Need to pause a workflow email until a date, but workflow still needs to continue to run before that date

Question

I was going to use the technique linked below to send out a reminder email on a specified date. This requires the "Pause Until" functionality. If I use this in one section of my workflow where the reminder email is set (and paused), will it prohibit my other sections of the workflow (not related to the reminder email) from running? In other words, am I just pausing the reminder email, or am I pausing my entire workflow??

I need the reminder email...but I also need the workflow to continue running on edited items well before the reminder email is triggered. I can only use SharePoint Designer (2013).

If it does indeed pause my entire workflow...workarounds?? Thanks in advance for any feedback.

http://markeev.com/Articles/item-expiration-reminders-in-sharepoint-using-workflow.aspx

Answer 1

Das

I've used a combination of workflows in the past and then used additional functionality to make elements that are a bit tricky - reminders for instance - using other methods.

In the past in SP 2010 and 2007, there was a bunch of excellent capabilities which used to add some really useful extra Actions to the options for a SP Designer Workflow - http://spdactivities.codeplex.com/. I've not used them in anger in 2013, however read that installing them is still a possible and that they do work in 2013 (http://spdactivities.codeplex.com/discussions/549542). With those in place daisy-chaining multiple workflows is easy to do - it also makes a range of 'what if's' easier to sort out and act upon.

As for the reminder email side of things, the problem with a 'pause until' workflow is that if the reminder date changes, that might not get sorted out and do the job on the correct date. I've used a free of charge product - HarePoint Workflow Scheduler (http://www.harepoint.com/Products/HarePointWorkflowScheduler/Default.aspx) - which allows a simple WF to be created and that gets triggered on a daily basis, hunting for documents where the reminder date = today, and then it runs the emailing side of things. It's great for continuous or setting up different stages of reminders as well.

I hope the above helps. Do please ask further questions and I'll try and answer. Regards Alan C.