How to localize content whilst in worklfow

Question

I have a default workflow at 030C Global content and this is shared down to content publications.

I have a workflow bundle created and activated lower in the Blueprint chain; it contains 3 localized components and 3 shared components.

During the workflow process I realise that I need to localize another Component:

• First I note from the Activities tab that I can only select to open the Parent item(s) or the {already} localized items from the open option and not localize directly.
• whooooaaaaaahhhh - on attempting to localize I'm now told:

  (80040356) Unable to localize item with id Localizing this item would impact a workflow running lower in the BluePrint. The following BluePrint variants would change: tcm:xxx-xxxxx.

Any idea

1. why this would be disabled by default and
2. if there is a way around this (ideally without excessive Event System interaction

It just seems odd to me to force a coded solution or be in a position of forcing the editor to localize content outside of the core content workflow which makes a dramatic change in that it breaks the inheritance of global content from this point on - something I'd rather manage as a content change in the same workflow process.

UPDATE

I've checked the {Workflow} Bundle Properties and can see that the reference the the component is at the child publication (180 in this example)

<Items xmlns="http://www.sdltridion.com/ContentManager/Bundle">
    <Item xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="tcm:180-305461" xlink:title="Program Details 01 - Banner - (image)"></Item>
    <Item xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="tcm:180-251732" xlink:title="Program Details 03 - Banner - (image) (LOCALIZED)"></Item>
    <Item xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="tcm:180-251745" xlink:title="Program Details 02 - Banner - (image) (LOCALIZED)"></Item>
</Items>

The odd one is the first (180-305461). I get the error when I locate this in the folder structure (in pub 180) and try to localize it.

When I open from the active Workflow Bundle I am taken directly to the Parent Component (5-305461) and am able to edit this item when I've STARTED the workflow activity.

So, the error would seem to be telling that, although I'm editing the parent item through workflow, I'm ALSO managing the child version (as it's referenced explicitly in the Bundle properties) so I can't change the Blueprint properties whilst in workflow.

It seems that both these scenarios may be correct - but in conjunction they are at odds.

It's nice that I can encompass items from multiple levels of the Blueprint hierachy in the same bundle - but in my requirements (where editors manage content explicitly at single levels of the Blueprint) I don't want them to - so when I see

    <Item xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="tcm:180-305461" xlink:title="Program Details 01 - Banner - (image)"></Item>

in the Bundle I would expect this to be the Publication 180 instance - and have the ability to localize and edit it - opening the parent version would be be done under normal Tridion rules and not really affect (or be affected by) this Workflow Process.

(Thanks to Nick for having a walkthrough to enable this addition)

Answer 1

Whilst we reach out to Tridion Support for guidance on how this should be approached (or if there's a hotfix available - perhaps aligning with out suggestions below?) - we are approaching this as noted below:

• an 'editorial process' of not adding parent items into a workflow bundle
• if localization is required we will localize outside of the active workflow bundle (we will likely implement the plugin to enforce localization comments)

There's a reasonable argument for this approach such as

• clear editorial control of bundles
  • Editors see content managed as 030C Global and 040C Client.
  • If Global is added into an 040C Client bundle then this specific client bundle would be different than other client bundles for (potentially) the same content deployment
  • OR if Global is added into all 040C Client bundles then other workflow bundles couldn't be in a workflow process at the same time
• This is something we could enforce in code later
  • Stop the addition of SHARED items
  • Offer the opportunity to localize the component being added first

Answer 2

So you have localized items in the WF bundle and you have non-localized (shared) items. However, if you inspect the bundle, you'll see that all the items within are in the local BluePrint context. So the shared items aren't really in the workflow - their local copies are (which are read-only).

So you start the WF and then realize you want to localize one of the shared items (which aren't technically in the workflow as I reasoned above), and upon doing that, Tridion kicks-back and says that you can't all of a sudden localize this item because it has a local-copy in a workflow at another Blueprint level. You expect Tridion to be aware of the context that this is happening in and let you go through with the operation, but it "does not compute".

Another point of consideration is that the shared item in the parent publication is labeled as "checked out" with the checkout type "workflow". This seems to contradict my explanation above regarding all the items in a WF bundle being at a local context. My guess is that the system enforces a rule here where items assigned to someone inside a workflow can't be edited by those outside the workflow, but this same rule isn't utilized by the system logic that causes the error when editing the parent item.

Therefore, it appears to be a defect, which is best submitted to SDL via regular Support channels (add the URL in the ticket to this Q&A for additional context).