Workflows

Workflows let people act on physical assets by scanning tags with a mobile device: no Blecon account, no desktop in the room. Each workflow is a list of steps that you choose. The person scanning runs it in the Blecon Agent, which prompts them through the steps for each asset.

Scanning here is a deliberate action with a mobile device's camera. It is separate from the background Bluetooth detection that hotspots use to position assets.

A workflow starts in two ways. The person scanning scans its QR code (printed, on a label sheet, or displayed on screen) or opens its link, sent by email, WhatsApp, or any other channel. Or someone signed in to the dashboard taps Run on the workflow's row on their phone or tablet. Either way, the Agent runs the workflow.

How it works

You create a workflow in Blecon Track and choose its steps. Print or send its QR code or link, or start it with Run in the dashboard.
The person scanning starts it on their mobile device: they scan the QR code, open the link, or tap Run on the workflow's row in the dashboard. The Agent shows the workflow. See Running a workflow.
They do the steps for each asset: scan the tag, then each step you chose.
The tag is registered in your workspace, or updated if it is already an asset, and each answer is saved where its step says.
They tap Scan Another for the next asset, without starting the workflow again.

On the device

What the person scanning sees in the Agent, screen by screen:

The workflow. The workflow name, the workspace name, and the list of Steps, so they can check that the assets go to the right place before they start. The first step is always Tag Identity: scan the tag's QR code. They tap Start. A device without the Agent shows a page to install it.
Each step, in order. A scan step opens the camera. On an Android handheld with a built-in barcode scanner, the scanner can read the code instead. A list step shows the options, and a text step a text box. A step can be skipped: a list step with a Default then uses the default.
Check before submitting, when Confirm details before submission is on. It shows the answers and what the asset will be registered as. They tap Submit.
The result. Registered for a new asset, or Already registered, details updated for an asset the workspace already has. They tap Scan Another for the next asset. After Assets per session, the session is complete.
Finish ends the workflow. Answers for an asset that was not submitted are discarded.

If an asset cannot be saved, the Agent shows Couldn't register with the reason, for example a tag that is not an asset in a workflow for Existing assets only. Nothing is saved. Start over goes back to the first step for that asset.

Example scenarios

Goods-in desk: Print the QR code and stick it on the wall at the receiving bay. When a shipment arrives, the goods-in team scans the QR code once and then scans each tag as they unload. Every item lands in the workspace tagged and ready to track, with no involvement from the IT or operations team.

Supplier pre-registration: Send the link to a supplier before they ship. They register each tag, and scan the part number from their own label, before the goods leave their facility. By the time the shipment arrives, the assets are already in your workspace waiting to be located.

On-site equipment deployment: Give a field technician a QR code before they go on site. They register each piece of equipment as they install it, and choose its condition from a list, without access to the Blecon Track dashboard or a Blecon account.

Tools into a vehicle: One workflow covers a whole fleet. The driver scans each tool, then the tag fixed inside the vehicle. Every tool is placed on that vehicle, ready for a separation rule to catch one left behind.

Creating a workflow

Go to Workflows in the sidebar, then click + Add Workflow. The dialog has four pages: Template, Steps, Assets and Limits. Click Next to move on, and Create Workflow on the last page. If something on a page is missing, such as the name or a list step's options, Next says what to fix.

Template is a starting point. It fills in the workflow name and the steps on the next page, and you can change all of them after:

Template	Steps it starts with
Register assets	Scan the tag.
Place assets on an asset	Scan the tag, then scan the asset it goes on, with the relationship "stored in". See Placing assets on an asset.
Register with label details	Scan the tag, then scan the supplier label, which names the asset.
Stock check	Scan the tag, for existing assets only. Each scan records when and where the asset was last seen.
Mark condition	Scan the tag, then choose a condition (OK or Damaged), for existing assets only.
Custom	Scan the tag. Add the steps you need.

Steps holds the Workflow name, shown to the person scanning with the workspace name, Scanned tags, and the steps they do for each asset, in order. The first step is always the tag scan.

Scanned tags sets which tags the workflow accepts:

New or existing assets: a tag that is new to the workspace is registered. An asset you already have keeps its name, type and team, and gets the answers and keywords.
Existing assets only: for a stock check, or to mark assets, such as damaged ones. A tag that is not an asset in the workspace shows an error on the device, and nothing is saved. The workflow's Team moves every asset it scans into that team; with no team, each asset keeps its own. The asset name prefix, asset type and Max registrations do not apply.

