ANTE User Manual

Purchase Request Workflow

Configure the workflow that a purchase request moves through — its stages and the connections (transitions) between them. The workflow is built as a flow chart of stages joined by labelled connections.

Overview

The Purchase Request Workflow is a workflow template made up of stages (the steps a request passes through) and connections (the transitions that move a request from one stage to the next). Each connection carries a button — the action a user clicks to advance the request.

The page has two parts:

  • Tables view (default) — read-only tables listing the Stages and the Connections in the workflow.
  • Flow Chart — a full-screen visual editor where you add stages, draw connections between them, and edit their details.

How to Open

  1. Open Settings from the sidebar.
  2. Expand Workflows.
  3. Click Purchase Request Workflow.

Page Layout

  • Page title: Purchase Request Workflow
  • Flow Chart button (top right) — opens the visual editor.

Stages table

Lists every stage in the workflow with these columns:

  • # — the stage's order number.
  • Color — the stage's accent color swatch.
  • Name — the stage name.
  • Key — the stage's internal key (uppercase identifier).
  • Type — Start for the first stage, End for a final stage, or - for stages in between. (Start/End are detected automatically: a stage with no incoming connection is Start, a stage with no outgoing connection is End.)
  • Assignee — who the stage is assigned to (Department, Role, User, or Supervisor), or - if none.

Connections table

Lists every connection (transition) between stages:

  • From Stage — the stage the connection starts from.
  • To Stage — the stage the connection leads to.
  • Button Name — the label of the button that triggers this transition.
  • Button Color — the button's color swatch and value.
  • Dialog Type — the dialog shown when the transition runs.

The heading of each table shows a live count, e.g. Stages (5) and Connections (4).

First-Time Setup

If no workflow has been created yet, the page shows No workflow configured for Purchase Request Workflow with a Create Workflow button.

  1. Click Create Workflow.
  2. The empty workflow is created and the Stages and Connections tables appear.
  3. Click Flow Chart to start adding stages and connections.

Using the Flow Chart Editor

Click Flow Chart in the header to open the full-screen editor. It has a toolbar, a pan/zoom canvas, and a side panel that appears when you select a stage or connection.

Toolbar

  • Add Stage — opens the Add Stage dialog.
  • + / - — zoom in / zoom out.
  • Fit — fit the whole workflow to the screen.
  • A percentage label shows the current zoom level.

Canvas

  • Pan — drag an empty area of the canvas.
  • Zoom — scroll the mouse wheel, or use +, -, and Fit.
  • Move a stage — drag a stage box; its position is saved automatically.
  • Stages flagged as Start or End show a Start / End badge.

Common Tasks

Add a Stage

  1. Click Flow Chart.
  2. Click Add Stage in the toolbar.
  3. In the Add Stage dialog, type the Stage Name (for example, Pending Approval).
  4. A Key is generated automatically from the name (uppercase, spaces become underscores) and shown below the field. The key must be unique — if it already exists you'll see an error.
  5. Click Add Stage (or Cancel to discard).

New stages are created with a default blue accent color; you can change the color afterward in the stage's details panel.

Connect Two Stages

  1. In the Flow Chart, hover over the source stage. Connection points appear on its top, right, bottom, and left edges.
  2. Press on a connection point and drag to the target stage, then release on it.
  3. A connection is created with a default Submit button.

Two rules are enforced:

  • A connection that would create an infinite loop is blocked.
  • You cannot create a second connection between the same two stages.

Edit a Stage

  1. Click a stage box to open the Stage Details panel.
  2. Edit:
    • Name — the stage name.
    • Key — shown but read-only (cannot be changed).
    • Accent Color — pick from the preset swatches or choose a Custom color.
  3. Click Save (or Close to discard).

Edit a Connection

  1. Click a connection line (or its label) to open the Connection Details panel. It shows the from-stage → to-stage direction.
  2. Edit:
    • Button Name — the label of the action button (for example, Submit or Approve).
    • Button Color — pick from the preset swatches or a custom color.
  3. Click Save.

Delete a Stage

  1. Hover over the stage box and click the ✕ in its corner.
  2. Confirm when prompted (Delete stage "..."?).

Delete a Connection

  1. Click the connection to open the Connection Details panel.
  2. Click Delete and confirm.

Notes

  • Start and End are automatic — you don't set them manually. Whichever stage has no incoming connection becomes the Start, and whichever has no outgoing connection becomes an End.
  • Stage positions are saved as you drag them, so the layout you arrange is kept.
  • The same workflow editor is used for the Delivery Status Workflow and the Liquidation Workflow — the only difference is which workflow you opened.

💡 Note: Building the workflow defines the stages and the buttons that move a purchase request between them.

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User Levels
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Delivery Status Workflow