En estos dias, he ordenado algunos enlaces y recursos sobre el Windows Workflow Foundation, el motor de workflow de Microsoft que es parte del nuevo .NET 3.0 en desarrollo. Más información sobre WWF desde
http://msdn.microsoft.com/workflow
El motor puede ejecutarse sobre cualquier instalación de .NET 2.0. Lo pueden bajar del enlace de arriba. Consiste en nuevos namespaces (System.Workflow.*), y utilitarios como el Workflow Designer, que pueden utilizarse desde Visual Studio 2005.
El sitio donde se encuentran recursos y ejemplos es:
Si quiere estudiar sobre este motor de workflow, puedo sugerir algunos enlaces:
Windows Workflow Reference
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/aa663322.aspx
Windows Workflow Overview
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/aa663340.aspx
La documentación del producto en línea
Windows Workflow Foundation General Reference
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/WF_GeneralRef/html/150ef247-47e4-4ce1-bd4d-14a901ce269e.asp
La lista detallada de clases
Windows Workflow Foundation Class Library
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/WF_ClassLibrary/html/WF_ClassLibrary_Reference_Home.asp
Artículos de Dino Esposito, con ejemplos en WinForms y ASP.NET:
Cutting Edge: Windows Workflow Foundation
http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/06/03/cuttingedge/default.aspx
Cutting Edge: Windows Workflow Foundation, Part 2
http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/06/04/cuttingedge/default.aspx
Hosting Windows Workflow
http://www.odetocode.com/Articles/457.aspx
Este artículo explica como albergar a WWF dentro de una aplicación.
Enterprise _NET Community Manage Application Processes with Windows Workflow Foundation
http://www.theserverside.net/tt/articles/showarticle.tss?id=ManageAppProcesses
Will work for process: Create and run WF workflows
http://www.theserverside.net/tt/articles/showarticle.tss?id=WorkforProcess
Un nuevo artículo de Microsoft:
Web Service Workflows Deploy Distributed Business Processes With Windows Workflow And Web Services — MSDN Magazine, October 2006
http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/06/10/WebServiceWorkflows/default.aspx
WWF puede persistir el estado de sus instancias y de su historia. Una interesante discusión en:
WWF Persistance Status
http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=774811&SiteID=1
Se pueden escribir workflows basados en máquinas de estado:
State Machines In Windows Workflow
http://www.odetocode.com/Articles/460.aspx
Bart De Smet tiene una categoría de blog sobre WWF, con artículos:
Getting started with Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)
http://community.bartdesmet.net/blogs/bart/archive/2006/08/27/4278.aspx
How to make a workflow dynamic – Part 1
http://community.bartdesmet.net/blogs/bart/archive/2006/08/28/4322.aspx
How to make a workflow dynamic – Part 2
http://community.bartdesmet.net/blogs/bart/archive/2006/08/31/4369.aspx
Exposing a workflow through a web service
http://community.bartdesmet.net/blogs/bart/archive/2006/09/03/4388.aspx
Exposing a workflow via WCF
http://community.bartdesmet.net/blogs/bart/archive/2006/09/04/4392.aspx
Tom Lake, trabajó en el WWF SDK, y mantiene un blog con cantidad de información, acerca del uso de XAML en workflows, creación de nuevas actividades, y WWF en general:
Assorted Windows Workflow XAML activation and how to use it
http://blogs.msdn.com/tomlake/archive/2006/05/02/588756.aspx
Switch Activity
http://blogs.msdn.com/tomlake/archive/2006/08/30/Switch-activity.aspx
Basics of Working with Custom Types in Workflow
http://blogs.msdn.com/tomlake/archive/2006/07/17/668507.aspx
Do you want to invoke another workflow but you won’t know which one until runtime
http://blogs.msdn.com/tomlake/archive/2006/07/14/666287.aspx
Do you need to launch another process from your workflow
http://blogs.msdn.com/tomlake/archive/2006/07/14/666159.aspx
How to set activity property from a custom input form
http://blogs.msdn.com/tomlake/archive/2006/06/05/618185.aspx
Couple of custom activities that you can use to synchronize branches of a ParallelActivity
http://blogs.msdn.com/tomlake/archive/2006/05/04/590225.aspx
Have you had problems using the FileWatcher sample in a StateMachineWorkflow or WhileActivity
http://blogs.msdn.com/tomlake/archive/2006/05/02/588575.aspx
How to send data to a workflow
http://blogs.msdn.com/tomlake/archive/2006/06/02/614492.aspx
Project template for XAML Activation Console Application
http://blogs.msdn.com/tomlake/archive/2006/05/18/601271.aspx
Examples of using Persistence and Tracking in ASP_NET
http://blogs.msdn.com/tomlake/archive/2006/05/17/600143.aspx
Using XAML activation in ASP_NET with a StateMachineWorkflow
http://blogs.msdn.com/tomlake/archive/2006/05/08/592554.aspx
Dentro del motor de workflow, viene un motor de reglas, muy flexible. Algunos enlaces interesantes:
Introduction to the Windows Workflow Foundation Rules Engine
http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsvista/reference/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dnlong/html/intWF_FndRlsEng.asp
Windows Workflow: Rules and Conditions
http://www.odetocode.com/Articles/458.aspx
WWF: Comparing WWF rules and the Microsoft Business Rule Engine
http://www.topxml.com/BizTalk-Rule-Engine/re-16296_WWF–Comparing-WWF-rules-and-the-Microsoft-Business-Rule-Engine.aspx
WF: Comparing WF rules and the Microsoft Business Rule Engine
http://geekswithblogs.net/cyoung/articles/56488.aspx
Rules Examples
Ejemplos de Microsoft, para destacar:
External Ruleset Demo (beta 2.2)
http://wf.netfx3.com/files/folders/rules_samples/entry309.aspx
The External Ruleset Toolkit demonstrates how to store rulesets in an external SQL Server database and load them at runtime for use by a Policy activity.
Rules Driven UI
http://wf.netfx3.com/files/folders/rules_samples/entry819.aspx
This sample will demonstrate this capability by using rulesets to pre-populate fields, do cross validation and various calculations on a target Windows Form. We will also show rules features such as forward chaining in this sample.
Sobre motores de reglas en general:
Use Rules In Your Applications
http://www.codeproject.com/useritems/Rules_In_Your_Apps.asp
A Rules Engine class library with source code and documentation
Using a Rules Engine to separate Business rules from the application
http://www.codeproject.com/useritems/Using_a_Rules_Engine.asp
Algunas discusiones interesantes en los foros de Microsoft:
Re Trouble with WebService and Persistence – MSDN Forums
http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=292683&SiteID=1
Using the Rules Engine with complex data containers – MSDN Forums
http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=320688&SiteID=1
Re 3 layered architecture – Where to house rules – MSDN Forums
http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=263825&SiteID=1
Más enlaces sobre WWF
How to lock a workflow instance using SqlWorkflowPersistenceService?http://blogs.msdn.com/sonalic/archive/2006/04/28/586498.aspx
Managing Workflow’s Lifecycle
http://blogs.msdn.com/moustafa/archive/2006/03/02/542459.aspx
Microsoft Windows Workflow Foundation (WWF)
http://www.kainos.com/index.php?option=com_knowledge&task=view&id=29&Itemid=116
Ajax based Workflow Monitor
http://www.masteringbiztalk.com/blogs/jon/PermaLink,guid,a423e010-647b-4a32-8dfe-071bf6f43705.aspx
Angel “Java” Lopez
http://www.ajlopez.com/en