Add and configure Question

The Question step can be used to add a decision point to your workflows. This allows you to define a question with preconfigured responses that determine the next step to run in the workflow.

When the step is run, the question appears and the responses are displayed as buttons. If the step is configured with step help, it appears at the bottom of the job tile. Clicking a response sets the return value for the question and completes the step. If more than three responses are configured, they are displayed in a drop-down menu along with a Proceed button.

When the step is run, the following actions can be performed:

• A response can be chosen to complete the step. If more than two responses are configured for the step, a response can be chosen in the drop-down list.
• The step can be canceled by clicking Cancel.
• The step can be finished by clicking Proceed.

Configure the step

To configure the step, do the following:

1. Create or edit a workflow diagram to access the Step Library panel.
2. Drag Question from the Step Library panel to a connection arrow of a step on the workflow canvas.

   Learn more about adding steps to a workflow diagram

   The Step Details panel appears.

3. Provide a name for the step in the Step Name text box.
4. Provide a question in the Question text box.

   You can also use ArcGIS Arcade expressions to provide a dynamic value. If the question contains plain text and Arcade expressions, format the text as follows:

   'Would you like to edit the job location for ' + JobName($Job) + '?'

   Tip:

   Click This input supports Arcade Expressions and choose an Arcade expression to add it to its associated text box.

5. Provide preconfigured answers and return values in the Answer and Return Value text boxes.

   Multiple answers can be configured to use the same return value, but all Answer text boxes must contain unique values.

   Note:

   All paths from the step must be configured to match one of the return values defined in the step.

6. Optionally, click Add New Response to add more answers.

   Note:

   To delete an answer, hover over it and click Delete Answer .

7. Optionally, reorder the answers.
   1. Hover over an answer.
   2. Click Reorder Answer and drag it to the desired location.
8. Click the Options tab.
9. Configure Step Options as necessary:
   • Manual—Run the step manually.
     • Optional—Allow the step to be finished without being run.
   • Automatic—Run the step as soon as it becomes active.

     Note:

     If the workflow diagram is configured to automatically run a sequence of steps that includes the Evaluate Data Quality or the Run GP Service step, steps that attempt to run after the user token expires will not run automatically. The ArcGIS Workflow Manager Server Advanced role is required to run additional automated steps without manual intervention.

   • Run on a Schedule—Run the step according to a set schedule.

     Learn more about scheduling options

10. Optionally, check the Enabled check box in the Step Commenting section to allow a user to add a comment to the step when the step is run.
11. Optionally, if you enabled step commenting, check the Required check box in the Step Commenting section to require a comment to be added to the step before it can be completed.
12. Optionally, choose one of the following options to configure help in the step:
    • None—Configure the step without step help.
    • Text—Configure help text for the step in the Text text box.

      You can use ArcGIS Arcade expressions to provide a dynamic value for the step help. If the step help contains plain text and Arcade expressions, format the text as follows:

      
      'For further assistance, please contact' + JobCreator($Job) + '.'

    • URL—Configure the step with a link to a help resource in the URL text box.

      Note:

      Steps that are run in the web app only support HTTP and HTTPS URL formats. Steps that are run in ArcGIS Pro support HTTP, HTTPS, and file formats.

      You can also use Arcade expressions to provide a dynamic value. If the URL contains plain text and Arcade expressions, format the text as follows:

      
      'https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/tool-reference/' + JobExtendedProperty($Job, 'tools', 'toolbox') + '/' + jobExtendedProperty($job, 'tools', 'alias') + '.htm'

      Configure the Automatically Encode Arcade Result check box as follows:

      • If an Arcade expression returns special characters that must be escaped when converted to a URL, such as a space or a forward slash, ensure that the Automatically Encode Arcade Result check box is checked.
      • If an Arcade expression is used to form the base URL, uncheck the Automatically Encode Arcade Result check box.

13. Optionally, click the Style tab to change the shape and color of the step.
14. Optionally, click the About tab and provide a description for the step in the Step Description text box.

    Tip:

    The About tab also contains the step's ID that can be used with dynamic job properties to obtain a step's output. Click Copy Step ID to copy the step ID to the clipboard.

Return value

When the step is completed, its return value is stored to indicate the result of the step. The return value can be immediately evaluated using paths to determine the next steps in the workflow. You can also retrieve the return value for completed steps throughout the workflow using ArcGIS Arcade expressions. The following table lists the step's return value:

Return value	Description
<CustomReturnValue>	The step completed successfully, and the step returns the matching custom return value for the answer defined in the step.