Workflow in Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies 2007: Deep Dive for Developers

Mark ReesMicrosoft Consulting Services

OFC409

Session Objectives and Agenda

Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) Primer

Creating WF programs in Visual Studio

Creating workflow templates for WSS

Workflow associations and workflow instances

Creating and waiting on WSS tasks

Integrating workflow input forms

Reactive Programs

Automating a business processOften requires program with episodic behaviorProgram waits around and then reacts to some event

How would you automate document approval?

In a Windows Forms application…In an ASP.NET Application…

Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)

What is the Windows Workflow Foundation?Development platform for building reactive programsSet of development tools integrated with Visual StudioRuntime components that ship with.NET FX 3.0

Activities

An activity is…atomic set instructions used complete a unit of workreusable component used to compose WF programs

Activities are like a controls in forms developmentYou drag and drop them onto a design surfaceYou modify their properties through property sheetYou generate event handlers and write code inside

Activities are different than controlsActivities are resumable

Composite Activities

Composite Activities can contain children

Composite activity controls execution of childrenComposite activity can encapsulate control-of-flowExamples: IfElse, While, Sequence, Parallel, Replicator

WF program is itself a composite activity

WF program models a tree of activities

WF Program Types

WF provides two main styles of WF programsSequential WF program modeled as flow chartState machine WF program models using states

The WF Runtime

WF Runtime Services

Custom services can be written and plugged inWSS provides it own persistence service

SharePoint Workflows Concepts

Design goals for WF integration with WSSUse WF to attach logic to items and documentsAdd a human dimension on top of WFMaintain self-service capabilities common in WSSCreate strong developer story for custom WF programsProvide valuable WF programs out-of-box with MOSS

The human dimensionAny SharePoint workflow can assign tasks to usersUsers can see status on any workflow instance

SharePoint Workflow Actors

Workflow TemplateWF Program and optionally workflow input forms A feature to install it inside WSS farm

Workflow AssociationBinding of workflow template to list or content typeA named instance containing parameterized data

Workflow InstanceA running instance of a WF program attached to item

Creating a Workflow Template Project

Creating a SharePoint Workflow TemplateFirst, install the WF Extensions for Visual StudioSecond, install either the WSS SDK or the MOSS SDKThird, start creating SharePoint Workflow projects

Working in Code View

Here is what you get as a starting point

SharePoint Activity LibraryWSS-specific activities used to create SharePoint WF Programs

Data Bound Properties

WF supports data binding of propertiesAllows for declarative flow of data between activitiesUsed extensively for creating SharePoint WF programs

Generating Event HandlersGenerate event handlers to add code

Event handlers can program against WF objects

Right-click on activity and choose Generate Handlers

Workflow Template Deployment

Workflow Templates are deployed via FeaturesFeature must be scoped to site collection (Scope=Site)Feature may contain multiple workflow templates

Workflow Template Definition

Workflow Element defines Workflow TemplateMust point to one specific WF programWF program must be compiled into an assembly DLLAssembly DLL must be installed in GAC

Testing 'Hello World' Workflow Template

Creating and Waiting on Tasks

SharePoint Workflows revolve around tasksRepresents significant value-add WSS brings to WFBased on standard WSS tasks visible/editable by usersUsers update tasks through browser or Office programsYour code automatically wakes up and executes

WSS Tasks are generated with subscriptionsWSS encapsulates the listener mechanismWSS registers event handlers behind the scenesYou just add event activities and write event handlers

Task GUIDs and Correlation Tokens

WSS sets up subscriptions for tasksBased on registering event handlersWSS needs way to identify certain task across activitiesEach tasks is assigned a GUID and a correlation token

Action Activities are blue

Event Activities are green

Action Activities vs. Event Activities

Action activities perform workTheir event handlers fire before work is done

Event activities run code in response to eventTheir event handlers run after the event has occurred

Initializing a New TaskAdd event handler behind CreateTask activity

This event handlers fires before task creationGives you a chance to initialize task propertiesWSS creates task with subscription so that workflow instance wakes up when task is modified

Waiting on a TaskEvent activity creates subscription

OnTaskChanged puts activity to sleepEvent handler fires upon modifcation

While activity used to control flowWhile activity loops until task complete

Integrating Workflow Input Forms

Workflow Input Form TypesAssociation FormInitiation FormsModification FormsTask Edit Form

Sample ProjectLitwareWorkflows

The Association Form

The Initiation Form

Invoking the Modification Form

There is one link per modification

The Task Edit Form

Creating Workflow Forms with InfoPath

Workflow input forms can be created in InfoPath

Benefits to creating workflow forms with InfoPathSignificantly better forms designer experienceSignificantly less codingForms can be opened directly with Office client apps

Drawback to creating forms with InfoPathWorkflow template will only run in MOSS farmsWorkflow template will not run in WSS-only farms

InfoPath Workflow Form Integation

standard MOSStask content type

standard MOSS application pages

urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:infopath:ReviewInitiationForm2:-myXSD-2005-11-22T23-49-53

Evaluation Forms

Questions?

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