WorkflowLab

Follow these steps to get started with the WorkflowLab beta:

1. Review the system requirements and release notes
2. Install the release version of Adobe AIR 2
3. Download and install WorkflowLab

4. Ask questions and share your feedback in the WorkflowLab forum

   Please note that your submission of comments, ideas, feature requests and techniques on this and other Adobe maintained forums, as well as Adobe's right to use such materials, is governed by the Terms of Use.
5. Find and share WorkflowLab files at Adobe Cookbooks
6. Refer to the alpha WorkflowLab WFX schema on Adobe Cookbooks for assistance in generating custom workflow documents for use in WorkflowLab.

Below you'll find references and links to help you participate in the WorkflowLab user community.

Online Forum

Ask questions and discuss ideas with other WorkflowLab users in the Labs forums.

• Visit the WorkflowLab forum

Please note that your submission of comments, ideas, feature requests and techniques on this and other Adobe maintained forums, as well as Adobe's right to use such materials, is governed by the Terms of Use.

Resources

If you want to learn more about releases on Labs as well as other Adobe technologies, visiting a user group or connecting with an Adobe Community Expert is a great place to start.

• Find a user group
• Find an Adobe Community Expert

• Features
• FAQ
• System Requirements
• Release Notes

Features

Beta 2 Features

Feature	Description
Agile Workflow Support	Easily create agile or iterative-based workflows using more flexible task arrangement, labeled rows and drag and drop task manipulation.
Expanded Iterative Duration Support	Expansion of duration grids to support iterations and sprints for agile-based workflows
Discipline Maps	Visually show and capture discrete details in the design and develop disciplines. Build a discipline map through an easy-to-use visual interface to capture the type and unique combination of design and development skills required.
Folder Project Format	WorkflowLab now uses a folder-based project format to package images, sample files, projects, videos and other documentation and resources for easy distribution to teams or the public.
WFX Spec and Schema	Generate and build workflows based on the WFX specification for conversion, import/export, or other product integration.
Updated Product Resources	Updated Adobe products and technologies based on Creative Suite 5, Flex 4, and other related products and technologies
Integrated Image and Video Viewer	Quickly view images and videos within WorkflowLab without needing to open another application.
AIR 2 Support	Updated and rebuilt to use the AIR 2.0 SDK to take advantage of runtime performance improvements and other enhancements.
PDF Export Generate	PDF documents of the workflow task chart to share with clients, team members or the public.
Squiggly Support	Author annotations and comments with integrated spell checking and error notification.
User Interface Improvements	Additional Command Bar actions, new menu options, and refinements to the task detail panel. Updated application chrome to support native operating system window resizing and window manipulation.
Keyboard Shortcut Improvements	Additional keyboard shortcuts for fast task creation and fine-tuned positioning and arrangement.
Help Documentation	New documentation to get started quickly with WorkflowLab
Revised Workflow Starting Points	Revised workflow starting points to capture new product types for Creative Suite 5, Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe services.
Netbook Resolution Support	Reduced window foot-print to support lower resolution netbook screens.
Bug Fixes and Minor Enhancements	Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements throughout the product.

 

Beta 1 Features

Feature	Description
Custom Tool Support	Author workflows using customized tools from a selection of types including applications, frameworks, libraries, services, vendors, people or resources
Categories	Classify workflow tasks or activities using color coded customizable categories
Duration Grid	Overlay tasks on a customizable duration grid to add temporal context to workflows
Completion Status	Monitor and track your workflow progress by applying completion statuses to your workflow tasks
Rich Text Editing	Enhance your workflow task annotations with rich text editing capabilities and inline web links
Command Bar	Improve your efficiency in creating workflows using the new command bar for point and click authoring capabilities
Associated Link	Associate web links with workflow tasks for additional task background or to associate with related content on the Internet or internal networks
Search for Tool	Search within the Adobe tool list for fast selection of related tools to associate to tasks
Updated Workflow Starting Points	Revised workflow starting points that take advantage of new beta features
Status Bar	Get additional feedback within the application through the new status bar
Collapsible Details Panel	Maximize your workflow authoring workspace by hiding the detail panel.
Duplicate Task	Quickly take an existing task and duplicate its associated tools, categories and annotation to speed up task authoring

Alpha Features

Feature	Description
Starting Points	A set of workflows to get you stared with WorkflowLab
Open workflows	Open a workflow file (.wfx) locally or from a URL
Create workflows	Create workflows to document for yourself or to share with others
Task management	Add, Delete and Edit tasks by directly manipulating task boxes
Check for updates	Check if a newer version of WorkflowLab is available.
Annotations	Add comments and instructions for workflows and tasks.
Applications and Technologies	Specify multiple applications and technologies for each task by selecting from a list. Icons appear in each task to visually communicate selections.
Visual workflow	Displays the workflow graphically so that you get an immediate view into the complete workflow. All of the tasks are displayed with their sequence in the workflow and the applications and technologies used.
XML file format	An open file format that stores all of the information for each workflow. This makes is very easy to share workflows with people and other applications.
Download links	Provides a link to download free or trial versions of each Adobe application
Undo	Undo any action such as deleting tasks

FAQ

Why was WorkflowLab created and what are the goals?

WorkflowLab came out of a need to solve our customers’ problems. Customers told us that they sometimes don’t know how to do a project, what tools they should use and what skills they need to use them. They also wanted a way to share best practices information in a common way. WorkflowLab is an attempt to address these problems. We hope to hear from you whether in fact these problems are being addressed with this tool.

Is WorkflowLab a new Adobe product?

WorkflowLab is not a new Adobe product. It is a free utility for people to learn about, share and track workflow best practices.

Why should I use WorkflowLab?

WorkflowLab may help you if you are unsure about how to do a specific project type or want to know about best practices for projects you may already be doing.

When will WorkflowLab ship the final release?

Since this is a new concept we are taking a multi-phase approach before releasing a final version. The Alpha build was released in October 2009 at Adobe MAX, and the beta is currently available for download. Additional development is in progress for 2010.

System Requirements

The minimum system requirements for the WorkflowLab beta are as follows:

Windows

• Intel® Pentium® III 1GHz or faster processor, 512MB of RAM
• Recommended: Pentium 4 2GHZ or faster, 1GB RAM
• Windows 7, Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise including 64 bit editions, Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition SP2 and SP3, Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows 2000 SP4, Windows 2003 Server
• 1,280x800 display with 16-bit or greater video card

Mac OS X

• Intel Core™ Duo 1.83GHz or faster processor; PowerPC® G4 1GHz or faster processor
• Mac OS X 10.4.11 or Mac OS X 10.5.4 and 10.5.5
• 512MB of RAM
• 1,280x800 display with 16-bit or greater video card

Linux

• Intel® Pentium® III 1GHz or faster processor, 512MB of RAM
• Recommended: Pentium 4 2GHZ or faster, 1GB RAM
• Fedora 8 and later, Ubuntu 7.10 and later, OpenSuse 10.3 and later
• xterm should be present on the system
• 1,280x800 display with 16-bit or greater video card

Release Notes

This release of WorkflowLab is prerelease software and is designed for evaluation purposes only. The software contained within the installer is not final; but, many portions of the technology are fully implemented and ready for you to try and discuss.

See the complete release notes