Windows workflow [closed]

Answer 1

WF is a framework for creating workflows. It consists of a type of workflow (state machine or sequential), hosting different "activities" and logic controlling how application flow travels from one activity to another.

You can use it for describing business processes, from page flow in an ASP.NET application to the steps required to submit a vacation request.

Here's a great article about WF.

Answer 2

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.

Answer 3

The Workflow Way: Understanding Windows Workflow Foundation

Answer 4

Windows Workflow Foundation puts the inner core concepts of development part right in front of you. So it becomes a little complex but a very powerful way of working and creating builds. The basic Idea of development using the flowchart like concepts makes it very intuitive, it becomes very easy to trace the complete code without going through the code as it was previously done in traditional way of programming. There are different other features of using workflow like parallel running of execution, drag and drop facilities of activities, using built-in activities as well as we can write our own custom activities and we can use those activities wherever we want in any other project.