To define vacation rules for a user:Use vacation rules to handle notifications automatically when users are not available to manage their notifications directly, such as when they are on vacation. You can define rules to perform the following actions automatically when a notification arrives:
Reassign the notification to another user
Note: A workflow may include special logic to restrict reassignment of notifications. If so, Oracle Workflow does not apply any vacation rules to reassign those notifications, but simply delivers the notifications to the worklist of the original recipient. See: #HIDE_REASSIGN Attribute.
Additionally, a notification cannot be reassigned to the process owner who initiated the workflow, nor to the from role for the notification. If a vacation rule would reassign a notification to either of these roles, then Oracle Workflow does not apply the rule, but simply delivers the notification to the worklist of the original recipient. Oracle Workflow also adds a row to the action history for the notification showing that the reassignment was prevented and the rule was not applied. See: #FROM_ROLE Attribute and Action History.
Respond to the notification with a predefined response, or close a notification that does not require a response
Note: If this notification requires a password-based signature or certificate-based digital signature in the response, you cannot respond to the notification through a vacation rule. In this case Oracle Workflow simply delivers the notification to the worklist of the original recipient. The recipient must use the Notification Details page to submit a response and provide the required signature. See: To View the Details of a Notification.
Deliver the notification to the original recipient's worklist as usual, with no further action
Use the Vacation Rules administrator page to define rules for automatic notification processing for your users. Each rule is specific to a role.
Note: You must have workflow administrator privileges to define vacation rules for other users in the Vacation Rules page. Workflow administrator privileges are assigned in the Workflow Configuration page. See: Setting Global User Preferences.
A vacation rule can apply to messages of all item types, to all messages belonging to a specific item type, or to a specific type of message belonging to a specific item type. Each time a notification is sent to a user, Oracle Workflow tests the notification against that user's vacation rules. First Oracle Workflow checks whether the user has any active rules for that specific message type. If not, it checks whether the user has any active rules for that specific item type. Finally, it checks whether the user has any active rules for messages of all item types. As soon as it finds a match, Oracle Workflow applies the rule and discontinues any further rule matching.
If a rule reassigns a notification, Oracle Workflow performs rule matching again against the new recipient role's list of rules. Oracle Workflow maintains a count of the number of times it forwards a notification to detect perpetual forwarding cycles. If a notification is automatically forwarded more than ten times, Oracle Workflow assumes that a forwarding cycle has occurred and ceases executing any further forwarding rules, marking the notification as being in error.
If a user receives a request for more information about another notification, Oracle Workflow applies the same vacation rule that would apply for the message name and message type of the original notification.
For a reassign rule, Oracle Workflow transfers the request for more information to the specified user with a comment that conveys the rule information. A request for more information cannot be delegated, only transferred, so in this case Oracle Workflow always transfers the request, even if the reassign rule is defined to use delegate mode.
Note: Responding to a request for more information is not subject to the same security concerns as responding to the original notification, so a request for more information can be transferred to the process owner or the from role if a reassign rule with such a specification applies.
For a respond rule, Oracle Workflow answers the request for more information with a response informing the requester that the recipient of the request is absent.
For a deliver rule, Oracle Workflow delivers the request for more information to the recipient's worklist as usual.
Note: Vacation rules do not apply for responses to requests for more information. If a user requested more information about a notification and receives a response to that request, both the response and the original notification remain in that user's own worklist.
To define vacation rules for a user:Navigate to the Vacation Rules page by selecting Administration in the top level menu for the Oracle Workflow administrator Web pages and then selecting the Vacation Rules tab.
Search for the role for which you want to define vacation rules.
Note: If an administrator has configured restrictions for the user list of values, then only the values to which you have access appear in the list. See: Configuring the Oracle Workflow User List of Values.
The list of existing rules for the selected role includes rules defined by the individual user as well as rules defined by an administrator for that user. A rule's active or inactive status depends on whether the current date falls within the rule's effective dates.
To update a rule, select the Update icon for that rule. See: To Create or Update a Vacation Rule.
To delete a rule, select the Delete icon for that rule.
To create a new rule, select the Create Rule button. See: To Create or Update a Vacation Rule.
