Add and configure Start/End

The Start/End step is an optional step that can be used to indicate where your workflows start and end.

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

• Click Pause to pause the step.
• Click Finish to finish the step.

If the step's User Prompt and Step Help parameters don't contain values, the step completes automatically.

Note:

If the step isn't optional, the step must be run or paused at least once before it can be finished.

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 Start/End 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. Optionally, in the User Prompt text box, add the message that you want to appear when the step runs.

   If the user prompt contains plain text and ArcGIS Arcade expressions, format the text as follows:

   'This job is currently assigned to ' + JobOwner($Job) + '.'

   Tip:

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

5. Click the Options tab.
6. 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 include the Run GP Service step, steps that attempt to run after the user token expires do not run automatically. You need the ArcGIS Workflow Manager Advanced organization extension 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

7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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, contact' + JobCreator($Job) + '.'

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

     Note:

     Steps that run in the web app support only 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, check the Automatically Encode Arcade Result check box.
     • If an Arcade expression is used to form the base URL, uncheck the Automatically Encode Arcade Result check box.

10. Optionally, click the Style tab to change the shape and color of the step.
11. 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 which you can use 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 completes, Workflow Manager stores its return value to indicate the result of the step. You can immediately evaluate the return value 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 values:

Return value	Description
S000001	The step completed successfully.
F000001	The step failed to complete successfully.