Developing Reusable Workflow Features (SPS Richmond)
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This document summarizes Mike Oryszak's presentation on developing reusable workflow features in SharePoint. The presentation covered approaches for creating reusable workflows by centralizing configuration data, leveraging central services, and linking workflows together. It provided examples of creating custom actions for workflows and demonstrated reusable workflows for budget approval limits and out of office delegation that pull configuration from centralized sources like user profiles and business connectivity services. Additional examples of reusable sub-processes for tasks like check requests were also discussed.
Developing Reusable Workflow Features (SPS Richmond)
- 1. Developing Reusable Workflow Features SharePoint Saturday Richmond Mike Oryszak http://www.mikeoryszak.com November 5, 2011
- 2. About Me • Practice Manager with Intellinet • Microsoft SharePoint Server MVP • Dev and Architect with MS stack since 1996 • Working with SharePoint since 2002 • Raleigh-Durham, NC Area since 1998
- 3. Session Overview • Approach and Goals • Overview on Creating Custom Actions • Example 1 – Budget Approval Limits • Example 2 – Out of Office Delegation • Additional Examples • Wrap-up and Questions
- 4. Developing Reusable Workflow Features APPROACH AND GOALS
- 5. Approach and Goals Common Workflow Limitations • Common Workflow Limitations – Workflows developed one at a time – Config and Admin content is localized – Silos – Maintaining data difficult, and process admin focused
- 6. Approach and Goals Workflow Reuse Goals • Reuse Goals – Centralize common configuration data – Leverage central farm services – Make it easier for users to maintain their data – Reduce time to create new workflows – Improve efficiency of managing workflows
- 7. Approach and Goals Recommended Approaches • Approaches – Take a “Portfolio Approach” to process design – Change data lookup sources from local to central • Budget Approval Limit example • Out of Office Delegation example – Group common functions or calls into Actions or Services • Out of Office Delegation example • Check Request example – Leverage central services like User Profiles, BCS • Budget Approval example • Out of Office Delegation example – Link workflows together; start workflow from another • Check Request example
- 8. Developing Reusable Workflow Features CREATING CUSTOM ACTIONS
- 9. Creating Custom Actions Full Trust Actions • Approaches – Leverage central services like User Profiles, BCS • Budget Approval example • Out of Office Delegation example – Link workflows together; start workflow from another • Check Request example
- 10. Creating Custom Actions Farm Solution Implementation • Important Namespaces – System.Workflow.ComponentModel – Microsoft.SharePoint.Workflow – Microsoft.SharePoint.WorkflowActions • Key Dev Tasks – Change Class Def to “public partial class <Name> : Activity” – Define Properties – Override ActivityExecutionStatus Execute – Override ActivityExecutionStatus HandleFault – Create WorkflowActions definition in Elements.xml – Register Type in web.config
- 11. Creating Custom Actions Sandboxed Actions • Developed in Visual Studio • Limited to Site Collection boundaries • Does not require server admin to deploy; O365 • Provides a way to create simple reusable features
- 12. Creating Custom Actions Sandboxed Solution Imlementation • Important Namespaces – Microsoft.SharePoint.Workflow – Microsoft.SharePoint.UserCode • Key Dev Tasks – Action must return a Hashtable – Action must accept a SPUserCodeWorkflowContext as the first argument – Create WorkflowActions definition in Elements.xml
- 13. Developing Reusable Workflow Features BUDGET APPROVAL LIMITS
- 14. Budget Approval Limits Overview • A common example of data needed to support an approval workflow • Centralize the data so that it is available for multiple processes • Leverage services like User Profile and BCS
- 15. Budget Approval Limits Bad Approach Load Budget For Approver Issues: • 3 Sites, separate config lists • Separate Maintenance • Out of Sync
- 16. Budget Approval Limits Alternative Approach Advantages: • Central Source • Can Sync (BCS) • Distributed Management
- 17. Budget Approval Limits Demo
- 18. Developing Reusable Workflow Features OUT OF OFFICE DELEGATION
- 19. Out of Office Delegation Overview • SharePoint has no built-in Out of Office Delegation • Great example of User Maintained config data • Great example of leveraging User Profiles
- 20. Out of Office Delegation Bad Approach • Building it into each process, with localized data stored in a list on the workflow site – Process Admin Maintains it – Data stored in multiple places – Workflow steps maintained in multiple places
- 21. Out of Office Delegation Alternative Approach • Out of Office Delegation Feature – User Profile Custom Attributes • Out of Office Start Date • Out of Office End Date • Out of Office Delegation – Custom Workflow Action • Simplifies check from SPD workflows
- 22. Out of Office Delegation Demo
- 23. Developing Reusable Workflow Features ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES
- 24. Additional Examples • Standard Feature Requests – Escalations – Task Reminders – Out of Office Delegation – Role Based Assignments (CFO, Ops Mgr, etc) • Frequent Re-usable Processes – Check Request – Compliance Activity Logging
- 25. Additional Examples Initiating Another Workflow • Create Reusable Sub-Processes • Use Standard Events – New Item – Edit Item • Can use Full Trust Actions to add/edit items between site collections
- 26. Check Request Workflow Overview • Check Request is an example of a process that may be initiated from multiple processes • Could be built into each process, or separated into a separate “sub-process” for reuse
- 27. Check Request Workflow Bad Approach Issues: • Same process steps • AP users have tasks in x sites • Multiple places to update if process changes • Process owners may not understand other uses
- 28. Check Request Workflow Sub-Process Approach Advantages: • Std process on AP site • Easy access for AP users • Easy to maintain and monitor
- 29. Developing Reusable Workflow Features WRAP-UP
- 30. Wrap-up Recommended Approach • Recommended Approaches – Take a “Portfolio Approach” to process design – Change data lookup sources from local to central – Group common functions or calls into Actions or Services – Leverage central services like User Profiles, BCS – Link workflows together; start workflow from another
- 31. Additional Resources • MSDN – Create a Sandbox Workflow Action – http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff798499.aspx • MSDN – Reference Implementation Workflow Activities – http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff798330.aspx • User Profiles – Creating Custom Properties – http://www.mikeoryszak.com/sharepoint/user-profiles-%e2%80%93-creating- custom-properties • User Profiles – Driving Business Process – http://www.mikeoryszak.com/sharepoint/user-profiles-%e2%80%93-driving-business- process • Workflow Posts – http://www.mikeoryszak.com/tag/workflow
- 32. Questions?
- 33. Contact Info • Blog - http://www.mikeoryszak.com • Twitter - @Next_Connect • Email – nextconnect@live.com • LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeloryszak
- 34. Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
- 35. SharePint Everyone is invited to SharePint Immediately following SharePoint Saturday Richmond (or around 6:20 PM) Meet at aloft Richmond West 3939 Duckling Drive Glen Allen, VA 23060 (down the street from Dave & Buster’s) Then we will hop to the next location and the next within walking distance! SharePint: a gathering of SharePoint enthusiasts for fun, food, and drink.