Notifications Overview
WorkDesk delivers real-time notifications via EdgeStream — no polling, no page refresh. When something relevant happens to you in a workflow, you know instantly. The notification bell, panel, and history give you full control over your notification experience.
Four Notification Types
HIL Task Assigned
A new approval, form, or review task has been routed to you or your role from a workflow.
Workflow Completed
A workflow you triggered has finished successfully. Links to execution history for result review.
HIL Task Overdue
A task in your inbox has passed its deadline without action. Requires immediate attention.
System Alert
Platform-wide announcements from administrators — maintenance, policy changes, important notices.
How Notifications Reach You
Event Occurs in the System
A workflow assigns you a HIL task, completes, or an admin posts an alert.
NotificationService Creates Record
WorkDesk's NotificationService creates a notification record and publishes it to EdgeStream topic notifications.{userId}.
EdgeStream Pushes to Browser
The browser's EdgeStream subscription receives the event instantly — no polling delay.
Bell Badge Updates and Panel Shows Notification
The unread count on the bell increments. The notification appears at the top of the notification dropdown panel in real time.
Notification Badge Count
The bell icon in the WorkDesk top bar displays a badge with the number of unread notifications. The badge is red when there are unread notifications. It disappears when all notifications are read.
Key APIs
| Endpoint | Purpose |
|---|---|
GET /api/workdesk/notifications | List notifications (paginated, filterable by type and read state) |
POST /api/workdesk/notifications/{id}/read | Mark a single notification as read |
POST /api/workdesk/notifications/read-all | Mark all notifications as read |
DELETE /api/workdesk/notifications/{id} | Dismiss a notification |
GET /api/workdesk/notifications/preferences | Get user notification preferences |
PUT /api/workdesk/notifications/preferences | Update user notification preferences |