Windows Workflow Foundation

Workflow applications have unique constraints:

• They often have to wait days, weeks, or months for events to occur, or for other activities to finish.
• They shouldn't consume processor cycles while waiting.
• They must survive machine resets.
• They often require asynchronous control flow.
• They often require the use of a compensation model, instead of traditional database transactions.

Meeting these requirements force developers to build a complex workflow infrastructure into their applications.

Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) provides a workflow infrastructure. With this WF-supplied runtime engine and a framework for implementing workflows, you can focus on the business logic, rules, and policies that you understand, rather than building workflow infrastructure plumbing.

In this 3 day course, you'll write several applications that will demonstrate how to build a range of workflow applications.

What you will learn

• Why did Microsoft create Windows Workflow Foundation
• The Windows Workflow Foundation architecture
• The relationships between host, activity, and workflow
• How to use the workflow compiler
• How to use XAML to design workflows
• How to design Workflows with and without Visual Studio.NET 2005
• How to use the Visual Studio.NET 2005 Workflow Designer
• How to use the features of the Windows Workflow Runtime class
• How to design and build a Workflow Host
• How to build Activities with Parallel Paths
• How to use the Built-in Flow Control Activities
• How to call External Methods from a Workflow
• How to handle Events in a Workflow
• How to use Composite Activities
• How to Pass Data in and out of Workflows
• How to use Workflow Rules Engine
• How the Workflow and the Runtime interact
• How to build Sequential Workflows
• How to build State Machine Workflows
• How to build Data or Policy Driven Workflows
• How to handle Errors in Workflow
• Understand Workflow Persistence
• How to use ACID Transactions in a Workflow
• How to use Compensation in a Workflow
• How to build Custom Workflow Activities
• How to track the state of your workflow

Course Outline

Overview of Workflow Foundation (WF)

• What is Workflow?
• What is Windows Workflow?
• When to use and when not to use WF
• Relationship between WF and BizTalk
• Windows Workflow Architecture
• Workflow Foundation Tools

Building Simple Workflows

• Workflows and Activities
  • Windows Workflow Foundation Runtime
  • Hosts and Workflow Instances
  • Windows Workflows Foundation and XAML
  • Windows Workflow Foundation Designer for Visual Studio 2005
  • Passing Data in and Out of Workflows
  • Composite Activities
• Basic Workflow Activities included with Workflow Foundation
  • Control Flow
  • Sequence and Parallel Activities
  • Calling External Methods
  • Events
• Workflow Runtime Interaction

Different Styles of Workflow

• Sequential Workflows
• State Machine Workflows
• Data or Rules Driven Workflows

Advanced Workflow Scenarios

• Workflow Error Handling
• Workflow Persistence
• Dynamic updates of running workflows
• Workflow Tracking
• Transactions and Compensation

Custom Activities

• Inadequacy of Basic Workflow Activities
• Custom Activities Reveal the Real Power of Windows Workflow