Creating item in a library based on a file from another library by workflow

Question

I read about just copying from library to library - this isn't the case.

I have one list and two libraries - the list is called Projects, one is named Documentation, and the third is the Documentation Templates.

The workflow I'm preparing is bound to a list of Projects - during creation, I want to create a 'base' document linked to this project. This document should use a specific template (some doc file) from Templates library.

I cannot simply use Copy List Item from templates to documents because I want to link it to the project I've just created.

So my main struggle is with setting Path and Name, even if it somehow adds a document, it doesn't copy the document itself, just the name (if I try to open it a dialog appears with error saying the file cannot be read).

This is how I set it

Any advices how to proceed? The error message in workflow simply points out that creation failed.

Answer 1

What you want to do is create a content type that inherits from the Document parent content type.

After you create it go to 'Advanced Settings' and enter the url of the document in your template library (ex. http://site/documentlibrary/template.xlsx).

Go to your library setting for your project documents list and enable content types. Add the content type you just created to the library.

Add a lookup column on the document library that points to your project list.

Create a workflow that executes when a list item is created. (Note: I've only been able to get this to work with 2010 workflow). Inside that workflow you are going to add a create item step pointing to your document library. Give the file a name for the 'Path and Name' field. For the 'Content Type ID' field, select the content type you created. Also, set the lookup field to "Current Item:ID".

This will create a 1-m relationship between the list item and the documents associated to that list item. If you want the list item to hold the lookup to the document you will need to create the document first. Then with the output id, update the list item's lookup field.