Creating an Authoring task
In an Authoring task, assignees to add content to a collection of blank or partially completed items. As a manager, you create the task and set other users as assignees to complete it. You can monitor assignees’ progress through the Tasks screen.
This article explains how to create and assign Authoring tasks, including adding attachments and managing tags.
In this article
1. Check task prerequisites
To create an Authoring task, you must have an item list containing the items to be edited, users with Authoring Assignee permissions at the level of the item list’s parent subject, and item owner relationships set up between assignees and the items they are to work on. To learn more, read Preparing for tasks.
2. Choose your task type
To create a task, select Create task on the Tasks screen.
Choose Authoring in the Create Task dialog.
3. Set task details
Fill in the following fields in the Task Details tab.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Name* | The name of the task. |
| Reference* | An alphanumeric reference code used to identify your task. This must be unique. |
| Description | Information about the task. The Description field accepts a maximum of 4,000 characters. |
| Start Date* | The day that the task begins. This cannot be in the past. |
| End Date* | The day that the task finishes. You can extend this later if necessary. For more information, read Editing tasks. |
Select Continue to confirm these details.
4. Set task settings
Fill in the following details in Task Settings to customise the task.
Mandatory settings are marked with an asterisk (*).
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| List to Author* | The item list that will be used in this task. Choose an item list in the menu to select it. You can also use the text search field to find a specific item list. |
| Parent Subject | The chosen list’s parent subject. This field automatically updates based on the selected list. |
| Status | The workflow status that items will be automatically posted to when submitted as part of this task. |
| Extended History |
Allows assignees and lead assignees to view old versions of items and restore changes since those versions. |
| Track Changes | Highlights all edits, additions, and deletions made to on-page text fields during the task. Each assignee’s changes are highlighted in a different colour. |
| Attachments | Select Browse to add up to 30 files to the task, such as reference materials for task assignees. The total file size limit is 600 MB. To delete an attachment, select Remove .
TIP: Surpass supports the following file types for task attachments: DOCX, DOC, XLSX, XLS, PPTX, PPT, MP4, MOV, MPG, MPEG, AVI, WMV, PDF, FLV, WAV, MP3, JPG, JPEG, GIF, BMP, PNG, SWF, TXT, and CSV.
|
Select Continue to confirm these settings.
5. Manage tags
You can manage the tag groups that your assignees can assign to items in the Tags tab.
There are three ways you can control the tags that assignees can use during the task:
- Show all tags lets assignees edit all tag groups.
- Customise tags specifies which tag groups are available to assignees. Select a tag category with Select tag category. Open Select tag groups to choose tag groups from the selected category. These tag groups are editable by assignees. The tag groups selected appear in the Selected tag groups table.
- Hide all tags stops assignees from editing tags when authoring items.
Manage tag collections
If the chosen item list’s items have tag collections, you can manage the tag collections that task assignees can view and edit during the Authoring task in the Tag Collections tab.
There are three ways to control the tag collections that assignees can use during the task:
- Show all tag collections lets assignees edit all tag collections.
- Customise tag collections specifies which tag collections are available to assignees.
- Hide all tag collections stops assignees from editing tag collections during the task.
Select the relevant option under Select tag collections for the task.
If you select Customise tag collections, choose a subject that contains your tag collection in the Select subject list. Use Select all to choose all available subjects or use the search bar to find specific subjects.
Choose a tag collection group from the Select tag collection group list.
Select Most Recent to choose from the latest n of tag collections created, up to 99 tag collections.
Select Individual to manually choose tag collections from a list of available tag collections. You can Select All tag collections. You can use the search bar to find specific tag collections.
Select Add to create additional tag collection rules, up to 10 rules.
To delete a tag collection rule, select Remove .
7. Set lead assignees
Lead assignees can view all assignees’ work and submit items on behalf of assignees. To set a lead assignee, select Lead next to the relevant assignee(s).
Add additional users to the task from the Assigned to menu. Users added through Assigned to can only be lead assignees.
Select Remove to remove assignees from the task. Only users added through the Assigned to menu can be removed from the task.
8. Create the task
Select Create Task to finish creating the Authoring task.
Assignees can access the task on the Tasks screen after the start date set in Task Details. All items in the selected list are locked in Item Authoring until a lead assignee or manager finalises the task.
Further reading
For more information on Authoring tasks, and Tasks in general, read the following articles: