Basic Declarative Workflows

Overview and Demonstration of declarative workflows in SharePoint using Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2007

Kevin HughesMCT, MCITP, MCSA, MCTS, MCP, Network+, A+, ITIL

SharePoint ArchitectKevin@SharePointKevin.comhttp://www.sharepointkevin.com

Workflow Basics

A SharePoint workflow is the automated movement of documents or items through a sequence of actions or tasks that are related to a business process

Enables the organization to attach business logic to documents or items in a SharePoint list or library.

Can streamline the cost and time required to coordinate common business processes

Buying an item in a store When you buy an item, you need to:

find correct item take item to counter receive the price from attendant decide between credit card or cash

▪ if cash: ▪ give appropriate amount to attendant ▪ receive any change ▪ verify change ▪ pocket change

▪ if credit card: ▪ give credit card to attendant ▪ receive receipt for signature ▪ verify amount ▪ sign receipt ▪ return receipt to attendant ▪ put pen in pocket

retrieve item, and run before the attendant notices the missing pen

SharePoint Workflow Basics

Allow automation of many business processes

Can work with many SharePoint components

OOTB workflows have limitations Conditional logic is NOT supported Can not look up site data Little ability to route tasks

Declarative Workflows

Declarative means Follows a pre-defined process model where all

specifications, conditions and actions are defined within the workflow.

Relies on known and predictable circumstances The websvcWebPartPages Web Service in

Windows SharePoint Services contains methods that enable a declarative rules-based, code-free workflow editor, such as Office SharePoint Designer 2007, to create workflow templates and associate them with specific SharePoint lists.

Defined entirely in Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML)

Files and Storage

For a given site, declarative workflows must be stored in a site-level document library called Workflows.

Files: Workflow markup (.xoml) file Rules file Workflow configuration file Any .aspx forms needed, such as initiation forms (for

workflows that are started manually) or custom task forms

The files for each declarative workflow must be stored in a separate folder in the Workflow document library.

Benefits

Write workflow logic more advanced than OOTB templates

Create rules that associate conditions and actions with items in SharePoint lists and libraries

Use conditions to allow branching workflow paths

Manipulate list items or list data Automatically generates necessary,

customizable, forms No-Code required

Limitations

Security Context – Always run in the context of the user account which “owns” the workflow.

Can NOT be defined for Content Types Must be attached to specific list/library Can NOT be triggered by “System Account” Can NOT be triggered by list items submitted via

Email Fixed in SP2 to allow STSADM command to set this property “stsadm.exe –o setproperty –propertyname

declarativeworkflowautostartonemailenabled –propertyvalue yes”

Uses “default” Task list – may not be the one you think

Building Blocks

Events Conditions Actions

Events

What starts or initiates a workflow An item is created. An item is changed. A workflow participant clicks a start

button on the SharePoint site.

Conditions

Rules that apply conditional logic to SharePoint lists and items

Rules establish a condition where the workflow performs the associated action only if that condition is true

Associated with one or more actions: If all clauses in the condition are true, do all the associated actions

Conditions

SPD 2007 provides several ready-made, reusable conditions Is created or modified in a specific time

span. Is created or modified by a specific

person. Has a title field that contains specified

keywords. Is a file of a specific type or has a file

size in a specific range. (Available only when the workflow is attached to a document library.)

Actions

Most basic unit of work in a workflow SPD 2007 provides a set of ready-made, reusable

actions Create, copy, change, or delete list items (including

documents). Check items in or out. Send an e-mail message. Create a task for someone on the Tasks list of your team site. Collect data from a participant that can be referenced later in

the workflow. Pause or stop the workflow. Log workflow information to a History list to use for

repudiation or workflow debugging. Set workflow variables or perform calculations.

Actions

Workflows may contain any number of actions

Not all actions in a workflow may be automated

An action does not require a condition

Actions can be set up to run at the same time (parallel) or one after another (serial)

Actions: Parallel vs. Serial

Parallel – All actions “fire” at the same time

Serial – One action must complete before the next one begins

In any given rule (conditions and actions), all actions must be either serial or parallel

A set of serial or parallel actions must be contained within a single step

Steps

A workflow is comprised of one or more steps Each step can contain any number of actions

and associated conditions Steps allow you to group conditions and

actions so that one set of rules (conditions and actions) can be evaluated and performed before a second set

Rules in one step are processed to conclusion before going on to the next step

Each step can hold one set of 'Else If' conditional branches

Workflow Forms

Make workflow more dynamic and flexible Collect information from workflow participants at predefined

times in the workflow Make it possible for participants to interact with the tasks for

that workflow Two types of workflow forms

Initiation Form Custom Task Form

SPD 2007 automatically generates the ASP.NET forms, you can customize them.

Workflow forms are ASP.NET pages with a Data Form Web Part and a master page applied to it.

The .aspx files are stored on the SharePoint site with the workflow source files.

You can open and customize these forms as you would any other .aspx file

Initiation Form

Gathers information from the workflow participant when they start the workflow

Displayed to users when they manually start a workflow on a given SharePoint item

Users can specify additional parameters or information about the workflow as it applies to the given SharePoint item

Custom Task Form

Allows workflow participants to interact with tasks in the Tasks list on a SharePoint site

Custom Task Wizard - create custom form fields and add them to a custom task form

Before you begin…

Make any necessary changes or customizations to your site, list, or library

A workflow is always attached to exactly one SharePoint list or library

Site must have at least one list or library before you create a workflow

Must create custom columns or settings before you create the workflow so that those columns and settings are available to you in the Workflow Designer

Turn on desired features before you design the workflow

Same version of the Workflow Foundation must be installed on both your computer and the server

DemonstrationSharePoint Designer Workflowshttp://www.sharepointkevin.com/wfdemo/Lists/Active%20Projects/AllItems.aspx

Pitfalls

Infinite Loops – BAD! A workflow that starts when an item is

changed should never change an item in the list to which it is attached

A workflow that starts when an item is created should never create an item in the list to which it is attached

Recursive firing is possible No data in the list item is changed

until the workflow is complete

Questions & Answers