Windows Workflow Foundation is a fascinating concept. It allows you to create powerful applications (or just parts of them) using a combination of flowchart-like concepts and normal code.
The deeper value of this may not be immediately obvious. Say you're building a large e-commerce site. Over time, your workflows for processes such as fulfillment will change radically. The code will eventually become a horrid cludge of ideas shoehorned over old ideas. You will be forced to work up reams of documentation and in time it will become difficult to maintain.
So, workflow is ultimately about creating highly maintainable code with the idea that code will change. When you look at it, you're looking at a flowchart. Double-click on a node and it takes you to a code editor where you can write some business logic.
It's a lot more involved than that of course.
I have a book on this sitting on my desk right now. I am trying to determine whether the .NET implementation is ready for prime time or if it's still too new and complicated - and it is complicated, moreso than I expected.
At this point, I think the idea has the potential to be a game changer... We will see if the current generation is actually usable! The fact the Microsoft is not pushing it that hard is probably telling.
