Developing Workflow Applications in C# using Microsoft WF Technology

Overview
The course covers the conceptual, analysis and design and programming aspects of implementing Workflow applications using the Microsoft Workflow Foundation Technology framework

Course Contents
Overview of Workflow oriented applications Introduction to the Windows Workflow Foundation Workflow Designer

• Workflow project creation
• Basics of using Workflow Designer
  • Decomposing a workflow into activities
  • Identifying workflow properties
  • Implementing activity code
  • Implementing event handlers
  • Hosting the workflow runtime
  • Running the workflow application

Structure of WF

• WF as an SOA (Service Oriented Architecture)
• Workflows
  • Sequential Workflows
  • State Machine Workflows
• WF Components
  • Class Libraries and Framework
  • WF Runtime Engine
  • WF Runtime Services
  • WF Design Tools
  • .NET Runtime
• WF Runtime Environment
  • Application host process
  • Runtime Engine functionality
  • Registered Core Services
  • Registered Local Services
  • Workflow instance - activities and rules
• Workflow designer
  • Sequential and statechart workflow views
  • Fault handler view
  • Activity editor
  • Rule condition and ruleset editors
  • Workflow debugger

Activities in Detail

• Activity class hierarchy
• Standard activities
  • Workflow logic and flow control
  • State management and event handling
  • Rules
  • Web services
  • Transactions, synchronisation and compensation
  • Error and exception handling
• Code activity
  • Custom activity

Flow Control

• ifELseActivity
• WhileActivity
• ParallelActivity
• ReplicatorActivity
• Activity use
  • ConditionActivityGroup
  • InvokeWorkflowActivity
  • TerminateActivity
  • SuspendActivity

Implementing and Deploying Local Services

• Basics
• Custom Activity
• CallExternalMethod Activity
• EventHandlingScope Activity

Workflow Persistence

• SpWorkflowPersistenceService
• Custom Persistence Service implementation

State Machine Workflows

• Analysis and design aspects
• State Machine Workflow Implementation
  • Defining the Local Service Interface
  • Implementing the workflow and the host application
• Refactoring and Duplicate Event Handler Elimination
• Accessing Run Time information
• Testing

Transaction and Compensation

• Definitions and concepts
• TransactionScopeActivity
• Compensation and Compensation Activities
• Batching workflows
• IPendingWork interface

Workflow Rules

• Rule based application concepts
• Working with rules in WF
  • Defining Rules
  • Defining RuleSets
  • Using attributes to identify dependencies
• PolicyActivity approach to defining rules
• Rule tracing
• Rule sequence modification and rule priorities
• Accessing Methods within Rules
• Constructing and Executing RuleSets programatically

Exception and Error Handling in Detail

• Analysis and Design issues
• Exception Workflow
• FaultHandlerActivity
• Containing an Exception
• Rethrowing an Exception
• Compensation and Exceptions
  • Compensation Workflow
• CancelHandlerWorkflow

Updating Workflows Dynamically

• Restricting updates
• Applying updates via the host application
• Applying updates from within the workflow
• Updating Rule Conditions
• Replacing Rules

Tracking Workflows

• Basic strategies
• Using the SqlTrackingService
• Creation and use of Track Points
• Rule evaluation tracking
• Tracking profiles - creation and management
• Tracking services

Publishing a Workflow as a Web Service Using ASP.NET

• Overview of Web Services and ASP.Net
• Stateful Web Service Implementation
• Invocation of a Web Service from a Workflow
• Returning a Service Fault from a Web Service

Workflow Serialisation and Markup

• Overview of XML and XAML
• WF Authoring Modes
  • Code-only
  • Code-separation
  • No-code
• Using rules in no-code workflows
• Creating a markup file from an in-memory workflow model
  • Serialising to Markup
  • Deserialising markup
• Compiling a Workflow

Hosting and Implementing Workflow Designers

• Workflow Designer Classes
• Designer Services
• Implementing customised Designer Applications