Configuring e-mail import in SoftExpert Workflow
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Prerequisite
- Access to the SoftExpert Workflow > Configuration > E-mail import (WF015) menu.
Introduction
SoftExpert Suite allows for configuring the capture of e-mails sent to a certain account, with their respective attachments, and starting workflows from them.
See how to configure an e-mail import:
Configuring an e-mail import
1. Access the SoftExpert Workflow > Configuration > E-mail import (WF015) menu.
2. Click on the 
button.
3. Enter an ID # and a name for the scheduling.
4. Follow the steps from the video below to configure the information:
Although there are some differences, e-mail import configurations are similar to the configurations of the other scheduling records in the system. In the video below, you will learn how to configure a scheduling; the steps shown in it can be replicated in the General tab and in the Notified user tab for the creation of an e-mail import from the SoftExpert Workflow > Configuration > E-mail import (WF015) menu.
Frequency and recurrence configurations
General
Frequency: select how often the scheduling will be executed.
- No recurrence: the scheduling will be executed only once, that is, it will not repeat.
-
Hour(s)/Minute(s): the scheduling will be executed at intervals of hours or minutes. Enter the desired interval in the every _ hh:mm field. For example: every 01:15, every 00:30, every 03:00, etc.
It is not possible to select a period shorter than 15 minutes for the scheduling.
- Daily: the scheduling will be executed at intervals of days. Enter the desired interval in the every _ day(s), field. For example: every 2 days, every 5 days, etc.
- Weekly: the scheduling will be executed on specific days of the week. In the Week days field, check the days on which the scheduling must be executed. For example: every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- Monthly: the scheduling will be executed in certain months of the year. In the Months field, check the desired months in which the scheduling must be executed. For example: March, June, September, and November.
End of recurrence: select how the scheduling execution will end.
- No end date: the scheduling execution recurrence will have no defined end.
- Ends after: the scheduling execution ends after a certain number of occurrences. In the Occurrences field, enter the limit number of occurrences for the scheduling execution.
- Ends on: the scheduling execution ends on a certain date. In the Date field, select the day, month, and year when the scheduling execution will end.
If the Delete after finishing scheduling option is not checked, the scheduling record will not be deleted after its execution ends and will be shown on the list of records.
5. In the Configuration tab, fill in the following fields:
E-mail server
-
Protocol: select the protocol to be used by the server.
The IMAP protocol is the most recommended one, as it allows for keeping the messages in the server, only marking them as read.
The POP3 protocol is an old protocol that, by default, deletes the message once it is read.
SoftExpert Suite does not support the use of oAuth 2.0 authentication (mandatory for Microsoft and Google e-mail accounts) with the POP3 protocol.
- Server address: enter the address of the server.
- Port: enter the port of the server.
- User/Password (visible with basic authentication): enter the user and the password of the account whose e-mails will be captured. Use the Test connection button to check the connection to the server.
- Client ID: enter the identification code of the application in the e-mail server in which oAuth 2.0 authentication is configured.
- Secret ID: enter the value of the credential for access to the e-mail account mailbox. This value can only be seen in the server portal during the creation of the credential.
- User: enter the e-mail account that will be monitored (the domain must be included).
- Access Token: enter the authorization code used to authenticate the e-mail account. To generate it, click on the Generate a new token button to open a Microsoft or Google login window. This token is valid for a limited time and can only be used once.
- Deactivate MIME content partial fetch: check this option to not use the resource that partially fetches e-mail content of the MIME type.
When configuring oAuth 2.0 in the Microsoft or Google portal, it will be necessary to insert the URL that will receive the Access Token value. This URL must be: “https://{SUITE_CONTEXT}/se/workflow/gn_scheduling/inbox_processor/oauth_token.php”
"SUITE_CONTEXT" must be replaced with the address of the server in which SoftExpert Suite is.
For example: "sesuite.softexpert.com"
Using the same inbox configuration data (Server and User) in more than one active scheduling will not be allowed. It will only be possible to reuse the data of an inactive scheduling.
Rules
Configure the operations that will be executed by the e-mail import scheduling.
a) In the Rules section, click on the side toolbar button.
b) On the screen that will open, enter a name for the rule.
The Sequence field will be automatically filled in with the order in which the rule was created; however, when other rules are already configured, this sequence can be changed.
The sequence defines the order in which the rules will be processed. If there are two or more rules, the second rule will only be processed if the first rule fails, the third rule will only be processed if the second rule fails, and so on. That is, when a rule that has the e-mail acceptance conditions is found, the system will execute it and ignore all subsequent rules.