Assets sets what every asset the workflow registers or scans gets:

Field	Description
Asset name prefix	Each registered asset is named `{prefix} {last 8 of tag ID}`, unless a step names it. Leave blank to use the tag ID suffix only.
Asset type	Applied to every asset registered via this workflow (e.g. `pallet`, `equipment`).
Team	Shown to Admins and Owners. A new asset joins this team. With Existing assets only, every scanned asset moves to it.
Keywords	Added to every asset the workflow registers or scans. A scan never removes a keyword, so record a state that changes, such as a condition, with a step saved to Metadata.

Limits sets how the device runs the workflow, and when it stops:

Field	Description
On the device	Confirm details before submission shows the answers for a check before each asset is saved. Assets per session limits how many assets one device registers before the session ends.
Max registrations	Maximum number of unique assets this workflow can register. Leave blank for unlimited.
Expires in (days)	Optional. How long the workflow stays active. Leave blank for a workflow that never expires. Maximum 365 days.

Steps

Under Add a step, choose the kind of step:

Step	What the person scanning does
Scan a code	Scans a QR code or barcode, such as a supplier label. Format limits it to QR codes, Code 128 or PDF417 barcodes, or accepts any format.
Choose from a list	Picks one of the Options you enter. A Default is used when they skip the step.
Type text	Types free text, such as a note about damage.

Each step has a Name, shown on the device, and an optional Instruction. Saved to sets where the answer goes:

Saved to	Result
Metadata	A custom field on the asset, under the Key you choose.
Asset name	The asset's name, after an optional Prefix, such as "Tool PN:1234". One step at most.
Keyword	A keyword on the asset.
Place on (parent)	The asset is placed on the tag this step scans, such as a van. Scan steps only, and one step at most. It reads the QR code on a Blecon tag label, or a tag ID printed as text. Other vendors' label formats are not read.

Scanning a tag that is already in the workspace never renames it. Its keywords and custom fields are added to.

Placing assets on an asset

When a step is saved to Place on (parent), the person scanning scans each asset, then the asset it goes on, such as a van. The step shows Relationship, which sets how each asset is placed: stored in, attached to, carried by, and the rest. It appears on the asset's page, such as "stored in Van 4127". Below it, a diagram shows which step scans the asset and which scans the asset it goes on.

The van must already be an asset in your workspace: register it first, for example by bulk import. A workflow never creates it. If the scanned tag is not an asset, or the placement is not possible (for example, they scanned the same tag twice), the Agent shows Couldn't register with the reason, and nothing is saved. Start over goes back to the first step for that asset.

The person scanning scans the parent for each asset.

To place assets from a spreadsheet instead, use the parent column in a bulk import.

Running a workflow

Click Run on the workflow's row:

On a computer, a window shows the workflow's QR code. Scan it with a phone to run the workflow, click Copy link to paste the link into an email or document, or click Download QR for a printable poster. The poster includes the workflow name, plus the expiry date when one is set, for easy identification when printing.
On a phone or tablet, the workflow opens in the Agent straight away.

Viewers see only Run. Adding, editing, testing and revoking workflows need the Member role or above.

Editing a workflow

Click Edit on the workflow's row to change its name, naming, keywords, team, limits, expiry or steps. The dialog opens on Steps, without the Template page, and Save Changes works from every page. The QR code and link stay the same, so printed posters keep working and pick up the change on their next scan. A revoked workflow cannot be edited.

Attribution

Every asset registered via a workflow is automatically given a workflow:{id} keyword. You can filter the assets list by this keyword to see everything a particular workflow registered.

The asset's metadata also includes:

workflow_id: the ID of the workflow used
workflow_name: the display name of the workflow

This lets you identify the origin of any asset even after the workflow has expired or been revoked.

A workflow for Existing assets only adds the workflow:{id} keyword to every asset it scans, so you can list them, but does not write workflow_id or workflow_name: it did not register the asset.

The asset's page shows Last Scanned: when any workflow last scanned it. It also shows Scanned By: the device that last scanned it. When that device is a registered Agent with a recent position, the asset can also take that position, because the tag was in the operator's hand.

Linking a workflow to a rule

A rule can carry a workflow, so that its alerts link to the work that fixes the cause. The person alerted opens the link on a phone and runs the workflow. See Fix the cause with a workflow.

Usage limits

If you set Max registrations, the workflow stops accepting new assets once that number is reached. Its status changes to Exhausted. Scanning the same tag's code twice only counts as one registration.

You can check how many assets a workflow has registered in the Workflows list at any time.

Revoking a workflow

Click Revoke on any active workflow to invalidate it immediately. Anyone who scans its QR code or opens its link after revocation sees an error, and its Run button no longer shows. Assets already registered are not affected.

Revocation cannot be undone. If you need to re-enable intake, create a new workflow.

Workflow status

Status	Meaning
Active	Workflow is valid and accepting scans.
Expired	The expiry date has passed.
Exhausted	Max registrations reached.
Revoked	Manually disabled by a workspace member.