Sams Teach Yourself Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) in 24 Hours View Larger Image | Robert Eisenberg
Sams, Paperback, Estimated Publication Date January 2009, 400 pages, ISBN 0321486994 | List Price: $34.99
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In just 24 sessions of about an hour, you’ll learn how to build robust,
efficient business workflows with Windows Workflow Foundation (WF). Using a
straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson builds the real-world foundation
you need to succeed with WF from the ground up.
Filled with hands-on code examples, this book walks you through creating every
type of workflow supported by .NET 3.5’s powerful new version of WF. One
step at a time, you’ll discover how to host workflows, manage workflow
lifecycles, integrate with Web services and WCF applications, create custom
activities, and moreeverything you’ll need to solve real-world problems
with WF!
Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common WF questions,
issues, and tasks.
Q&As help you build and test your knowledge.
Notes point out shortcuts, solutions, and potential problems to avoid.
New terms are clearly defined and explained.
Learn how to...
• Understand the value of workflows and their role in general .NET and advanced
business process management systems
• Run workflows from and exchange data with .NET applications
• Create sequential, state-machine, and data-driven workflows
• Define multi-level approval workflows that execute in parallel and escalate
• Develop rulesets and manage them from SQL databases
• Track your workflows to make them more agile and governable
• Use Dynamic Update to change running workflows
• Work with exceptions, compensation, and transactions
• Expose workflows as Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) services and call
Web services from workflows via WCF
• Expose workflows as Web services and call Web services from workflows
• Create basic, queued, event-driven, and composite custom activities
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Book Target Audience 2
How This Book Is Organized 2
Hour Summary 3
Part I The Basics
HOUR 1 Understanding Windows Workflow Foundation 9
Describing Workflow and Workflow Systems 9
A Conceptual Description of Workflow 9
A Sample Expense Report Workflow 10
Workflow Segmentations 12
What Is a Business Process Management System? 13
.NET Framework 3.0 and 3.5 13
Overview of WF 14
Standard Modeling Activities 16
Multiple Workflow Styles 19
Hosting 23
Tracking 24
Rule Capabilities 26
Conditional Rules 26
RuleSets 27
Custom Activities 29
Reason for Custom Activities 29
Types of Custom Activities 30
XAML Workflows and Serialization 33
Dynamic Update 34
WF and WCF 36
WF and WCF: Conceptual Overview 36
WF and WCF: Integration Specifics 37
SharePoint Workflow 38
SharePoint Workflow Overview 38
SharePoint Workflow Visual Studio 40
SharePoint Workflow SharePoint Designer 40
Designer Rehosting and External Modeling 41
Summary 43
Installation Instructions 44
Visual Studio 2005 and .NET Framework 3.0 Installation Directions 44
Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 Installation Requirements/Directions
45
HOUR 2 A Spin Around Windows Workflow Foundation 47
Creating a Basic Workflow 47
Creating a Workflow Project 47
Building and Running a Workflow 49
Enhancing the Workflow 53
Improving Workflow Transparency 57
Passing Parameters to the Workflow 58
Using Declarative Rules 60
Adding New Activities 60
Creating the Declarative Rule 61
Examining the Project Files 63
Creating a XAML + Code Workflow 64
Adding and Configuring Activities 64
Examining the XAML Workflow 65
Running the XAML + Code Workflow 66
Creating a XAML-Only Workflow 66
Modeling and Preparing the XAML-Only Workflow for Execution 67
Call XAML-Only Workflow from Host 68
Summary 69
Workshop 69
Quiz 69
Answers 70
HOUR 3 Learning Basic Hosting 71
Overview of Hosting 72
Building a Host from Scratch 72
Creating Solution and Projects 73
Create a Simple Workflow 75
