workflow design for enduser
In my application, workflows can be created by VS2005 and compiled in DLLs.
Can WWF give a way for enduser to design extra workflows and integrate into the app?
Thanks
Answers
You have to do a little work, but the workflow foundation comes with a workflow designer control that you can host in WinForms, WPF, or IE apps. There are samples in the SDK related to hosting the designer including the workflow monitor. Check out the samples on www.windowsworkflow.net for more use of this control.
You can also check out this simple editor example posted by Mark Schmidt.
http://blogs.msdn.com/markhsch/archive/2005/10/06/478042.aspx
The designer itself allows you to serialize the workflow defintion. If you have code that needs to be edited, you'll need to provide a way for users to enter code.
In terms of the data returned from InvokeMethod and InvokeWebService, you can either look at using property binding so that an activity has its property bound to another activity, or providing some custom code to handle the generation of fields/properties in the workflow and the setting of those properties. This could be done with a code editor, or you could simply write your own code around the designer to generate that code.
If you have end users editing workflows, the property binding is the easiest to implement and one of the most powerful mechanisms, in my opinion, in Workflow.
Matt
All Replies
You have to do a little work, but the workflow foundation comes with a workflow designer control that you can host in WinForms, WPF, or IE apps. There are samples in the SDK related to hosting the designer including the workflow monitor. Check out the samples on www.windowsworkflow.net for more use of this control.
You can also check out this simple editor example posted by Mark Schmidt.
http://blogs.msdn.com/markhsch/archive/2005/10/06/478042.aspx
How does designer store data return from InvokeMethod/ InvokeWebService?
Can I define workflow storages by workflow editor?
Thanks
- Please help me
The designer itself allows you to serialize the workflow defintion. If you have code that needs to be edited, you'll need to provide a way for users to enter code.
In terms of the data returned from InvokeMethod and InvokeWebService, you can either look at using property binding so that an activity has its property bound to another activity, or providing some custom code to handle the generation of fields/properties in the workflow and the setting of those properties. This could be done with a code editor, or you could simply write your own code around the designer to generate that code.
If you have end users editing workflows, the property binding is the easiest to implement and one of the most powerful mechanisms, in my opinion, in Workflow.
Matt
- are you the guy i think of ?
Hi Kha,
Please take a look at Lab 10 in the Hands on Labs.
You will find that this shows how to use the designer and holw to save, build and run workflows from the hosted designer.
Cheers
Chris

