Add a button to the Ribbon to start a workflow in SharePoint 2010 - Old (but useful)

Add a button to the Ribbon to start a workflow in SharePoint 2010

Learn how you can add a button to the toolbar (Ribbon) of a document library in SharePoint 2010 to be able to quickly access and start a workflow on an item in the SharePoint document library.

SharePoint 2010 lists and libraries customization tools include the ability to add a new Quick Step to the Ribbon.
A Quick Step allows you to select an item in a SharePoint list or library and then with the click of a button initiate a SharePoint Designer workflow on the selected item.

Quick Step buttons are worthwhile adding to the Ribbon of a SharePoint document library if:

• You have a workflow that you must start manually on items in the document library. Using a button will save you two clicks: One to select Workflows on the item, and another one to select the workflow to run on the item.
• You have a workflow that is run often on items in a SharePoint document library.

Add a new Quick Step to a SharePoint 2010 document library toolbar

To add a new Quick Step to the Ribbon of a SharePoint document library:

1. Log in as a site owner or as a user who has Design permission on the SharePoint document library you want to customize.
2. Navigate to the SharePoint document library to which you want to add a New Quick Step.
3. On the Library Tools tab, click Library.
4. On the Library tab under the Customize Library group, click New Quick Step. SharePoint Designer 2010 opens and the Add a Button dialog box is displayed.
5. On the Add a Button dialog box, select whether you want to Start a new workflow or Start an existing workflow. If you select to Start a new workflow, you will have to design the workflow after you click OK.
6. Type in a piece of text for the Button Label.
7. Click Browse to browse to and select an image for the Button Image. You must upload an image to a SharePoint document or picture library prior to performing this step.
8. Click OK.

A button will be created and placed on the Ribbon of the SharePoint document library, and the button will be associated with the workflow you selected.
If you go to the SharePoint document library, press F5 to refresh the page, and then click Documents on the Library Tools tab, you should see a new button on the Ribbon with the name and image you selected.
One thing to note is that Quick Steps only work on one item at a time, which means that you cannot start a workflow on multiple items. If you select multiple items in the document library, the button on the Ribbon will be disabled.
If you don't have the need for the button anymore or just want to remove it, you can do so as described below.

Delete a Quick Step button from the Ribbon of a SharePoint 2010 library

To remove a button pertaining to a Quick Step on the Ribbon of a SharePoint document library:

1. Log in as a site owner or as a user who has Design permission on the SharePoint document library you want to customize.
2. Navigate to the SharePoint document library from which you want to remove a button that is associated with a workflow and was created through the New Quick Step option.
3. On the Library tab under the Customize Library group, click Edit Library. SharePoint Designer 2010 opens.
4. On the List Settings page for the SharePoint document library in the Custom Actions section, select the button you want to delete.
5. On the Custom Actions tab, click Delete.

If you go to the SharePoint document library, press F5 to refresh the page, and then click Documents on the Library Tools tab, the button should not be there anymore.