My notes from attending this Microsoft Tech Ed 2006 session…

  • WF is a framework for building workflow into applications.
  • It is part of the .NET Framwork 3.0.
  • Workflow: a program defined as a set of activities, control flow, run durably and transparently
  • You still have to provide a host for the workflow (i.e. instantiate the workflow objects)
  • Activity Framework
    • Specialized activities: Class with an execute method, returns ActivityExecutionStatus
    • Composite activities: Structure, State Machine, Rules-based
    • Flexible: You can change rules and add steps while WF is running
    • You can develop workflow in Visual Studio 2005 or Office Sharepoint Designer
  • Runtime: Hosted very easily. Instantiate, add services, create workflow
  • WF beta 2.2 is currently available.
  • Will be released with Vista.
  • More information available at http://www.WindowsWorkflow.net