Collaboration & Workflows

Working with content workflows

Optimize your workflow: assign content items to team members, work together smoothly, and manage content easily with agile workflows, Kanban boards, commenting, and notifications.

Workflow-status

A workflow is a process by which your content item passes from initiation to content item. We’ll explore the power of workflows in Prepr with you.

To do

When you create a new content item, it is first set to status 'to do'. This means that you have yet to start work on this content item. 'To do' content items are typically items in which raw text has been entered and many missing fields. You can save content items with this status, even if required fields have not been entered.

In progress

The moment the content item is further compiled by you or your team, the status is 'in progress'. The content item is built and all fields are now filled with the correct content. You can save content items with this status, even if required fields have not been entered.

Review

The content item is almost finished and needs a final check, then you set the content item to 'review'. If someone else has to review your work, you can assign this content item to someone else (see: 'assignees' further below). You can save content items with this status, even if required fields have not been entered.

Done

The content item is finished and does not need any further adjustments. The content is ready to be published. You can only save content items with the status 'done' if all required fields have been entered.

Archived

Content items for which the archive time has expired are automatically given the 'archived' status. You can manually set a content item to 'archived' if it is no longer relevant to your content strategy. All engagement data of this content item remains available with this status.

Note: A status alone does not say anything whether a content item has been published. A content item is published if the status is 'done' and the publish time has expired.

Assignees

You can assign content items to a user and filter the content item list by assignee, making it easier to focus on the items you need to work on. To assign a content item, or change the assignee, choose 'assignee' in the content item sidebar. You can assign the content item to yourself as well as to one other user.

To get a clear overview of all content items that have been assigned to a specific user, you can filter the content item list by the assignee. Click on the user for whom you want to see all content items. Select 'Assigned to me' if you want to see all content items that you have to work on yourself.

Commenting

To make internal comments on a content item, you can use the comment section in the content item sidebar. You can notify other users by mentioning them in your comment. This can be useful when he needs to review your content item first. To send a notification, type @ and the first part of the name to mention your co-worker. Click 'Add comment' to add your note to the content item.

Kanban view

In the content item list, you find the option to switch to our Prepr kanban board. Here you can see which content items have been completed, what items are still in progress and which content items still have to be written.

Notifications

When you mentioned your co-worker, they will receive a Prepr email notification within a few minutes. The link in the email will lead you directly to the right content item and they will get the notification in Prepr at the top of their screen.

It is currently not possible to collaborate with several people in a content item (see our roadmap). When another Prepr user starts working in the same content item as you, this will be visible above the save button.

Automating content workflows

The automation tool allows you to let Prepr perform tasks for you fully automated. You can set up an automation by selecting a certain task and a certain trigger. This means you don't have to do work twice if you work routinely. This tool will optimize your content workflow in no time.

Use cases for automations

Here are a few common use cases for automations:

• Each new article in your Prepr production environment needs to be created (duplicated) in your Prepr development environment;

• A tweet or a notification must be created and published when someone added an article;

• A post needs to be assigned to the chief editor when the status of this post reached 'In review';

• A page should be deleted when it's expired.

Adding an automation

To create an automation, go to Settings > Automations and click Add automation. To add an automation, just click through the three-step wizard.

1. If

First you select the event that triggers the automation. Select the model to which the automation should apply and choose Created, Changed, or Published.

2. Where

You can now filter on properties and conditions. Properties are characteristics of the content item, such as status, locale, and the available model fields.

Available properties and conditions:

Property	Condition
Status	Select one of the available statuses: Done, review, in progress, to do, archived
Locale	All available locales in your Prepr environment Only visible when multiple locales are set in your environment
Text field	Leave empty when input is required. Enter a text field value when the value should match exactly
List field	Select one of the list items
Boolean field	Choose true or false condition
Number field	Leave empty when input is required Enter a number (integer or float) when the value should match exactly

3. Then

At last, determine what should happen when this trigger is started. Choose to create a new content item, update the content item or delete that content item.

Create a new content item

You need to specify the properties of the new content item:

• Select the model of the new content item to be created (required)
• Set the status (required)
• Link (optional, only visible when the original content item contains a content reference)
• Choose the assignee (optional, leave empty for unassigned)

In most cases, your different models also consist of different field names. After you have specified the properties, you can map the fields from the original content item with the fields in the new content item. You can only map fields with the same field type. So for example a text to a text field, an asset to asset, list to list, and boolean to boolean.

If you have user permissions to multiple Prepr environments, you can also choose to create a content item in a second Prepr environment. Please note that assets won't be added to that environment. You should add the asset in the duplicated content item manually.

Update content item

You can also choose the update the content item that triggers the automation. Use this automation, for example, to automatically assign a content item when the status is set to 'review'.

Delete content item

The third option is to delete the content item that triggers the automation. This can be useful if you want to delete a content item after it has expired.

4. Test your automation

It is now time to test your automation. There are two outcomes:

Test succeeded

In that case, you will see the following messages:

• Create succeeded: 'Go to content item'
• Update succeeded: 'Go to content item'
• Delete succeeded: 'Content item should have been deleted'

Test failed

You now see an overview on which properties or conditions the automation failed. You can adjust the rule via 'Edit' and run the test again.

Updating an existing automation

To change an automation, go to the detail page of that content workflow. Click on 'Edit' to change the If, Where, or Then. Save the changes and test your custom automation again.

Activating and deactivating automations

When you create an automation, the default status of this automation is 'inactive'. To activate the automation, you need to turn on the toggle 'Activate'. Save the automation, and the set content workflows will take effect immediately.

To temporarily or permanently unpublish an automation, turn off the toggle 'Activate' and save the automation. From that moment on, the automation is no longer called and therefore no longer takes effect.

Deleting automations

To delete an automation, click 'Delete' in the automation list view, or delete the automation on the automation detail page.

Commenting in content items

To make internal comments on a content item, you can use the comment section in the content item sidebar.

Mentions

You can notify other users by mentioning them in your comment. This can be useful, for example, when you need someone to review your content item before publishing. To send a notification, type @ and the first name to mention the person that you need.

Click 'Add comment' to add your note to the content item. Your co-worker will receive a notification in Prepr, at the top of the screen, as well as an email (within a few minutes) with a link to the right content item.