The processing of the rules will only be finished once a rule does not fail (and is executed), or until there are no other rules to be processed.
A recommendation is that more complex rules, such as executing an activity, or rules with very specific conditions should be the first rules to be processed (lower sequential value), while rules that are easier to pass should be the last ones in the sequence.
c) In the General tab, fill in the following fields:
Execution type
Select which operation will be performed with the rule:
- Instantiate process: select this option so that the rule starts the object configured in this scheduling.
-
Add history: select this option so that the rule includes a record in the history of the object configured in this scheduling.
For the acceptance of the rules configured with this action, the e-mail message subject must have the instance ID # wrapped in the "<<" and ">>" characters. For example: Ticket <<000011>> approval as agreed. -
Execute activity: select this option so that the rule executes an action referring to an activity of the object configured in this scheduling. Then, select the activity to be executed in the Execution activity field and select, in the Action to be executed field, which action will be executed in the activity.
For the acceptance of the rules configured with this action, the e-mail message subject must have the instance ID # wrapped in the "<<" and ">>" characters. For example: Ticket <<000011>> approval as agreed.
Process/Workflow type
This section will be enabled if the Instantiate process option is selected in the Execution type field:
- Process: select the process that will be started by the rule.
- Workflow type: select the workflow type that will be started by the rule.
- Default starter: select the user that will be considered the instance starter.
- Define the sender as Starter if they are a registered user: check this option for the sender of the imported message to be the process starter, if there is a user registered with the same e-mail address as the sender. If there are no users, or the sender does not have permission to instantiate the process, the default starter will be defined as the process starter.
- Attribute to store the sender: select the process attribute that will store the e-mail of the message sender.
Execution
This section will be enabled if the Execute activity option is selected in the Execution type field:
- Execution activity: select the object activity that will be executed.
- Action to be executed: select the action for executing the object activity.
Validate if the sender is a user with execution permission
This option will only be enabled if the Execute activity option is selected in the Execution type field.
Check this option so that the activity is only executed if the e-mail sender is responsible for its execution. That is, the system will check, through the sender's e-mail address, if they are the activity executor.
Use conditions for rule execution
Check this option so that this rule is executed only when one of the following situations is valid:
- Execute rule only if all conditions are valid: the rule will be executed only if all other rules are valid.
- Execute rule when any condition is valid: the rule will be executed when at least one of the other rules is valid.
d) If the Use conditions for rule execution option has been selected, the Conditions tab will be enabled.
Click on the button to add a condition. On the screen that will open, fill in the following fields:
- Sequence: this field will be filled in automatically by the system with the order of the condition being created; however, if there are other condition records, this value can be changed.
- Source: define the source of the condition to be tested: Sender, Addressees, Subject, Message content, Sending date, Priority, or Contains attachment.
- Operator: select the operator that will be used to test the condition: Equal to, Different from, Contains, Does not contain, Is within, Is not within, Is empty, or Is not empty. This field will be disabled if the Contains attachment option has been selected for the source.
- Fixed value: enter the value that will be used by the operator at the source. This field will be disabled if the Contains attachment option has been selected for the source, or if the Is empty or Is not empty option has been selected for the operator.
Save the condition data so that it is included in the rule.
e) Save the rule data.
6. Click on the 
button.
For e-mail import schedulings configured in SoftExpert Workflow, when the record is saved for the first time, the Inbox tab will be displayed. It will show the e-mails captured by the scheduling.
The e-mails will be copied to the system, with a view to better performance and greater coverage as to e-mail import monitoring.
This tab also displays the status of the e-mail capture and other information, which will be described below, facilitating the reading and monitoring of the import:
- It allows for viewing the validations of the rules applied individually in each message inside the scheduling inbox.
- It displays the validated conditions containing the parameters configured in the rule and the corresponding value verified in the message.
- It displays an error message when the instance ID # is not found in the subject, for rules referring to activity execution and history insertion.
- It intuitively shows a warning in the scheduling history and in the e-mail message validation, for processes configured incorrectly.
- It allows for manually reprocessing messages that were rejected or that had errors in the import.
Conclusion
The execution follows the recurrence frequency configured in the General tab.
Upon saving the record for the first time, the system will verify the account and capture the e-mails, in accordance with the configurations that have been set. Click here and learn how to test the e-mail capture resource.