Developing Applications with Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) (Video Training)

Video

Sample: Introduction
Sample: Lesson 11, Passing Parameters into and out of a Workflow
 

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For all developers who want to leverage the power of Windows Workflow Foundation in their own applications.

Looking for a better way to master today’s rapidly changing programming technologies? Want expert help, but don’t have the time or energy to read a book? Can’t find classroom training worth the money? Discover LiveLessons: self-paced, personal video instruction from the world’s leading technology experts.

• LiveLessons are three-to-four hour video courses, on DVD with a book supplement, that are organized into bite-sized, self-contained lessons–you’ll learn key skills in as little as fifteen minutes!
• Each lesson begins with well-defined learning objectives and ends with comprehensive summaries, which help you track your progress.
• Follow along as your instructor shows how to get results in today’s top development environments.

Windows Workflow Foundation is a complex topic. Much of the development and actions of workflows are completed interactively in Visual Studio Designer and are not easily communicated through the written word.

In twenty quick and easy lessons, .NET expert and trainer Brian Noyes takes you through comprehensive visual training and shows you how to build software that takes full advantage of this revolutionary new product. With Developing Applications with Windows Workflow Foundation, you’ll master workflow concepts, integration, persistence, Web services, exceptions, transactions, events, and more–all at your own pace.

Author's Site

Please visit the author's website at www.softinsight.com/LiveLesson.

Praise For Developing Applications with Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) (Video Training)

"The LiveLessons format is ideal for learning WF and Brian Noyes is the perfect instructor. The pace is excellent and in just three hours, you’ll have a clear understanding of workflows and WF."—Guy Barrette, Blogger & Microsoft MVP, LevelExtreme.net

Preface

Download the preface

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Lesson 1: Windows Workflow Foundation Overview 1

WF Packaging 1

Workflow Types 2

The Base Activity Library 3

WF Design Process 4

Lesson 2: WF Architecture and Services 5

WF Capabilities 5

WF Layered Architecture 6

WF Services 6

WF Execution Model 6

Dependency Properties 7

Lesson 3: Visual Studio 2005 Project and Item Templates 9

WF Project Templates 9

WF Project Item Templates 10

Code versus Code Separation 11

Lesson 4: Sequential Workflow Basics 13

Sequential Workflow Designer 13

Sequential Workflow Execution 14

Lesson 5: State Machine Workflow Basics 17

State Machine Workflow Designer 17

Hierarchical Navigation in a State Machine 17

State Machine Workflow Execution 19

Lesson 6: Base Activities 1 21

Code Activity 21

IfElse Activity 21

Conditions 22

While Activity 24

Lesson 7: Base Activities 2 25

Delay Activity 25

Sequence Activity 25

Parallel Activity 26

InvokeWorkflow Activity 26

Concurrency in Workflows 27

Lesson 8: Base Activities 3 29

Listen Activity 29

ConditionedActivityGroup Activity 29

Replicator Activity 30

Policy Activity 31

Lesson 9: Integrating WF into Applications 33

Hosting the WorkflowRuntime 33

Creating a Workflow Instance 33

Getting a WorkflowInstance for a Running Workflow 34

Host Application Requirements for WF 34

Handling Workflow Lifecycle Events 34

Lesson 10: Enabling Persistence and Tracking 35

Creating the Persistence and Tracking Databases 35

Adding Persistence through Code 35

Adding Tracking through Code 36

Adding Persistence or Tracking in the config File 36

Runtime Effects of Persistence 37

Lesson 11: Passing Parameters into and out of a Workflow 39

Defining Workflow Properties for Parameters 39

Passing Input Parameters 40

Getting Output Parameters 40

Lesson 12: Calling into a Running Workflow from the Host Application 41

Host Communications Model 41

Lesson 13: Calling from a Workflow into the Host Application 45

Outgoing Calls Summary 45

Lesson 14: Web Service Calls out from a Workflow 47

InvokeWebService Activity Overview 47

Lesson 15: Web Service Calls into a Workflow 49

Exposing Web Services from a Workflow 49

Host Site ASMX File 50

Web.config Entries 50

Lesson 16: Exception Handling 51

Fault Handling Scopes in Workflows 51

Throw Activity 52

Lesson 17: Using Transactions in Workflows 53

Transactions in Workflows 53

Atomic Transactions 53

Long-Running Transactions 54

Lesson 18: Handling Events in Workflows 55

Event Handling in Workflows 55

Lesson 19: Developing Custom Composite Activities 57

Creating Custom Composite Activities 57

Defining Dependency Properties for Data Binding 58

Creating Custom Control Flow 58

Lesson 20: Developing Custom Simple Activities 61

Creating Custom Simple Activities 61

Creating Custom Design-Time Support for Your Custom Activity 61