Workflow Gates and Validation

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Available Workflow Functions and Conditions

1

Open the Workflow Designer

1. Navigate to Polarion Administration > Work Items > Workflow (or the equivalent for documents/test runs)
2. Select the work item type whose workflow you want to configure
3. Open the workflow editor

2

Add a Validation Function

To block a transition when checklist items are incomplete, add a workflow function to the target transition.

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Block if Any Item Is Unchecked

Use ChecklistFailIfAnyUnchecked when every checklist item must be completed:

1. Select the transition (for example, “Mark as Done”)
2. Add a workflow function: ChecklistFailIfAnyUnchecked
3. Set the checklist parameter to the custom field ID

checklist = dod

When a user attempts the transition, Checklist validates that every item in the specified field has a result state of OK. If any item is unchecked, the transition is blocked with a user-friendly error message showing the field name.

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Block if Mandatory Items Are Unchecked

Use ChecklistFailIfMandatoryUnchecked when only mandatory items must be completed:

checklist = dod

This allows the transition as long as all items flagged as mandatory are checked, even if optional items remain unchecked.

3

Add a Validation Condition

Conditions control whether a transition appears as available to the user. Unlike functions (which show an error on attempt), conditions hide the transition entirely when not satisfied.

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Require All Items Checked

Add the ChecklistAllChecked condition to a transition:

checklist = dod

The transition button is visible only when every item in the checklist is checked.

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Require Mandatory Items Checked

Add the ChecklistMandatoryChecked condition:

checklist = dod

The transition button appears once all mandatory items are checked.

Use a condition to hide the transition when incomplete, and a function as a safety net to block it if the user somehow reaches it (for example, through API calls). This provides both a clean UI and strict enforcement.

4

Validate Multiple Checklists

You can validate multiple checklist fields in a single function or condition by providing a comma-separated list:

checklist = dod,dor,reviewChecklist

When you specify multiple checklist fields, all of them must pass validation. If any single checklist has unchecked items, the transition is blocked. There is no OR logic — every listed field must be fully satisfied.

5

Apply Templates on Transition

Use ChecklistApplyTemplate to populate or refresh checklist items when a transition occurs:

checklist = dod,dor

This merges the configured template into each listed field. Template items that already exist are preserved; missing items are added.Common use case: Attach ChecklistApplyTemplate to a “Start Work” transition to ensure the checklist is populated when an engineer begins a task.

6

Reset Checklists on Transition

Use ChecklistResetToTemplate to discard all changes and restore the template state:

Parameter	Required	Description
checklist	Yes	Comma-separated field IDs to reset
skipForUsers	No	Comma-separated user IDs who bypass the reset

checklist = dod,dor
skipForUsers = admin,migrationUser

Unlike ChecklistApplyTemplate (which merges), ChecklistResetToTemplate replaces the entire checklist. All manually added items, result states, and notes are lost.

When performing bulk updates or data migrations, add your administrator account to skipForUsers to prevent the workflow from resetting checklists you are importing.

7

Uncheck All Items

Use ChecklistUncheckAll to clear all result states without removing items:

checklist = dod

This sets every item back to Empty, which is useful for “reopen” or “rework” transitions where the user must re-verify all items.

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Object Type Support

• Work items — requirements, tasks, defects, test cases, and all custom types
• Documents (LiveDocs) — useful for document review and approval gates
• Test runs — enforce pre-execution or post-execution checklists

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Verification

1. Open a work item with an incomplete checklist
2. Attempt the protected transition
3. You should now see an error message (for functions) indicating which checklist field has unchecked items, or the transition button hidden entirely (for conditions)
4. Complete all checklist items (or all mandatory items) and retry
5. The transition should succeed

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See Also

• Creating and Managing Templates — set up templates referenced by workflow functions
• Freezing Checklists by Status — stop template merging at specific statuses
• Controlling Access and Permissions — restrict who can modify checklists
• Read-Only Mode — lock checklists after workflow gates pass