Install workflow plug-ins and actions

Workflow plug-ins (composed of workflow actions) are web application archive (WAR) files available from Typefi Systems.  

Available files

Workflow plug-in files are commonly distributed by your Solutions Consultant. Generally available from the Typefi FTP, the files are downloaded to any computer with internet access and then installed via one of the two methods described below.

Typefi Server 8.14 compatible plug-ins

Typefi released Server v8.14 on 19 April 2024, which runs on Java21 and Tomcat 10.1. This means that workflow plug-ins used with Server v8.13 and earlier won’t work with Server v8.14. 

To ensure your workflows run smoothly, please remove all previously installed plug-ins before upgrading to Typefi Server v8.14.

Uninstall plug-ins via Typefi Server:

1. Access your Typefi Server web user interface (http://localhost:8080)
2. Sign in as Admin.
3. Click Admin (at the top of the page), then click Plug-ins.
4. Click the Uninstall button next to each plug-in.

Then, update your Typefi Server to v8.14. After the update, install the latest versions of your licensed plug-ins via Typefi Server (see the section, Install and update via your Typefi Server).

What happens if you upgrade to Typefi Server 8.14 before removing old plug-ins?

If you’ve upgraded to Typefi Server v8.14 before uninstalling the old plug-ins, this message will display: 'The previously installed plug-ins are not compatible with Typefi Server 8.14.101. For a list of compatible plug-ins, please check Typefi latest releases'.

Before installing the latest plug-in versions, you must navigate to your file system and manually uninstall the old plug-ins.

Uninstall plug-ins within your file system:

1. Stop Typefi Server.
   • Typefi Server for Desktop can be stopped from the icon in the system tray.
   • Typefi Server for Workgroup can be stopped via the Services panel (look for Typefi Workgroup Server).
2. Access your Typefi 8 webapps directory.
   • Typefi Server for Desktop: C:\ProgramData\Typefi\Server\webapps
   • Typefi Server for Workgroup: C:\Program Files\Typefi\Server\webapps or your custom directory.
3. Delete the .war files and the corresponding unpacked folders. (Note: Do not delete host-manager, manager, or ROOT files).
4. Navigate to C:\ProgramData\Typefi\typefi-actionsand delete all subfolders.
5. Restart Typefi Server.

You are now ready to install the latest workflow plug-ins and actions.

Install and update via your Typefi Server (recommended)

This process is safe to use for all updates.

1. Access your Typefi Server via a web browser (https://yourserver.domain or http://yourserver.domain:8080).
2. Sign in as the superuser admin.
3. Click Admin (at the top of the page), then click Plug-ins.
   
4. Although not required, you may perform an uninstall on any action you are replacing or no longer need. The Uninstall button is available next to each action.
5. Click Add Plug-in (at the bottom of the page).
6. Browse for the appropriate WAR file you downloaded from the FTP, and select it.
7. Wait. The installation process may take several minutes, especially when installing large plug-ins, so please be patient.
8. The screen will eventually refresh and display the plug-in along with all available actions.  If it does not, click Reload (at the bottom of the page).
9. Verify that the actions you intend to use do not indicate Unlicensed:
   • If the action is unlicensed and you purchased the plug-in, contact your Solutions Consultant to have the license updated or re-issued.
   • If the action is unlicensed and you have not purchased the plug-in, contact the Typefi Sales Team.

Install and update directly within the file system

This process should be reserved for system administrators. It allows for the quick installation of multiple plug-ins simultaneously. You should have a complete backup of the system available before you start.

