Module 9 - Workflow

Module 9: Workflow

Overview 

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Workflows in Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies Workflow Life Cycle Building Custom Activities Building Custom Workflow Templates by Using Microsoft Visual Studio

What Is a Workflow?  

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Long Running : Days, Weeks, Months, Years Serializable: Doesn’t have to be running the whole time Resumable: Can be restarted when necessary

SharePoint and Workflow 

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SharePoint is a:  Persistence Engine – You don’t have to worry about where the workflow is stored  User Interface – Interact via the Web or through Microsoft Office system integration Workflow brings process to SharePoint data

Differentiating Event Handlers and Workflow Event Receiver  

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Lightweight Short Running Automatic Initiation No User Interface

Workflow  

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Robust Long Running Automatic or User Initiation Optional User Interface

Non-Developer Workflow Options 

Out-of-the-Box Templates  Three Templates: Three State, Approval, Collect Feedback  Easy to use but flexibility is limited

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SharePoint Designer  Easier to build than workflows with Visual Studio  Limited rules-based engine  Can not be moved between sites or between environments (not reusable)

Workflow Life Cycle Developer develops a workflow template

Developer wraps workflow template in Feature and Solution

Farm administrator deploys the workflow solution

User or event starts a workflow instance

Administrator creates a workflow association with a list or content type

A Site Collection administrator activates the workflow feature

Workflow executes activities and optionally creates tasks and history items

Optionally, the workflow owner modifies the running workflow instance

Workflow completes

Workflow Forms 

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Association – When the workflow template is associated with a list Instantiation – When a workflow instance is started Workflow Modification Form – When the user wants to modify the flow of a running workflow Workflow Status Form – The form displayed to the user to indicate the status of a workflow

Content Types and Workflows  

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Workflows can be associated with a content type Workflow Tasks are a special content type (0x010801) Content Types can have special new, display, and edit forms  Therefore, the task edit page for a workflow task can be customized

Development Environment 

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Microsoft Visual Studio 2005  Windows Workflow Foundation Extensions for the design experience  SharePoint Workflow Project templates Microsoft Visual Studio 2008  Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for Microsoft Office 2008 delivers a workflow project template Automates deployment and activation

Components of a Workflow   

Simple Activities – Does something Composite Activities – Coordinates other things Custom Code (via Simple Activities) – Does everything else

Simple Workflow Activities 

An activity is:  An atomic set of instructions used to complete a unit of work  A reusable component used to compose workflows

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Activities are like controls in forms development  You drag and drop them onto a design surface  You modify their properties with property sheets  You generate event handlers and write code inside

Common Composite Activities    

If Else While Sequence Parallel

Writing Code in the Workflow 

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Code Activity  Contains one method to execute—thus providing a way to plug code directly into a workflow Custom Developed Activity  Derive from the Activity class, override the Execute method, and deploy to the Global Assembly Cache (GAC)

The Workflow Project 

Sequential Workflow  Predictable and fixed path for the workflow  Move from one activity to the other, possibly branch but flow is predefined

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State Machine Workflow  Event-driven workflow  Events control the execution of the activities

Model the Workflow     

Drag and drop activities on the design surface Service activities Event activities Code activities Activities to branch the workflow

SPWorkflowActivationProperties 

Delivers SharePoint context information to your workflow code  Property bound to WorkflowProperties property of OnWorkflowActivated event activity

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Access item information public SPWorkflowActivationProperties workflowProperties = new SPWorkflowActivationProperties(); public double TotalAmount = 0; private void onWorkflowActivated1_Invoked(object sender, ExternalDataEventArgs e) { TotalAmount = Convert.ToDouble(workflowProperties.Item["Total"]); }

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Process association and initiation data

Branch the Workflow 

Define Rules  Code condition  Declarative condition

Code Activity  

Basically empty activity Connect your event handler executing custom code

private void SetApproved_ExecuteCode(object sender, EventArgs e) { workflowProperties.Item["ReportStatus"] = "Approved"; }

Model of the Workflow   

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CreateTask activity WhileActivity OnTaskChanged activity CompleteTask activity

Preparing a Task 

Item based on Workflow Task content type  Inherits from Item content type  Additional fields to store workflow information  Event handlers

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Hook up your own code with the event handlers and  Assign an ID  Set the properties of the task item private void createTask1_MethodInvoking(object sender, EventArgs e) { Task1Id = Guid.NewGuid(); Task1_Properties.Title = string.Format("Expenses of {0} to Approve", workflowProperties.Item["Name"].ToString()); string managerEmail = workflowProperties.Item["ManagerEmail"].ToString(); string manager = workflowProperties.Web.AllUsers.GetByEmail(managerEmail).LoginName; Task1_Properties.AssignedTo = manager; }

While Loop 

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Code condition  Class-level variable in code is set to true if manager completes the task (setting percentage complete to 100%) Exit the loop when condition is false

private void IsWaiting(object sender, ConditionalEventArgs e) { e.Result = !taskCompleted; }

Workflow Forms 

Forms are used for configuring, initiating, and modifying workflows and completing tasks  Association Form, Initiation Form, Modification Form, and Task Edit Forms

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ASPX Forms  Can be used by Windows SharePoint Services and Microsoft Office servers  Server-side only

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InfoPath Forms (SharePoint Server or Microsoft Office Forms Server)  Server rendered by Microsoft Office Forms Server  Microsoft Office client integration  Write once, run server and client (same form)

ASPX Pages 

Replace Windows SharePoint Services ASPX pages with custom ASPX pages in workflow feature

<Workflow Id="4797A6A6-4F31-40ca-9814-746402C2DB56" Name="Litware Approval" Description="Sample workflow template demonstrating workflow input forms" CodeBesideClass="LitwareWorkflows.LitwareApproval" CodeBesideAssembly="LitwareWorkflows, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=74bad7277fe0d19e" AssociationUrl="_layouts/Litware/LitwareApprovalAssociation.aspx" InstantiationUrl="_layouts/Litware/LitwareApprovalInitiation.aspx" ModificationUrl="_layouts/Litware/LitwareApprovalModificationForm.aspx" TaskListContentTypeId="0x0108010084565D92BEFE4a75A28C2F658B7BECCA" > <MetaData> <Modification_c7a53c4e-ab25-450f-a595-ae2b380d7c3e_Name> Modify workflow instance with a custom Litware form

Typical Flow of Creating ASPX 

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Create ASPX with code-behind  Note that you have to manage all of the interaction between your page, Windows SharePoint Services, and the workflow engine  E.g., Creating the association, starting the workflow, serializing the data Deploy ASPX in 12\Template\Layouts folder

Review 

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Workflows in Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies Workflow Life Cycle Building Custom Activities Building Custom Workflow Templates by Using Microsoft Visual Studio