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# How to set up an approval workflow

Use a workflow to send each new submission to an approver, such as a line manager, and then do something different depending on their decision. In this guide you'll build a timesheet approval: the manager approves, rejects or asks for changes, and approved timesheets are emailed to your office.

**Available on:** All plans. Each run counts toward your plan's workflow run limit. **You'll need:** a published form and a connected email account.

**Important:** Approval emails are sent from your own email account, never from Formester. Until you connect Gmail, Outlook or SMTP, the Approval and Send email steps can't run. See [How to Connect Gmail, Outlook or SMTP to Send Form Emails from Your Own Address](https://help.formester.com/en/article/how-to-connect-gmail-outlook-or-smtp-to-send-form-emails-from-your-own-address-16op8zl/).

## Before you begin

- Add an email field to your form for the approver, for example **Line manager email**. Each submission is then sent to the manager the employee entered.
- Add an email field for the person submitting, for example **Employee email**, if you want to send change requests back to them.

## Start the workflow

1. Select **Workflows** in the left menu, then select **Add Workflow**.
2. Select **Form submitted**, then select **Continue**.
3. Under **Selected form**, choose your form, then select **Create trigger**. The workflow editor opens with the **Form submitted** step on the canvas.

   ![Form submitted settings with a timesheet form selected](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/5/6/e/156e23ff3485c400/01-choose-form_v4bdwf.png)

## Add the Approval step

1. Select **Add step**, search for **Approval**, and select it. The step appears on the canvas with **Approve** and **Reject** outcomes.
2. If the Approval step isn't joined to **Form submitted**, drag from the dot under **Form submitted** to the top of the Approval step.
3. Under **Outcomes**, select **Add outcome** and name it **Request changes**. Each outcome becomes its own path on the canvas.
4. Under **Approvers**, open the list and choose **Line manager email** under **Submission values**.
5. Under **SMTP Integration**, choose your connected email account.

   ![Approval step with three outcomes and Line manager email as the approver](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/5/6/e/156e23ff3485c400/02-approval-step_onyacb.png)

6. Under **Email body**, keep **All answers (table)** so the approver sees the submission. To let the approver correct the submission themselves, type **@**, search for **edit**, and select **Edit submission link**.

   ![Approval email body with All answers and Edit submission link](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/5/6/e/156e23ff3485c400/03-approval-email-body_wai4tg.png)

7. Under **Comment**, choose whether approvers can add a comment: **Optional**, **Required** or **Don't ask for a comment**.

## Send approved submissions to your office

1. Drag from the dot under **Approve** onto an empty part of the canvas, then select **Send email**.
2. Under **To**, enter your office's email address and press Enter.
3. Under **SMTP Integration**, choose your connected email account.
4. Enter a **Subject**, for example "Approved timesheet".
5. In **Body**, type **@** to insert the approval details: **Decided by**, **Decided at** and **Comment**. Then insert **All answers (table)**.

## Send change requests back to the employee

1. Drag from the dot under **Request changes** onto the canvas, then select **Send email**.
2. Under **To**, choose **Employee email** under **Submission values**.
3. Choose your **SMTP Integration** and enter a **Subject**.
4. In **Body**, insert **Comment** and **Edit submission link**, so the employee sees what to fix and can update their submission.

   ![Workflow with Approve and Request changes paths each sending an email](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/5/6/e/156e23ff3485c400/04-workflow-canvas_1l00ekf.png)

5. Select **Publish**. You'll see "Workflow published successfully".

An outcome with nothing connected, such as **Reject** here, ends the run.

## Check it works

1. Submit your form, entering an email address you can check as the line manager.
2. Open the approval email and select **Approve**. A page opens showing the submission, with **Approve** selected under **Your response**.

   ![Approval page with the Your response dropdown, Comment box and Confirm button](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/5/6/e/156e23ff3485c400/05-approval-page_2u6ajz.png)

3. Add a comment if you like, then select **Confirm**. You'll see "Thanks, your response is recorded".
4. Check that your office received the approved submission with the approver's details.
5. In the workflow, select **Runs** to see each run and its status.

## What approvers see

- Approvers don't need a Formester account. They only see the submission in their email.
- If several approvers are listed, everyone gets the email and the first person to respond decides.
- To make approvers sign in, turn on **Require approvers to sign in**. Only members of your organization can then respond, signed in with the email the request went to.

## Good to know

- Each approval link works once. After a decision, opening it again shows "This request is no longer active".
- The approval page shows the answers as they were when the request was sent. Edits made through the edit link don't appear there, but later steps use the updated answers.
- When an employee updates their submission after a change request, the approval doesn't restart on its own.