Creating the Host 75
Adding the Persistence Service 80
Adding Monitoring Events 83
Creating the Persistence and Tracking Databases 85
Running the Workflow 86
Updating the Host via Configuration 87
Summary 89
Workshop 90
Quiz 90
Answers 90
HOUR 4 Learning Host-Workflow Data Exchange 91
Host-Workflow Data Exchange 91
Creating the Solution and Projects 93
Creating the Solution 94
Creating the Local Service Project 94
Creating the Workflow Project 95
Creating the Windows Forms Project 95
Step 1: Creating the Local Service Interface 96
Step 2: Creating the Payload (EventArgs) Class 97
Step 3: Creating the Workflow 99
Adding the DependencyProperty Type 99
Step 3A: Creating a HandleExternalMethod Activity 101
Handle External Event Activity Property Window 102
Adding an IfElse Activity and Rules 103
Adding CallExternalMethod Activities 103
Creating the Windows Forms Host 108
Adding Controls to the Form 109
Adding the WF Runtime to the Form/Host 109
Step 4A: Creating the Workflow Instance and Raising the Initial Event 112
Step 4B: Implementing the Local Service 113
Building and Running the Project 116
Summary 116
Workshop 117
Quiz 117
Answers 118
HOUR 5 Creating an Escalation Workflow 119
Updating the Local Services 120
Updating the Basic Local Service Interface 120
Creating the Escalation Local Service 121
Extending the Workflow 122
Adding the Activities 122
Configuring CheckCredit’s Activities 125
Updating the Workflow Code-Beside File 127
Update the Forms (Hosts) 128
Implement New Interface Members in the Escalation Form 128
Implement the MoreInfo Method in the Basic Order Form 129
Configure Hosts to Track and Persist 130
Add Tracking to Basic and Escalation Forms 130
Add Persistence to Both Forms 131
Retrieve Tracking Data 132
Retrieve the Workflow from Persistence 135
Running the Solution 137
First-Level Approval or Rejection 137
Second-Level Approval or Rejection 138
Second Level Approval and Tracking 139
Running the WorkflowMonitor SDK Sample 141
Downloading and Installing WorkflowMonitor 141
Summary 143
Workshop 144
Quiz 144
Answers 144
Part II State Machined Workflows and Advanced Control Flow Activities
HOUR 6 Creating Basic State Machine Workflows 147
Explaining State Machine Workflows 147
Investigating State Machine Workflow Components 149
Creating the Project 150
Creating the Workflow 150
Preparatory Work 151
Adding State and EventDriven Activities 151
Updating the EventDriven Activities 153
Running the Basic Workflow 159
Hierarchical States and State Introspection 159
Modifying the Workflow 160
StateMachineWorkflowInstance and State Introspection 165
Run the Enhanced State Machine Workflow 165
Summary 166
Workshop 166
Quiz 166
Answers 167
HOUR 7 Creating Advanced State Machine Workflows 169
Updating the Form and Adding Member Variables 170
Updating the Form Code-Behind Logic to Work with StateMachineWorkflowInstance
Members 170
Extract “In Scope” Events 171
SetState Combo Box 174
Historical States 175
Possible State Transitions 176
Override the Current State 176
Update the UI When Workflow Idles 177
Update the UI when Workflow Completes 177
Update the UI When Workflow Terminates 178
Running the Workflow 178
Summary 180
Workshop 180
Quiz 180
Answers 180
HOUR 8 Working with Parallel Activities and Correlation 181
Creating the Solution and First Project 181
Create the Parallel Activity Tester Project 182
Creating the Workflow 182
Standard Parallel Activity Execution 182
Running the Parallel Workflow 183
Synchronized Parallel Execution 185
Parallel Approval and Correlation 187
Opening the Solution and Adding the Projects 188
Local Service with Correlation 188
Create the Event Payload (EventArgs) 190
Concurrent Approver Workflow 191
Summary 200
Workshop 201
Quiz 201
Answers 201
HOUR 9 Working with the Replicator and While Activities 203
Creating Solutions and Projects 204
Creating the Replicator Workflow 204
Adding Member Variables to the Workflow 204
Placing the Activities on the Workflow 205
Configuring the Activities 206
