Controlling workflows by enabling or disabling actions

How to control outputs

One way that you can ensure correct file flow and avoid the possibility that files are sent to the wrong destination or processed incorrectly, is to limit access to one or more actions. Essentially, this can be done in two ways. You can limit access to one or more actions on an archive or panel basis.

In addition to these two ways of preventing the wrong action from being executed, you can activate a property for each action that will ask the user for confirmation before executing the action.

Limiting access on a per-archive basis

By default, when you create an archive, the files it contains can be processed using any action. If you wish to limit the access to certain actions from an archive, first open the properties page for that archive. This can be done by right-clicking the archive in question and choosing Properties from the context menu. The Archive properties window will open.

Now, click on the Set disabled actions button. The Select actions to block window will open. Then, simply select the actions that files in the archive should be blocked from using, and then click on the OK button in each of the two windows. Now, when opening this archive, the disabled action will be grayed out so that the files cannot be processed by the action.

Limiting access on a side panel basis

By default, FotoStation is configured with one Actions side panel located on the right-hand side of the application. You can choose to temporarily remove one or more actions from a side panel by changing the side panel’s properties. Right-click on the side panel tab and select Properties from the popup menu. The Side panel properties window will open.

Select the Display only selected action items radio button, and then click on the Select actions button. An overview of all actions and archives (shown underneath their respective group) will be shown. Select the group and/or the action(s) that should appear in the side panel. Actions not selected will not be visible in the side panel. Click on the OK buttons to close the two windows.

Please note that it is possible to have multiple Actions side panels. Since the settings described above apply to the side panel selected, you will have to disable the selected actions for all Actions side panels if you want to make sure that these actions are not available to the user.

Ask for Confirmation: This action property is useful if e.g. an action is configured to alter the original image data and you want to make sure that the action isn’t run unintentionally (e.g. by dropping a file on the wrong action). If the Ask for confirmation checkbox (found in the Action properties window) is selected, FotoStation will display a warning asking for confirmation before the action is executed.