How can I copy an email workflow from one SharePoint site to another in SharePoint 2010?

Question

I am creating separate sub-sites on my SharePoint 2010 site for each different Line of Business in my organization. I've created a list that generates an automated email based on list responses on one sub-site, and need to copy and modify this list to each additional LOB sub-site. I have created a new list on a different sub-site using templates, but the email workflow I created is not available in the second sub-site. How can I copy the workflow I created in my first sub-site to the others?

Answer 1

there are couple of ways to copy it.

1. using the codeplex solution which move the workflows: SP 2010: How to copy workflows from one site collection to another

2. Another way to use the SharePoint designer then use option "export to visio & import to visio option": Copying/Moving SharePoint 2010 Designer Workflows here are the steps from blog:

   • In the first(source) site, create the required workflow and publish it.
   • Now select Export to Visio option which allows you to save the workflow with a .vwi extension. (Refer this workflow hereafter as source workflow).
   • Now go to the destination site where you want the workflow to be copied, and create a new workflow with the same name as the previous one & publish it.
   • Now select Export to Visio option which allows you to save the workflow with a .vwi extension. (Refer this workflow hereafter as Destination workflow).
   • Now you will be having two .vwi files (one of source workflow’s – SourceWorkflowName.vwi and other of the destination workflow’s – DestinationWorkflowName.vwi). Now add .zip extension to both the files. Now your files names should be SourceWorkflowName.vwi.zip & DestinationWorkflowName.vwi.zip.
   • Now open both the zip files, copy workflow.xoml.wfconfig.xml from destination workflow to source workflow. (Its destination to source and not source to destination).
   • From now on, we will not use the file DestinationWorkflowName.vwi.zip. So ignore that file.
   • Remove the .zip extension from SourceWorkflowName.vwi.zip which gives you the SourceWorkflowName.vwi file.
   • Now, go to the destination site, open workflows and click Import from Visio and browse to the SourceWorkflowName.vwi file.
   • That’s it and your workflow is copied. You can publish the workflow and run it.