Understanding Task Attributes
When working with tasks, you will need to understand the following:
- which permissions are required to create, redirect, and delete tasks
- how to create and manage the task categories and types used to filter tasks
- how to use states to indicate the status of a content-associated task
Task Permissions
Members of the Administrators group have permission to perform all task activities. Alternatively, you can assign roles to give users specific task-related permissions:
- Create a task—Task-Create
- Redirect a task (that is, assign to another user)—Task-Redirect
- Delete a task—Task-Delete
Task Categories and Types
Tasks can be assigned a Task Category, then a Task Type. This gives users an additional way to filter their tasks.
Task Categories and Task Types have a hierarchical relationship: the Task Category is the parent, and the Task Type is the child. So, several types can be assigned to each category.
Some examples of Task Categories might be Engineering, Sales, Documentation, or Web Design. Examples of Task Types might be Edit Content, Update Documents, or Contact Customer.
NOTE: Only members of the Administrator User Group or users assigned the following roles can view, add, or edit task categories and types: Task-Create, Task-Delete, Task-Redirect. See Also: Defining Roles
You can create Task Categories and Task Types on these occasions.
- When adding a task. See Also: Creating Tasks
- When working in the View Categorization screen.
View Categorization Screen
Viewing Task Categories
NOTE: The View Categorization screen has a system-defined category (Form Submission Task) that can only be used with forms. You can change its name but cannot delete it. For more information, see Working with HTML Forms.
While in the View Categorization screen, you can collapse and expand Task Categories. To collapse a Task Category, click 
next to the Task Category name. To expand one, click 
next to the Task Category name.
The following example shows the View Categorization screen with one Task Category minimized.
Creating Task Categories and Task Types
From the View Categorization screen, you can create Task Categories and Task Types by clicking Add Task Type. The Add task Type screen appears.
From this screen, you can perform these tasks.
Adding a New Task Category and Task Type
To add new Task Category and Task Type:
- Click Add Task Type. The Add Task Type Screen appears.
- In the Task Category area, enable the Add Task Type to New Task Category radio button or click in the associated text field.
- Enter a new category name in the text field.
- Add a Task Type name in the Task Type field.
- Enter a Task Type Description.
- Choose a Task Type Availability. See Also: Hiding a Task Type
- Click Save Task Type. Your new Task Categories and Task Types appear on the View Categorization screen.
Adding a New Task Type to an Existing Task Category
To add a new Task Type to an existing Task Category:
- Click Add Task Type. The Add Task Type Screen appears.
- In the Task Category area, enable the Add Task Type to Existing Task Category radio button or click the drop-down box.
- Choose a category from the drop-down box.
- Add a Task Type name in the Task Type field.
- Enter a Task Type Description.
- Choose a Task Type Availability. See Also: Hiding a Task Type
- Click Save Task Type. Your new Task Categories and Task Types appear on the View Categorization screen.
Editing a Task Category
You can edit a Task Category's name. To edit a Task Category:
- Click the task category whose name you want to change.
- A text box screen appears next to the category name. Use it to change the name.
- Click Save Category (
) to save the new name or click Cancel (
) to discard the changes.
Hiding a Task Type
Task Types can be hidden from users by clicking the Not Available check box in the Add Task Type and Edit Task Type screens. By making a Task Type not available, you can suppress it without deleting it. You may want to do this if you are creating tasks for future use.
When you make a Task Type not available, you see the following warning: Are you sure you want to mark this task type Not Available?
After you make a Task Type not available, the assigned tasks’ Type and Category are changed to Not Specified.
Deleting Task Categories and Task Types
You can delete Task Types by Task Category or individually.
- Click the check box next to the Task Type
- Click Delete (
). A confirmation box appears. - Click OK.
To delete all Task Types, check the Delete all check box and then click Delete ().
The following example shows which check boxes on the screen are associated with All Task Types, Task Categories, and individual Task Types.
Task States
During the life of a task assigned to content, it normally progresses through a series of states. The state helps track a task’s progress from creation to completion and even removal from the database. When reviewing the history of a task, the state can be used to review which actions changed the task’s state by whom and when.
User-Assigned versus System-Assigned States
Some states can only be assigned by users while others are only assigned when an event occurs to the associated content. For example, when content is first submitted for approval, the associated task’s state changes to Not Started.
IMPORTANT: An administrator user can always change a task’s state to any other state.
The following graphic illustrates the sequence of user and system actions that change a task’s state.
Progression of Task States
- Not Started—Assigned when task is created. (User action)
- Active—The task’s content is checked out. (System action)
- Awaiting Data—The task is started but the assigned-to user is awaiting data from an external source. You can use comments to indicate the data required for task reactivation. (User action)
- On Hold—Task cannot be worked on at this time. (User action)
- Pending—The content is submitted for approval. (System action)
A task remains pending while its content is in the approval process. When the last person in the approval chain approves the content, the task’s state changes to Completed. If any approver declines the content, the task’s state changes to Reopened. If an editor edits the content and then checks it back in, the task’s state changes to Reopened. (System action)
- Reopened—Content is declined by an approver in the approval process. Also, if someone edits content whose task state is pending, the tasks’s state changes to Reopened. (System action)
- Completed—The last user in the approval chain approves the content and it is being published. (System action)
- Archived—After a task is completed, administrators can assign this state. It no longer appears on open task lists but is kept for reviews and reports. Only the administrator can view Archived tasks. (User action)
- Deleted—When an archived task is no longer needed for reporting or reviewing, administrators can assign this state. While in this state, the task remains in the database.
When you purge the task, it and all of its transactions are removed from the database. (User with delete permission can delete; only admin and user with Task-Delete role can purge.)