A task workflow is a step-by-step procedure that constitutes of workflow jobs performed by the vendors. A project manager decides which files uploaded as the input files for a given project should be addressed to which vendor and if the files should be edited by the vendors or not.

On the XTRF Platform, the files are grouped in packages called bundles. You can manage the files included in the bundles giving your vendors different rights to them depending on the project requirements. For example, you might want to send some additional description only to the translator, but the proofreader does not need it. Because of that, the XTRF Platform introduces statuses of bundles. There are three statuses of the bundles:

• Read/Write: The vendors can edit and modify the files in the bundle.

• Read Only: The vendors can only read the content of the files in the bundle.

• Not Assigned: The bundle is unavailable for the vendors. It gives a project manager an opportunity to adjust the flow of files through the workflow. For example, this status is especially useful when a project manager wants to distribute the files in a project only to the selected vendors but not to all of them. 

There are two main steps in the bundles' management process on the XTRF Platform:

1. Adding bundles to the workflow.

2. Distributing the created bundle correctly so that each vendor can get the files necessary to perform their jobs.

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In this section, you can find out how to set up bundles in the workflow definition so that the vendors, translator, and proofreader can access the files to perform their jobs and can get additional information in the reference files. 

I. Add the Bundles to the Workflow

First of all, you need to create the file packages. In other words, you need to create two bundles, and each bundle should contain files of the selected categories. The best practice is to create the bundles according to the categories already defined on the XTRF Platform. For example, the work files should be available in the bundle with the Work File category specified; the reference files bundle should contain the files with additional information for the vendors or terminology files. To add the bundle, follow the steps:

1. Sign in to the XTRF Home Portal.

2. Go to the Configuration menu → Projects and Quotes → Workflow Definitions (Classic).

3. Select a workflow where you want to manage your bundles and click the icon to open it in edit mode.

4. Go to the Bundles tab. You can see a list of all your bundles created for a given workflow definition. In the example, only the files bundle is available. The files bundle is always created while you are creating a workflow definition.

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   By default, the ‘files’ bundle is a package that is distributed to and included in the output files. In the ‘files’ bundle, you can find all file categories that can be processed, such as work files, Translation Memories, or terminologies.

   • You can always edit the default settings of the ‘files’ bundle: To do so, click the  icon.

   • You can remove a bundle by clicking the icon.

5. To have a ‘reference files’ bundle, you need to add it to your bundles. Click the +Add button. The Bundle pop-up window appears.

   1. Provide a name for your bundle. The name should be concise and clear for the project managers or vendors, for example, reference files.

      • Uncheck the Include in Task Output checkbox. If the Include in Task Output checkbox is selected, it means that your files in the bundle are processed through the workflow jobs you assign a bundle to, all the way to your output files package; the files are included in the output files package in a project.

      • In the Supported File Categories in Task Input multi-selection field, add the categories of your files. Double-click on a category in the Available Items list in order to add it to the Selected Items list.  For example, Log File, Reference Files, Terminology, and TM are selected.

      • (Optional) Provide an expression using the appropriate matching pattern in the Supported Files in Task Input (Regular Expression) field. This option is used when you want to restrict the file types or filenames uploaded to the Task Input. For example, you need to allow for uploading only .doc  files or files with a specified phrase in the filenames.

   2. Click the Save button. The Bundle pop-up window closes.

   3. Your newly added reference files bundle is displayed in the Bundle display. Click the Save button at the bottom of the Bundle display.

II. Distribute the Bundles in the Workflow

When you have added all the bundles you need, you can decide on the flow of the bundles in the workflow and what kind of access rights the vendors should get. To do so, perform the following steps:

1. Go to the Workflow Graph tab. Below the diagram, you can see the Assignment of Bundles Transferred from Previous Job section. 

2. Click once the Read/Write link for the ‘reference files' translation job. The status changes to Read Only. The curved connector, which ends with an arrow in the graph, represents the idea of the file flow. It changes each time when you click the link.
   When adding new jobs or bundles to the workflow, always check the bundles’ statuses to make sure that the correct files are available for editing for the right vendors only.

3. Click once the Read/Write link for the 'reference files' proofreading job. The status changes to Read Only. Mind that in the graph, the connectors with arrows show how the files flow has changed.

You have added the reference files bundle to the Workflow Definition. Moreover, you have defined which vendor can get the files and access rights to them.

• If you click the files bundle in the Task Input graph box in the Workflow Graph tab, you can see the flow of the files bundle. The files flow, connectors and workflow jobs are highlighted in blue because it shows the flow of files that can be modified by the vendors.

• If you click the reference files bundle in the Task Input graph box in the Workflow Graph tab, you can see the flow of the reference files bundle. Only the workflow jobs where the vendors can read the files are highlighted in blue. Note that the reference files bundle is not transferred to the output files.