Windows workflow is an excellent framework for implementing business processes. One thing that is missing in it is direct support for human activities. Several approaches to solving this problem exist, but they are not generic enough for general usage. In this article we will define one of the approaches to a completely generic implementation of human activities in WF.
In a recent blog post, Microsoft announced that the first generation objects of their WF technology are being deprecated in the upcoming .NET 4.5 release. WF, which is a workflow engine leveraged by .NET developers as well as a handful of Microsoft server products, has multiple new capabilities in .NET 4.5 while officially putting application that leverage the old .NET 3.0 objects on notice.
Windows Workflow 4 is a major rewrite of the library. While it has the same goal, to provide a modeling language for long-running tasks, there are some significant differences coming out of what is essentially a complete rewrite.
A new article by David Chappell describes how BPM engines are different from plain programs written in Java, C#, etc. and the ways Windows Workflow Foundation can be used to build workflow applications.
The Component-based Scalable Logical Architecture for .NET (CSLA .NET) version 3.6 has been released including support for Microsoft Silverlight 2.0. CSLA .NET is a .NET software development framework which helps one to “build a powerful, maintainable business logic layer for Windows, Web, service-oriented and workflow applications”.
Mohammad Akif provides an overview of the release the .NET Framework 3.0. While there are no changes in the CLR there are significant additions to framework itself in the form or a new language, XAML, and brand new libraries like WPF, WF and WCF. In order to unleash its full potential Architects need to understand the changes and possibilities of this latest release of .NET.
Scott Allen walks through the implementation of a HandleExternal Event Activity in Windows Workflow Foundation that is used to handle events raised by the process that is hosting the workflow runtime.
In this decidedly non-marketing presentation, Microsoft Architect Beat Schwegler shows how service-orientation affects system architecture. He introduces the notion of a service model as a mediator between the business and technology models, and explains how a migration towards such an architecture could occur through a step-by-step architectural refactoring.
Scott Allan is interviewed by David Totzke on Windows Workflow Foundation, recorded a year ago at VSLive Toronto. Scott talks about the capabilities of Windows Workflow foundation, how it integrates into application development, how Microsoft is using WWF in its own products, DSLs and WWF, and architectural pattterns possible with WWF.
