Designing, Deploying and Managing Workflow in SharePoint Sites Steve Heaney Product Development Manager OBS [email protected] Agenda • Office workflow vision and ecosystem • End user workflow concepts • Workflow design and development tools • Workflow design using SharePoint Designer • Office workflow hosting & activities • Questions Office Workflow Vision • Facilitate human processes by attaching business logic to items and documents in Windows SharePoint Services, while providing context and tracking progress • Empower information workers using Office Server with out-of-the-box solutions and self-service tools to support a broad range of routing and tracking scenarios without IT involvement • Empower organisations to build a broad range of sophisticated workflow solutions that take advantage of the full functionality of the Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) platform and integrate into the SharePoint and Office experiences Office Workflow Ecosystem Access Authoring Browser SharePoint Apps UI Services Designer Outlook SharePoint Source List Task List History List Reporting & Admin Initiation and parameter WF Web setting Wizard-based authoring Service Task Completion Forms integration Task Notification Initiation and Reporting Administration Application deployment parameter setting Task Completion Reporting/Status Ad-hoc Customization (Forward/Delegate) Initiation Task Completion Parameter setting Ad-hoc Customization (Forward/Delegate) Task Notification and Completion Visual Studio and Workflow SDK LOB Integration Structured Workflow Authoring Scenarios Industry specific processes Purchase orders Product lifecycle mgmt SharePoint Designer Workflow Custom Tracking Apps Service Requests Asset Tracking Custom Form Actions Document Processes Email Notification Spec Review Exception Handling Weekly Status Report (with customization) Tracking Applications Issue tracking Routing and Approval Review – Approval Signature collection East Asian workflow Office Server Features List Moderation Publishing Process Document Expiration Ad Hoc Out-of-the-Box Solutions Who Uses Workflow? • Adhoc participation by Knowledge workers – Participates in WSS, Office, and Outlook – Starts workflows, completes tasks – Focus – flexible and familiar • Familiar to WSS Administrators – Set workflow settings (available workflows, default settings) – Manage Site/Box (deployment, activation) – Focus – consistent and integrated • Powerful tools for Developers – Suited development tools • VS for professional developers • SharePoint Designer for site authors – SDK with activities and samples Using in built workflow templates What did we see? • Associating a workflow • Workflow initiation • Task completion Workflow Authoring Tools SharePoint Designer (Web Designer) Visual Studio (Pro-Dev) Development Model Wizard-based workflow designer Development Model Visual workflow designer Activities Re-use OOB/deployed activities Activities Forms Auto-generated Forms -ASPX Forms Deployment Deployment Workflow authored live against server Runtime compilation Solutions package generated Box administrator installable Re-use OOB/deployed activities Can author new activities Designed Forms -InfoPath -ASPX The role of forms in workflow Forms are used for: Configuring workflows, starting workflows, and completing tasks • ASPX Forms (Windows SharePoint Services and Office servers) –Server only • InfoPath Forms (Office servers) –Server rendered by Office Forms Server –Office client integration –Write once, run server, and client (same form) Workflow Authoring with SharePoint Designer • Scenarios: Authoring SharePoint apps – Document Workflow, e.g. My route for review – Web ‘Guided Process’, e.g. New Hire Process – Custom Form Action, e.g. on click, send email • Authoring environment includes – Workflow designer based on Rules Wizard experience – Building blocks for workflow based SharePoint apps • Document workflows • Send mail, update list item • Custom developed workflows and building blocks – Verification and deployment of workflows Designing Workflows in SharePoint Designer What Did We See? • Workflow Creation Wizard • No code workflow authoring Office Workflow Hosting • Windows Workflow Foundation • Office Activities • Windows SharePoint Services Host Windows Workflow Foundation Extensible framework and tools for building workflow into Windows applications • Common workflow technology for Microsoft products, ISVs and customer solutions • A framework to build on – not a server or application • Key features – – – – Unified model for human and system workflow Extensible activity framework Allows workflows to run in any application or server Visual designer for graphical and code-based authoring • Availability – Included in .net 3.0 – powers Office 2007 workflow Windows Workflow Foundation Visual Designer Key Concepts • Workflows are a set of activities A Workflow • Activities are the building blocks • Workflows run within a Host Process: Any application or server • Developers can build their own Custom Activity Libraries Components • Base Activity Library: Out-of-box activities and base for custom activities • Runtime Engine: Workflow execution and state management • Runtime Services: Hosting flexibility and communication • Visual Designer: Graphical and code-based construction An Activity Custom Activity Library Windows Workflow Foundation Base Activity Library Runtime Engine Runtime Services Host Process Host Process What Are Activities? • Workflow consists of Activities… – The workflow itself is an Activity • Activity is the basic building block – Unit of Reuse – Unit of Execution • Has associated properties, conditions and events – Configured in Markup and/or Code – Supports pre/post interception hooks into execution in user code • Activities fall under two broad categories – Basic – Composite Office Activity Examples Activities are the building blocks of workflows. – Create Task – Complete Task – On Task Change – Delete Task – Update Item – Create Item – Copy/Delete Item – On Item Change – Log to workflow history list Office Workflow Host • WSS host provides: –Persistence –Event Delivery –Timer –History and Reporting –WSS Application Integration • Workflow Foundation is hosted in WSS process on all front-end machines • Workflow instances are aggressively dehydrated to the back-end database Visual Studio Workflow Designer • The Visual Studio Workflow Designer Provides a project system for developing workflow solutions • It lets you quickly define a workflow graphically – Drag activities from Toolbox onto design surface • Configure activity properties in Properties window – Code-beside for business logic (your code) – Provides a mechanism for compiling workflows – Integrated workflow and code debugging More information… • DEV05 - Developing Visual Studio Workflows and Activities for SharePoint Sites (Tomorrow morning 9:15 Level 2, Room 3) Thank you! •Questions
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