Updating the Host Form 210
Running the Replicator Sequentially 212
Using the While Activity for Sequential Processing 213
Modeling the Workflow 213
Adding Code-Beside for the While Activity 213
Updating the Replicator Workflow to Run in Parallel 215
Adding Parallel Support to the Replicator 215
Running the Parallel Replicator 216
Summary 217
Workshop 217
Quiz 217
Answers 218
HOUR 10 Working with EventHandlingScope and Strongly Typed Activities 219
Learning Basic EventHandlingScope Activity Solution and Project Setup 220
Creating the Basic EventHandlingScope Workflow 220
Placing the Activities on the EventHandlingScope Sequential Section 220
Placing the Activities on the EventHandlingScope Event Handlers Section 221
Configuring the Event Handling Scope Sequential Activities 223
Configuring the EventHandlingScope Event Handling Activities 224
Running the Basic EventHandlingScope Workflow 225
Looking at the EventHandlingScope Activity in XAML 225
Creating a More Advanced EventHandlingScope Workflow 226
Setting up the Advanced EventHandlingScope Activity Solution 226
Add the Activities to the Workflow 227
Running the Advanced EventHandlingScope Workflow 232
Using WCA.exe to Build the Strongly Typed Activities 233
Use Strongly Typed Activities on a Workflow 234
Summary 237
Workshop 238
Quiz 238
Answers 238
Part III Data-Driven Workflows and Rules
HOUR 11 Creating Data-Driven Workflows 241
Describing the CAG 241
Exploring the CAG and Data-Driven Workflows 243
CAG Approval Sample 243
Creating the Project 244
Adding Variable Declarations 244
Add the CAG to the Workflow 245
Configuring the Approver1Lane of the CAG 246
Configuring the Approver2Lane of the CAG 249
Running the Workflow with Two Lanes 251
Configuring the Approver3Lane of the CAG 252
Run the Workflow with Three Lanes 254
Summary 254
Workshop 255
Quiz 255
Answers 255
HOUR 12 Working with the WF RuleSet 257
Creating the RuleSet 258
RuleSet Terminology and Project Ruleset 258
Creating the Project 260
Creating the RuleSet via the Policy Activity 260
Monitoring the RuleSet 264
Adding RuleSet Tracing 265
Evaluating Pre-Execution Results 265
Evaluating Post-Execution Results 267
Calling Methods from Rules 267
Attributing Methods to Detect Dependency 269
Using the External RuleSet Application 271
Downloading the External RuleSet Application 271
Running the Sample Workflow 272
Uploading Rules to the External Database 273
Adding the Custom Policy Activity to the Toolbox 275
Preparing the Workflow to Use External Rules 275
Configuring the Workflow to Use External Rules 276
Running the Workflow with External Rules 277
Summary 278
Workshop 278
Quiz 278
Answers 279
Part IV Intermediate and Advanced Features
HOUR 13 Learning to Track Workflows 283
Tracking Architecture 284
Tracking and Business Activity Monitoring 285
TrackingProfileDesigner SDK Sample 286
Reviewing the TrackingSolution 286
Opening the TrackingProfileDesigner and Loading a Workflow 288
Tracking Workflow Level Events 289
Tracking Activity Level Executed and Completed Events 290
Uploading and Examining the Profile and Running the Workflow 292
Additional Tracking Functionality 294
Manually Updating Tracking Profile and UserTrackingRecords 298
Adding User Tracking Data 299
Retrieving and Saving the TrackingProfile to a File 299
Manually Modifying and Uploading a Tracking Profile 300
Workshop 304
Quiz 304
Answers 305
HOUR 14 Working with Roles 307
Explaining Roles 307
Describing the Role Solution 308
Setting up an ASP.NET Role Provider 308
Updating the Host 311
Updating the Workflow 312
Adding Level2Role Support 315
Adding Level2Role Support to the Workflow 315
Adding Level2Role Support to the Code-Beside 315
Running the Solution with Level 2 Support 316
Summary 317
Workshop 317
Quiz 317
Answers 317
HOUR 15 Working with Dynamic Update 319
Applying Dynamic Update: Outside and Inside 320
Applying Dynamic Update from the Inside 321
Applying Dynamic Update from the Outside Unplanned 324
Explaining Dynamic Update from the Outside Planned 326