1. Access your Typefi 8 Server webapps directory.
   • Typefi Server for Desktop: C:\ProgramData\Typefi\Server\webapps.
   • Typefi Server for Workgroup: C:\Program Files (x86)\Typefi\Server\webapps or your custom directory.
2. Although not required, you may perform an uninstall of any/all actions by deleting the appropriate .war files. After deletion, the corresponding folders will be removed by the system. Wait for the directory cleanup to complete before moving to the next step.
3. Paste the desired .war files in the webapps folder, wait briefly as the system deploys them.  Deployment is visible as corresponding directories are created for each of the plug-ins.
4. Access your Typefi Server via a web browser (https://yourserver.domain or http://yourserver.domain:8080).
5. Sign in as the superuser admin.
6. Click Admin (at the top of the page), then click Plug-ins.
7. Click Reload (at the bottom of the page). This will cause the plug-ins to reload and refresh the system. 
8. Verify that the actions you intend to use do not indicate Unlicensed:
   
   • If the action is unlicensed and you purchased the plug-in, contact your Solutions Consultant to have the license updated or re-issued.
   • If the action is unlicensed and you have not purchased the plug-in, contact the Typefi Sales Team.

Troubleshooting

Problems with improperly installed/uninstalled plug-ins can be far-reaching and often difficult to diagnose directly. Generally, symptoms of deployment problems include:

• Actions with unexpected version numbers.
• Actions with correct version numbers but unexpected field options.
• Actions with correct version numbers and no perceivable difference in presentation. 
• Actions missing the UPDATE button if an action update was expected.
• Miscellaneous failures running actions after an upgrade. 

The solution for all of these issues is a manual cleanup of the webapps directory (referenced above). The optimal running configuration is one exploded (unzipped) folder for each WAR file and only one WAR file per plug-in.  An example of a problem condition is supplied below. The example shows the typefi-plugin-xsl deployed twice for 10.0.41 and 10.0.42.  This is one of multiple variants of a condition that will lead to problems with actions.

Note: This issue has been resolved in Typefi Server 8.10. 

To resolve this condition:

1. Access your Typefi 8 Server webapps directory.
   • Typefi Server for Desktop: C:\ProgramData\Typefi\Server\webapps.
   • Typefi Server for Workgroup: C:\Program Files (x86)\Typefi\Server\webapps or your custom directory.
2. Confirm the issue exists by looking for multiple versions of a single plug-in or multiple exploded folders (the example below shows both cases in one).
3. Stop the Typefi Server:
   • Typefi Server for Desktop can be shut down from the icon in the system tray.
   • Typefi Server for Workgroup can be stopped via the Services panel (look for Typefi Workgroup Server).
4. Delete all the folders linked to the problematic plug-in. It is generally advisable to delete any folder except for deltaxml, which should be backed up due to licensing concerns.
5. Delete the unexpected WAR files. In the example below, the older 10.0.41 would be removed.  Only the most recent plug-in WAR file should remain.
6. Start the Typefi Server.
7. Verify that the WAR file explodes into the folder.
8. Access your Typefi Server web user interface (http://localhost:8080)
9. Sign in as admin.
10. Click Admin (at the top of the page), then click Plug-ins.
11. Click Reload (at the bottom of the page).

At this point, additional procedures may be required to resolve the issue completely. In rare cases, pre-built workflows suffer damage due to this condition. To remedy completely, the following steps may also be executed:

Typefi Server 8.10 has resolved a known issue that caused workflow actions to appear with slightly different names. If you are running Typefi Server 8.9 (or earlier), follow these steps to clear your cache.

To clear your cache:

1. Open C:\ProgramData\Typefi\typefi-actions (or /Library/Application Support/Typefi/typefi-actions on macOS).
2. Check for custom workflow files (outside subfolders) that end in .typefi_workflow.
   
3. If found, make a backup copy of the .typefi_workflow files.
4. Delete the contents of the typefi-actions folder to clear the cache.
5. Access your Typefi Server (http://localhost:8080).
6. Sign in as admin.
7. Click Admin (at the top of the page), then click Plug-ins.
8. Click Reload (at the bottom of the page).
9. You can check the typefi-actions; it will re-populate. Custom workflows will not be re-created. 

Example of a problematic configuration

Example of the corrected condition