview of a very elaborate workflow, but doesn't really get into any detail or show the settings of most of the tasks. A detailed video or explanation of a simple workflow that shows how to pull variable data from webform submissions and take an action such as notifying the appropriate manager would be a huge help for me. In the meantime I will continue trying to make this work with the information provided. Thank you both again for your assistance.

I agree with fishfree. I've still been trying to make sense of this module, but am not really any closer to achieving my desired results. This 8 year old video is probably the best resource I've found so far:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8Cg5iBTCC4&t=190s

A similar but more current video that includes setup of set process variable tasks and how you use them to extract webform data would be very helpful.

I agree with fishfree and TrinityDan. An updated, detailed video like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8Cg5iBTCC4&t=190s would be great. I have tried using the maestro_webform_spv_fetch_submission_value function in an SPV Task to get the user ID field value to send a notification. The Maestro process starts from a form submission using the Spawn Maestro Workflow handler. At this point I cannot get it to work.

Thanks again for your interest in maestro. Please have a look at this new video to better explain how to use the Set Process Variable task type and webform.

Let me know if that helps and if you have any other questions.

- blaine

Seems the tutorial video has helped in conjunction with the rest of the blogs and videos.

Re-open if something needs clarification.

I can't speak for others, but I'm not much closer to having a functional workflow. I've reached out to Nextide about the possibility of purchasing training and submitted a request to my employer to pay for the training, but if the intention is for site builders to be able to follow the tutorials available and create workflows, I think the tutorials still need work. Something like the video I linked in #7, that actually shows the process of creating a workflow from start to finish would probably be a huge help. Ideally this would include using the set process variable task to set a variable based on webform values, as well as how you can use that variable once it is set.

Hi TrinityDan,

I wondered how you got on with your request to NextTide?

I feel that I cannot even really get started with what is clearly an immensely powerful module but I am keen to do so because I (think) that this module is the solution to many a form / workflow requirement that I have.

I have enable the 'Maestro Form Approval Flow Example' and I kinda get what's going on but would really appreciate a step-by-step workshop explaining exactly how it all works. I've been good for a long time with workflow tools such as Rules and the more recently, Business Rules modules but I only manage to get started with the former via a step-by-step tutorial.

Any advice and pointers gratefully received.

Thank you

Hi SirClickALot,

Sadly this has been on the back burner since I last commented. I gave up on figuring out the module without a more thorough tutorial or training. I had requested my employer pay for the training and didn't receive a flat out no, but was also not approved. I mentioned it again about a month ago and a couple weeks later I was told my request was approved. I just haven't had the time to follow up and see if the training was still available and at the same price we had previously discussed. COVID has changed how we do business and the ability to create advanced workflows with Maestro will be all the more valuable. I'm also very busy and pulled in multiple directions right now though so finding the time to do this training and develop some work flows may be a bit of a challenge until the COVID surge calms down in our part of the world. Hopefully at some point in the near future I will be able to complete training and actually become versed in using Maestro. My apologies that I'm not yet in a position to offer any guidance. Take care and stay safe.

Dan

Hi everyone,

We've got quite a few resources available for people new to Maestro.

I'll list them here to help people understand how to use Maestro to build workflows. There are so many use cases out there that it's difficult to create one that goes beyond the basics of what's shipped with the Maestro module. This is why we created the Maestro Insurance website (links below) so users can understand what Maestro does and how it can be adapted to your business processes.

1. From a Maestro module core level, we ship the module with the Form Approval flow. Although basic, the Form Approval Flow provides the simplest use case that many environments use for basic routing and approvals. The Form Approval Flow can be used as a base and expanded to suit a more complex approval flow.

2. Maestro documentation. The documentation is quite extensive. The Initial Discovery section takes you through the setup and familiarization of the Maestro module's workings.

3. Maestro Insurance. We created a complete demo site that shows how Maestro can be used to create more complex flows. You can view the demo video here. We also have videos on our Youtube channel on the breakdown of the insurance demo here. Please view these videos as it does show how to edit a template, editing options and how we put the flow together.

4. We have tutorials on our Youtube page for the setup and testing of the Maestro workflow engine -- the orchestrator found here.

5. We have a tutorial on how to use the Set Process Variable task type here.

6. We have 4 blog posts on our site detailing various areas of Maestro on D8 (and D9), how to set up Maestro and how to configure various tasks. They are in order 1, 2, 3, 4.

7. The community at large has some videos out on what has been done with Maestro. One of the better how-to videos by a community member is by @maestrojed. Here's a direct link to his presentation.

8. Check out the landing page of the Maestro project for links to Nextide for consulting and support.

Hi there, it's been great to see a module as adaptable as maestro, but I would like to see a section explaining how to add those comment back to user buttons as seen in the insurance demo.

A demo site is good, but a backend source version of it could really help people see exactly what has been altered to give them a better idea of how they can adapt it or add to it for their own system build requirements.

For example the approval process is good, but what if i wanted to embed a threaded comment element from drupal 9 into the form before approval?

Many thanks for the great work
Happy Holidays

7. The community at large has some videos out on what has been done with Maestro. One of the better how-to videos by a community member is by @maestrojed. Here's a direct link to his presentation.

This is fantastic. Thank you @_randy for this great link.
After years of trying to master Maestro there is a needed walk through that many as @trinitydan and @sirclickalot had been waiting.

With this great video of @Jed Herzog you can

• Understand how to create a process (moderation workflow to publish article) with Maestro
• Understand how to start a process and making it easy w/ creating a sophisticated menu item // a great suggestion for the smooth use of Maestro
• Create a module to extend the process w/ an handler to assign to a specific editor
• Create a new Task !

As Jed Herzog says "sky is the limit".