Updating Rules Dynamically 327
Selecting Which Version to Run 329
Changing Declarative Rule Conditions with Dynamic Update 329
Changing a RuleSet Rule via the CodeDom 332
Dynamic Update: Exploring Workflow Changes Sample 337
Summary 340
Workshop 341
Quiz 341
Answers 341
HOUR 16 Working with Exceptions, Compensation, and Transactions 343
Creating the Project 344
Basic Exception Handling 344
Modeling the ExceptionWorkflow 345
Adding a Workflow-Level FaultHandlers Activity 345
Handling the Exception 348
Configuring Visual Studio Debugger to Not Trap CLR Exceptions 349
Hierarchical Exception Handling and the Throw Activity 350
Updating the Exception Workflow 350
Catching Exceptions in the IfElse Activity 351
Handling Exceptions in the IfElse Activity 352
Use the Throw Activity 353
Reconfiguring the Throw Activity 353
Activity Handlers Elements and Views 354
Cancellation Handlers 355
Performing Preliminary Setup 355
Modeling the CancellationWorkflow 356
Adding the Cancellation Handler 356
Compensation Overview 357
Performing Preliminary Setup 358
Registering the SQL Persistence Service 358
Modeling the CompensationWorkflow 359
Adding the Compensation Handler 359
Adding a FaultHandlers Activity to the Workflow and Rerunning the Workflow
361
Adding a Compensate Activity to the Fault Handler 361
Moving the Throw Activity into the CompensatableSequence Activity 362
Transactions 363
Performing Preliminary Setup 363
Model and Configure the TransactionWorkflow 364
Running the SQL Script to Create the TestTransaction Database 365
Running the Workflow 365
Summary 366
Workshop 367
Quiz 367
Answers 368
HOUR 17 Learning Advanced Hosting 369
Exploring WorkflowRuntime Events 370
Workflow Events Sample Application 371
Running the AdvancedHostingForms Project 372
Runtime Services 375
Loading Service 377
Workflow Queuing Service 378
Building the Scheduling Service Project 379
Modeling and Configuring the Workflow 379
Updating the Host to Run Three Workflows 380
Running the Workflow with the DefaultWorkflowScheduler Service 381
Updating the Host to Use the ManualWorkflowSchedulerService 381
Running the Workflow with the ManualWorkflowSchedulerService 382
Modifying the Workflow to Use Delay Activities 383
InvokeWorkflow Activity 384
InvokeWorkflow Project: Host Prematurely Exits 385
InvokeWorkflow Project: Host Waits 387
InvokeWorkflow Project: Synchronous Calls and Parameters 387
Summary 394
Workshop 394
Quiz 394
Answers 395
HOUR 18 Working with Web Services and ASP.NET Hosting 397
Creating the Solution and Projects 398
Creating a Workflow and Publishing It as a Web Service 398
Creating Dependency Properties 398
Modeling and Publishing the Workflow 399
Creating the Interface to Produce the WSDL 399
Configure the WebServiceInput Activity 400
Configuring the IfElse Activity 401
Configuring the WebServiceOutput Activity 402
Publishing the Workflow as a Web Service 403
Calling a Web Service from a Workflow 404
Creating Dependency Properties 404
Modeling the Workflow 404
Finishing Configuring the InvokeWebService Activity 405
Running the Basic Workflow Solution 406
Additional Workflow Topics 407
Working with SOAP Faults 407
Exploring Generated Project and Cookie Usage 410
Exploring the WebServiceInvokeActivity.WebServiceProxy Property 412
Learning ASP.NET Hosting 413
Opening the Existing Solution and Creating the ASP.NET Project 413
Instantiating the WorkflowRuntime 414
Creating the ASP.NET Web Form 415
Starting the Workflow Instance 416
Running the ASP.Net Hosted Workflow 418
Summary 418
Workshop 418
Quiz 418
Answers 419
HOUR 19 Learning WF-WCF Integration 421
Overview of Windows Communication Foundation 421
WF and WCF Overview 422
Hosting a Workflow in WCF Using Existing Interface and Receive Activity 424
Creating the Solution and Projects 425
ABCs of WCF and WF Specific Bindings 426
Exploring the ContractsAndWorkflows Project and Bindings 427
Creating the WCF Endpoint and Host 431
Creating the Console Application Client 434
Hosting a Workflow in WCF: Configuring Receive Activity and Updating Interface
