MachShip provides users with the ability to map up well structured internal files, or specialised carrier invoice templates to import, in order to reconcile carrier invoice charges or create consignments. These customised mappings are known as Workflow Tasks.

A Workflow in MachShip is a way to allow you to define a set of workflow tasks (or steps) which MachShip will run through in order to take the custom file and convert it into something which is readable and usable. This will give clients another form of integration, enabling automated consignment and order generation, should they be unable to integrate via the API. 

How to navigate to create a Workflow

To navigate to Workflow select Admin and Other Options.

Then select Workflow.

From this page, you can create a new workflow by clicking on the Create Workflow button at the top of the screen.

Alternatively, you can access this link.

Create a Workflow screen

In order to generate a workflow, you will need to enter the following fields:

• Name
• Abbreviation
• Company 
• Description - This is a free text field and it has no bearing on the workflow itself. It is set so you may write your own description if required.
• Inheritable - Should you wish to allow your child companies to be able to access and assign these workflows, set this flag to be Yes.
  

• Workflow Task Type.

The workflow task type can be either:

1. Consignment Importer 
2. Invoice Importer
   

It is important to select the correct Workflow Task Type as once selected, this is set, and you will be unable to change it. It will appear as below:

• Workflow Steps

The workflow steps are the set workflow tasks which have been created. You assign the tasks in the order in which you would like MachShip to run them. You add workflows steps by selecting the Add Workflow Step option. 

1. Consignment Importer 

If you are looking to create a Consignment Importer workflow type, You will need to select the consignment importer and assign the steps. 

As an example of how workflow steps are used to work together to generate a consignment I have the following scenario:

I need to import into MachShip a csv file which is produced out of my Warehouse Management System (WMS). This file has one line for each shipping item my team has picked and packed. This CSV file also generates multiple lines for multi-item consignments requiring the use of a Grouper method to consolidate similarly detailed items together to create a consignment.  

Note - To understand the above in more detail simply refer to the article on how to create workflow task from delimited file link.

In order to ensure that MachShip creates one consignment for each of these files, it is necessary to first map up what each column in the csv would refer to (in the example below this is referred to as Example File Map). Then I would create a Grouper workflow task which would stitch the consignment together (In the example below this is referred to as Example Grouper). 

Note - You can refer to this link on how to create a Grouper Workflow Task.

To complete my workflow I assign step 1 as the Example File Map and step 2 as the Example Grouper. This would run as:

I. MachShip understands what each of the fields in the file maps to.

II. MachShip groups together the common fields.

The consignment is then created. 

Depending on the complexity of the import file, you can specify more than one step. Each workflow step will represent a Workflow Task which needs to exist in MachShip. It means you have to make sure you already define the workflow task.

2. Invoice Importer 

Creating an Invoice importer workflow is similar to creating the consignment import. You will select Invoice importer as the workflow type and set the workflow task created as step 1. 

You also have the option to link the workflow to a carrier. If you will not link it to a carrier, the workflow will be available to all carrier once you import a carrier invoice.

Once all the steps have been populated, please click on Create Workflow button and the workflow will be created.