Entries tagged with wf endpoint screencasts - Channel 9

10-4 Episode 36: Windows Server AppFabric and Workflow Services Lab

Ron Jacobs — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:37:00 GMT

Have you heard about the new Windows Server AppFabric? In this episode we take you through the new Beta 2 version of the Introduction to Workflow Services Hands On Lab in .NET 4 which now includes a look at portions of Windows Server Application Fabric.

Look for this lab in the next update to the Visual Studio 2010 training kit and Visual Studio 2010 learning center on Channel 9.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Lab: Introduction to Workflow in .NET 4

Ron Jacobs — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:53:00 GMT

Windows Workflow in .NET 4 (WF4) is an all new workflow engine. In this episode I'm going to take you through the hands on lab from the Visual Studio 2010 training course.

I'm going to move quickly through the lab so keep the pause button handy.

10-4 episode 29: Workflow Web Services

Ron Jacobs — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:03:00 GMT

Windows Workflow Foundation in .NET 4 makes it easy to build and consume web services. In this episode I'll take you through the Introduction to Workflow Services lab from the Visual Studio 2010 Training Kit. Where you will learn about some cool new features such as content based correlation.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Declarative XAML Workflows in WF 3.5

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series.

In this short video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to use declarative XAML workflows.

In this screencast, Matt demonstrates how to build and run your workflows in XAML; allowing you to express your workflow completely in this XML-based format. He starts off by creating a new WF workflow using the XAML workflow project file, and walks the viewer through the files that are created by this VS project, and how to remove the code behind (.cs file) so that your workflow project will be based soley on a XAML file to explain it. We then work with the workflow in both the XAML/text editor and the WF designer to add the business logic, modify the .NET application to read in and process the XAML file, and run the workflow.

Along the way, Matt then delves into the created XAML file to examine and explain the structure and used namespaces in that XAML file. Matt also explains the impact of starting XAML only workflows - how and why we need to load the XAML file differently, and some additional exception handling that you should add to handle the runtime exceptions that can come with XAML-only workflows (because the workflow isn't being compiled, the validation is happening at runtime).

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Using the Listen Activity in WF 3.5

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series.

In this short video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to use the listen activity in Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) to listen for multiple events.

Matt starts with a basic sequential workflow console project and a couple custom activities. He then builds out a workflow that waits for input from the user (using a read line activity), and also implements a timeout (using a delay activity) that allows the workflow author to place a limit around how long a WF workflow will wait for input.

Along the way, Matt explains the user how the use of IEvent activity interface allows custom activities to subscribe to events that the listen activity can pass along. Also covered is how to catch exceptions that may arise after using the delay activity to 'timeout' the WF workflow.

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Fault Handling in WF

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series.

In this short video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how fault handling works in Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) 3.5.

In this screencast, Matt starts with an existing workflow application (a console application), and adds a custom activity that throws an exception. Initially, Matt demonstrates how this is thrown and it's effect on the workflow instance. He then demonstrates how to add fault handlers into a WF sequence to handle faults in a more graceful manner - very similar to the C# try/catch pattern. Matt also explains how exceptions 'bubble up' within a WF workflow - very similar to standard .NET applications.

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Working with Transactions in WF

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series.

In this short video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to work with Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) transactions, from the simple use case of scoping activities to participate in a transaction to the more advanced scenario of queue up work to participate in a transaction from an activity or the WF host application.

In this screencast, Matt demonstrates how to use the transaction scope WF activity and set the necessary properties on the activity. He then dives into how transactions work in WF to guarantee consistency in the activities, the WF workflow, and the overall transaction that WF is participating in. Along the way, Matt uses console outputs to demonstrate the execution order of activites and the transaction to visually demonstrate what the runtime is actually doing once you execute the code.

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Using the WF Replicator Activity

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series.

In this short video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to using the WF replicator activity to add more advanced flow control capabilities to your WF workflows.

In this screencast, Matt introduces the replicator activity, which allows you to implement ForEach-like semantics on workflow data. He adds the replicator to an existing workflow, binds the activity to the incoming data, and demonstrates how the replicator activity runs child activities. For this screencast, Matt uses an example sending e-mail notifications to persons in a data list.

While explaining how the replicator works, Matt explains a few aspects of the replicator activity: (a) how to interact with child activities within the replicators events, (b) how to set the activity execution type to have control over how the iterations are executed (i.e., sequence or parallel), and (c) how to use conditions to set a replicator stopping point.

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Working with WF Tracking Profiles

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series.

In this video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to work with WF tracking profiles (both SQL and custom tracking services). In last week's screencast, Matt introduced you to tracking services in WF 3.5. This week, Matt expands on tracking profiles, detailing out to create a profile via code and SDK sample apps, serialize the profile out for use in applications, and how to use the profiles within your workflow activities and workflows.

To build the profile, Matt demonstrates how to create a tracking profile two ways: by code and using Workflow Tracking Profile Designer from the WF SDK. To build the tracking profile via code, Matt introduces the concepts of workflow track points, workflow tracking locations, and how to use workflow tracking events to specify the details that you want to track. He also demonstrates how to detail which activity types you wish to track. Matt also opens up a serialized profile XML file and walks the viewer through how the profile is stored. For the Workflow Tracking Profile Designer, Matt demonstrates how the app generates the same CML file, but also how it allows you to commit the tracking profile to a SQL database.