437
Modifying the Interface 438
Configuring the Receive Activity 438
Rebuilding the Client 441
Accessing WorkflowRuntime from WorkflowServiceHost 442
Performing Preparatory Work 443
Retrieving the WorkflowRuntime 443
Running the Project 444
Connecting to a WCF Endpoint from WF 445
Updating the Workflow 445
Summary 448
Workshop 449
Quiz 449
Answers 449
Part V Custom Activities
HOUR 20 Creating Basic Custom Activities 453
Custom Activity Conceptual Overview 453
Improve on Out-of-the-Box Activities 454
Create Domain-Specific Activities 454
Custom Control Flow Patterns 454
Custom Activity Technical Overview 455
Basic Custom Activity Overview 456
Creating the Solution and Projects 456
Creating the Solution and Projects 457
Creating the Customer Custom Activity 457
Setting the Base Activity 457
Overriding the Execute Method 458
Adding the Custom Activity to a Workflow 459
Updating the Customer Activity to Receive Input 460
Updating the Customer Activity to Retrieve Information from a Database 462
Adding Existing Custom CreditCheck Activity 465
Adding Event Handlers to Activities 469
Creating Compound Activities 470
Creating and Modeling the Compound Activity 470
Configure the IfElse Activit 471
Configuring the CheckCredit Activity in the CompoundCreditCheck Activity 472
Configuring the Customer Activity in the CompoundCreditCheck Activity 472
Creating a New Sequential Workflow 473
Modeling the Workflow with the CompoundCreditCheck Activity 473
Activity Programming Model 475
Designer Components 475
Creating an Activity Designer Theme 476
ToolboxBitMap Class 478
Adding Graphic as Image and Associating Class 479
Adding the Activity to the Toolbox Across Projects 480
Creating the VSContent File 480
Creating the VSI file 480
Workshop 482
Quiz 482
Answers 482
HOUR 21 Creating Queued Activities 483
Exploring Activity Life Cycle Topics 484
WorkflowQueue 484
ActivityExecutionContext 485
Overview of Samples 486
Creating the Solution and Projects 486
Creating a Basic Custom Queued Activity 487
Performing Preliminary Custom Activity Setup 487
Override the Initialize Method 487
Override the Execute Method 489
Adding Code to the QueueItemAvailable Handler 490
Override the Uninitialize Method 492
Updating Host to Send Data to the Queue 492
Running the Workflow 493
Custom Activity Queued from Service 493
Creating the CustomerQueuedFromService Service 494
Creating the CustomerQueuedFromServiceActivity Custom Activity 498
Updating the Host to Use the New Service 503
Summary 504
Workshop 505
Quiz 505
Answers 505
HOUR 22 Creating Typed Queued and EventDriven-Enabled Activities 507
Creating a Custom Activity that Accesses a Typed Service 507
Preliminary Project Setup 508
Adding the CustomerEventArgs File 508
Modifying the CustomerQueuedFromTypedServiceActivity Custom Activity 09
Modifying the CustomerQueuedFromTypedService Service 510
Updating the Host to Use the Typed Service 513
Creating an EventDriven Activity 513
Creating the CustomerEventDrivenActivity Custom Activity 514
Workshop 522
Quiz 522
Answers 523
HOUR 23 Creating Control Flow Activities Session 1 525
Control Flow Activity Conceptual Overview 525
Creating the Solution and Projects 527
Creating the Control Flow Activity 527
Creating Nonexecuting Control Flow Activity 527
Adding Single Child Activity Execution 529
Executing All Child Activities 532
Designer Hierarchy Overview 535
Adding Parallel Execution Option 536
Adding Cancellation and Early Completion 542
Creating GeneralControlFlowBranch and Adding a Condition 545
Summary 549
Workshop 549
Quiz 549
Answers 549
HOUR 24 Creating Control Flow Activities Session 2 551
Enhancing the GeneralControlFlow Activity 551
Adding a Custom Designer 552
Adding ToolBoxItem 554
Adding Custom Validation 556
Adding Attached Properties and the ActivityCondition Type 561
Reviewing Activity Life Cycle Artifacts 568
Implementing Compensation 570
Summary 572
Workshop 572
Quiz 572
Answers 572
Index 575
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