Developing Reusable Workflow Features

Charlotte SharePoint User GroupMike Oryszak

http://www.mikeoryszak.com

September 21, 2011

• 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

About Me

• 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

Session Overview

APPROACH AND GOALSDeveloping Reusable Workflow Features

• Common Workflow Limitations– Workflows developed one at a time– Config and Admin content is localized – Silos– Maintaining data difficult, and process admin focused

Approach and GoalsCommon Workflow Limitations

• 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

Approach and GoalsWorkflow Reuse Goals

• 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

Approach and GoalsRecommended Approaches

CREATING CUSTOM ACTIONSDeveloping Reusable Workflow Features

• 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

Creating Custom ActionsFull Trust Actions

• 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

Creating Custom ActionsFarm Solution Implementation

• 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

Creating Custom ActionsSandboxed Actions

• 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

Creating Custom ActionsSandboxed Solution Imlementation

BUDGET APPROVAL LIMITSDeveloping Reusable Workflow Features

• 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

Budget Approval LimitsOverview

Budget Approval LimitsBad Approach

Load Budget For Approver Issues:• 3 Sites, separate config lists• Separate Maintenance• Out of Sync

Budget Approval LimitsAlternative Approach

Advantages:• Central Source• Can Sync (BCS)• Distributed Management

Demo

Budget Approval Limits

OUT OF OFFICE DELEGATIONDeveloping Reusable Workflow Features

• SharePoint has no built-in Out of Office Delegation

• Great example of User Maintained config data

• Great example of leveraging User Profiles

Out of Office DelegationOverview

• 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

Out of Office DelegationBad 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

Out of Office DelegationAlternative Approach

Demo

Out of Office Delegation

ADDITIONAL EXAMPLESDeveloping Reusable Workflow Features

• 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

Additional Examples

• Create Reusable Sub-Processes

• Use Standard Events– New Item– Edit Item

• Can use Full Trust Actions to add/edit items between site collections

Additional ExamplesInitiating Another Workflow

• 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

Check Request WorkflowOverview

Check Request WorkflowBad 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

Check Request WorkflowSub-Process Approach

Advantages:• Std process on AP site• Easy access for AP users• Easy to maintain and

monitor

WRAP-UPDeveloping Reusable Workflow Features

• 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

Wrap-upRecommended Approach

• 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

Additional Resources

Questions?

Contact Info

• Blog - http://www.mikeoryszak.com• Twitter - @Next_Connect• Email – mikeo@intellinet.com• LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeloryszak