Description:

The Archive Form Instance step enables a FlowWright workflow to archive an existing form instance using its unique Form Instance ID.

As business processes complete, form instances often no longer require active processing but must be retained for auditing, compliance, reporting, or historical reference. Instead of deleting these records, organizations can archive them to preserve business history while reducing clutter in active form repositories.

The workflow supplies the Form Instance ID of the form to archive. When executed successfully, the specified form instance is archived, and workflow execution continues through the success path.

Typical uses include:

• Archiving completed request forms
• Retaining approval records
• Managing employee onboarding history
• Archiving completed purchase requests
• Preserving completed HR forms
• Moving inactive business records to long-term storage
• Supporting audit and compliance requirements
• Reducing active form repository size

This step helps organizations manage the lifecycle of form instances while maintaining historical information for future reference.

Usage:

The Archive Form Instance step is typically used near the end of a workflow after all required business processing, approvals, notifications, and reporting activities have been completed.

During execution:

1. Receive the Form Instance ID.
2. Locate the specified form instance.
3. Validate that the form instance can be archived.
4. Archive the form instance.
5. Continue workflow execution through either the True or False return path.

A typical workflow might look like this:

Typical workflow scenarios include:

• Archiving completed employee onboarding forms
• Retaining approved purchase requests
• Closing completed service request forms
• Archiving completed customer applications
• Preserving completed compliance documentation
• Managing long-term business records
• Supporting records retention policies

Example:

Let’s build and execute the “clsArchiveFormInstanceDef” example.

• Create a new process definition named “clsArchiveFormInstanceDef” and open it in designer mode. 
• Drag a "clsArchiveFormInstance" step to the canvas.
• Connect the dots between the “Start” and "clsArchiveFormInstance" step.
• Click the "clsArchiveFormInstance" step to configure its “Required” properties. Provide a name for the step and the GUID of an existing form instance. Then click the Save button. Note: Click the "AI Predict" button for the Copilot to add new process steps that match your process description. 

• The “Logging” configuration is necessary for documentation and also measures workflow progress and percent complete. This is achieved by configuring the step state and percent fields individually, as shown below. Configure the “Logging” using the following properties.

• Save the process definition, create a new instance, and execute it. As configured, the process step should archive the existing Form instance. 

• Navigate to Administration > Archive > Process Instance > Search by the GUID.

Tips:

• Archive forms only after all workflow processing has completed successfully.
• Store the Form Instance ID in a workflow variable for reuse throughout the workflow.
• Verify that required reporting and notifications have been completed before archiving.
• Implement the False branch to handle invalid identifiers or permission issues.
• Retain archived forms in accordance with your organization's retention policies.
• Combine this step with Move Forms Definition To Folder, Send Email, Persist Process Instance, Update Variable Values, or reporting steps to build complete form lifecycle management workflows.

Notes:

• The Form Instance ID property is required.
• Only the specified form instance is archived.
• The step archives an existing form instance; it does not archive the form definition.
• Ensure the executing workflow has sufficient permissions to archive the specified form instance.
• Implement both the True and False return paths to provide complete workflow handling.
• Execution details and archive operations are recorded in the FlowWright workflow execution log.

Archive Form Instance vs. Move Forms Definition To Folder:

Although both steps work with FlowWright forms, they operate on different objects and serve different purposes.

As a general guideline:

• Use Archive Form Instance when workflows need to preserve completed form submissions while removing them from active processing.
• Use Move Forms Definition To Folder when administrators need to reorganize or manage the location of reusable form definitions within the FlowWright repository.

Definition Sample:

You may download the sample workflow definition from the link provided and import it into your FlowWright environment.

Note: Verify and complete any missing configuration after importing the sample, including:

• Form Instance ID
• Success and failure workflow branches
• Appropriate permissions to archive form instances
• Validation that the specified form instance exists

After verifying the configuration, save and publish the workflow before execution.

Click here to download the sample file.