Setup

Before starting to use Workflow, there are a few setup steps that need to be done. Go to File > Preferences.

Overview

The Setup process includes:

Project Naming

Project Naming lets you choose the naming format for the project files that Workflow creates.

Tag Order

Check the tags you want to include in the project file name. Click and drag to move each tag up or down in the list to specify its order in the file name.

Date Format

The Date Format is a dropdown where you can select the date items you want to include in your file names.

Example

Each time you change the tags or the date format, you’ll see an updated example of a project file name.

Paths

Workflow uses three important paths:

Projects

The folder where your Workflow product files are saved.

Orders

The path containing your Order List files. Workflow will look here for your order forms.

Products

The root folder is where all your Master files are located. Workflow will look here for the patterns you want to cut.

Destinations

A Destination is a folder where Workflow will save project files that are ready to be cut. Destination folders are usually on a network accessible by cutter operators.

Add Destination

In the Destinations Pane, you can specify as many destination folders as you need. Usually, this will be the number of cutting systems in use. Add a new destination folder by clicking the + icon.

Fill in a name for the destination. If you have multiple cutters available, use names that make it easy to distinguish each cutter.

The Path is a folder where Workflow will place files ready to be cut. This can be any location on your network or computer.

Plotter is where you can choose what machine you want this destination folder to be assigned to.

You can also change the Color and Image that is shown on the destination pane.

Editing a Destination

To edit a destination, hover over the destination and click the Gear icon.

Edit any information for the destination.

Column Configuration

A Column Configuration is a map between column headers in your order file and how you want Workflow to use the column. Companies with a single spreadsheet format for orders will only require a single column configuration.

If you do not already have a functioning order spreadsheet, we recommend creating one before making a column configuration. Creating a column configuration from an existing spreadsheet is very easy.

Creating a Column Configuration

To create a column configuration, click on the + button.

Fill in a name for your new configuration.

The easiest way to enter your column headers is to open an order file, select the header line at the top, then click ctrl + c to copy it to the clipboard. In Workflow, click Create From Clipboard to paste the headers.

If you don’t yet have an order file to use, you can enter the names of each header, separated by commas.

After you enter your column header, you’ll see a list of your column header names on the left, with a list of column types on the right. Now, match each of your header names to the correct column type. Select each column name, then click on the correct column type and you’ll see the column type added to your header name.

Column Types

All of the information Workflow uses will be in one of the following categories or Column Types. Each column header in your order form will need to be assigned to one of these types.