Document-based workflows

摘要

A workflow application allows users to store, manage, and perform tasks related to workflows comprised of ordered sets of documents. The application provides an interface for creating and managing a workflow. Each document added to the workflow is assigned to a particular position in the workflow. Via the interface, the user saves data defining the workflow. In this manner, the workflow may be shared or preserved for subsequent re-use. The application allows a user to perform various tasks with respect to the workflow. Via an interface control presented by the application, the user instigates such tasks. In response, the application causes the task to be performed for each document in the workflow in an order corresponding to the arrangement of the documents within the workflow. For example, the application may render and print each document in the workflow. Or, the application may generate a combined workflow report.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
receiving, in a graphical user interface area, first inputs specifying drag-and-drop operations with respect to icons representing documents, the drag-and-drop operations indicating that the documents are to be added to a workflow represented by the graphical user interface area; depicting the documents within the graphical user interface area in a particular order, wherein the particular order reflects dependencies between the documents, the particular order indicating at least that processing of a second document of the documents is dependent upon a first document output of a first document of the documents; processing the workflow to generate a first workflow output for the workflow, wherein processing the workflow comprises at least iteratively generating outputs for each of the documents, in accordance with the particular order, the outputs including the first document output and a second document output for the second document; wherein generating the first document output comprises executing instructions within the first document configured to cause deriving a data set from a data source external to the first document; wherein generating the second document output comprises executing instructions within the second document configured to cause generating one or more graphs based on the first document output; reprocessing the workflow to generate a second workflow output for the workflow, wherein the second workflow output differs from the first workflow output as a result of a change in the first document output; wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.