# Workflows > How Workflow Definitions work in Cascade CMS — building them from steps, actions, and triggers, previewing the flow diagram, and choosing between the XML editor and Workflow Builder. URL: https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/index.html category: Content Management article-type: concept content-kind: article release-availability: all tags: workflows updated: 2026-10-06 A workflow is a series of steps content must pass through before someone can create, edit, copy, move, rename, or delete it. ## Overview A **Workflow Definition** is a group of **steps** connected by **actions**. A single step can offer several actions, each leading to a different step. Actions can carry **triggers**, which run functions inside Cascade CMS when the action is selected. When a workflow reaches a step with no further action, it's complete. The asset is no longer considered "in workflow" and returns to its normal state. ## Creating a Workflow Definition 1 ### Open the Workflow Definitions area Navigate to **Manage Site** > **Workflow Definitions**, then move to the container where the new definition should live. To create a container, use **Add** > **Container**. 2 ### Add the definition and set its properties Click **Add** > **Workflow Definition**, then fill in the **Properties** tab: - **Name** — Include the workflow type in the name (Create/Edit, Delete, Move/Rename) so it's easy to pick the right one when assigning workflow later. - **Parent Container** — Where the definition is stored. - **Workflow Type** — The action that starts the workflow. An Edit workflow starts when someone edits an asset. - **Default Workflow Name** — The name given to each new workflow created from this definition. The auto-name option produces "WorkflowDefinitionName: AssetName". - **Groups** — Only the groups listed here can use this definition, so you can offer different workflows to different teams. - **Custom Workflow Emails** — Attach **Notification** and **Completion** email templates to override the default messages sent by an Email trigger. 3 ### Build the workflow Choose either interface — they edit the same definition: - **XML** — An XML editor, with optional file upload. - **Workflow Builder** — A visual editor for adding ordered and unordered steps, actions, and triggers. It starts from a stock five-step approval workflow you can customize. 4 ### Submit Click **Submit** to save the Workflow Definition. > **Start from an example** > > Hannon Hill publishes several [example Workflow Definitions](https://github.com/hannonhill/Cascade-CMS-Workflow) you can copy and adapt. Paste one into the **XML** tab, then switch to **Workflow Builder** to customize it — changes made in either tab appear in the other. ## Previewing a Workflow Definition The preview is a flow diagram of your steps, with their resulting actions and triggers. ![The Workflow Definition preview showing steps connected by labelled action lines, with a Detail panel on the left](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/_files/images/content-management/wf-view.png) You can adjust the diagram while you read it: - Use the **Detail** panel on the left to control how much is shown — **Everything** (step type, default assignments, actions, and triggers), **Actions + Triggers**, or **Actions** alone. - Click and drag steps into a clearer arrangement. - Click any connecting line to highlight the path between an action and the step it leads to. Click **Reset Layout** to return the diagram to its default arrangement. ## Workflow steps A step is a single moment in a workflow where one or more actions are available. Some steps have step owners — the users or groups responsible for choosing an action and moving the workflow forward. ### Ordered and unordered steps - **Ordered steps** run in the order they're defined, though an action can move the workflow forward or back. In the definition XML they're connected by actions carrying a `move` attribute set to `forward` or `reverse`. - **Unordered steps** are reached only when an action explicitly names them, using the action's `next-id` attribute. ### Step types - **System step** — Runs without user intervention. It has a single action (of type `auto`) but can fire several triggers, such as Version, Merge, and Publish. The first and last steps of a workflow should both be system steps, and a workflow made entirely of system steps runs automatically. - **Transition step** — Offers one or more actions representing a user's choices. It has a default user or group assignment, which triggers can override to assign ownership dynamically. - **Edit step** — The only place the working copy of an asset in workflow can be edited. Edit steps are usually unordered — for example, sending a workflow back to its initiator for changes — and carry a single action that determines the next step. ### Step attributes - **Step Identifier** — The step's unique identifier, used by an action's `next-id` attribute to transition to it. - **Step Label** — The step name users see. - **Step Type** — `system`, `transition`, or `edit`. - **Escalate To / Escalate After** — A step to advance to automatically once a given time has passed. - **Default Assignment** — The user or group the step is assigned to, overridable by triggers. - **Allow Reassignment** — Lets the step be reassigned to a specified user, or to users within a group or role. - **Actions** — The pathways out of this step. Transition steps may have several. ## Workflow actions Actions link steps together, creating pathways from the first step to the last. System and edit steps have exactly one action each. Transition steps need a decision, so they usually offer several — approve, reject, or send back for edits. Each action is defined by: - **Action Identifier** — The action's unique identifier within its step. - **Action Label** — The action name users see. - **Transition** — The step this action leads to. - **Available Triggers** — The triggers that run when this action is selected. Each trigger can take **parameters** that refine what it does. ## Workflow triggers Triggers perform a specific task when their action is reached or selected. Some are asset-related, such as versioning or publishing the asset in workflow. Others handle everything else — assigning the next step, or sending an email notification. Parameters customize what a trigger does: naming a Destination for a Publish trigger, or an external address for an Email trigger. ## Related links - [Workflow Triggers](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/index.html) - [Custom Workflow Emails](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/custom-workflow-emails.html) - [How do I assign a workflow?](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/how-do-i-assign-a-workflow.html) - [Workflow XML Schema Reference](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-xml-schema-reference.html) ## Managing workflows