Finally, Matt demonstrates how to use tracking in your activities and workflows to track data at runtime. He demonstrates how to send data into the tracking provider from WF activities, and how to use the Workflow Monitor SDK sample application to pull and visually display the tracked data.

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Using SQL Tracking Services with WF

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series.

In this short video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to add tracking capabilities to your WF using SQL Tracking Services.

In this screencast, Matt demonstrates how to add SQL Server workflow tracking services. He first sets up the SQL Server database/tables via Powershell, and how to add (and configure)the tracking service to the workflow runtime within the application. Once added, Matt demonstrates how to use the query API to print basic workflow information back out to a command-line Console.

As we add the service to the application, Matt also discusses the various persistance service settings that are available, such as data partitioning and profile configuration.

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Creating Composite Activities

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series.

In this short video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to create composite activities, combining multiple custom activities into a single custom activity that can be used in WF workflows. This screencast picks up where last week's Creating a Custom Activity screencast leaves off.

In this screencast, Matt demonstrates how to create a custom composite activity and add in two previously created activities. Once the composite activity is created, we then add properties to the composite activity, allowing the WF developer to set properties at design time on the WF designer.

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Creating Custom Activities

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series.

In this short video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to create a custom activity in Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) that can be used in WF workflows. To do this, we create a new class that inherits from Activity and has some properties. We then use this activity in a basic sequential workflow (for more information,).

Along the way, Matt explains the Execute method and some basics of the ActivityExecutionStatus.

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Using the WCF to Consume Services in Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series.

In this short video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to use the WF 3.5 SendActivity to synchronously consume services using the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) - it picks up from last week's screencast that introduced use of the ReceiveActivity.

To add a call to a remote service, we add a ReceiveActivity where there had been custom code and wire it to the proper service interfaces. Matt then uses ChannelTokens to use them to map the ReceiveActivity and SendActivity together.

Along the way, we use the Add Service Reference option to talk to the MEX endpoint (created last week), and create the configuration information from the WCF service endpoint. Matt also dives in deeper into the use of workflow activity events and properties.

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Using the WCF Receive Activity in Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series. This week, we switch back to a series of WF screencasts.

In this short video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to use the ReceiveActivity within Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) to allow WCF clients to invoke the WF 3.5 workflow.

Matt starts with an existing WF sequential workflow (for more info, see Creating your First Sequential Workflow), and adds a WF 3.5 ReceiveActivity to the beginning of the workflow, and setup the activity to process the incoming work. To configure the activity, we add a service contract and a child activities to the ReceiveActivity that will process the request and return a result to the calling client and continue doing additional work after the workflow responds.

Along the way, Matt configures the workflow to create new instances of the workflow when a WCF call is received, and sets up the workflow in the WorkflowServiceHost that was added in 3.5. We will configure the host with an initial endpoint, add a MEX behavior, and then opens up the host. Matt then uses the WCF Test Client (discussed in Creating your First WCF Service) to interface with the hosted WCF workflow service to step through the workflow in the debugger.

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Using Persistence Services in Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series.

In this short video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to add and use persistence services of Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), and how to save a idle workflow and resume the running of the workflow in another WF client. The persistence service is typically used to allow applications to persist application state (if the application were to crash or be shut down, the state is still preserved) or balance work across multiple processes/servers - both of which can be done without having to do extensive program.

Matt loads a standard SqlWorkflowPersistenceService (provided WF out of the box) via two routes - via code, and via the .NET config file. Along each route, we configures it with proper timers to help prevent contention and configure the timing of polling.

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Running Workflows in your .NET Applications

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series.

In this short video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to run a WF workflow in your .NET application and how to manage it. The screencast picks up with an existing state machine workflow (created in last week's screencast), hosting it in a simple command-line program and into a basic ASP.net ASPX page.

To host the workflow, Matt sets up a workflow runtime and creates an instance of the workflow. We then move on from simple 'create and run one workflow instance model', and use a class to abstract the details of the runtime and mediate access to the runtime object (to start/create a new workflow instance, access a currently existing instance, and to stop/shutdown an existing instance). Along the way, Matt explains the basic concepts around workflow runtime events and introduces workflow instances.

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Creating Your First State Machine Workflow

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series.

In this short video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to create your WF state machine workflow. The screencast takes you on a quick tour of putting together a state machine workflow - creating the workflow, adding the states, and using custom activities to do the work. As an example, Matt uses the example of processing an eCommerce shopping cart - and lifecycle/events that go along with it. As we create the workflow, Matt discusses custom activities, using states, and handling multiple state events (both listening for an event to happen and timing out).

As with the 'first sequential workflow' screencast, this may seem to be a lot more to digest up front, but this screencast provides a good starting overview, that we will drill into as we move through the series.

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.

endpoint.tv Screencast - Creating Your First Sequential Workflow

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:00:00 GMT

This week's weekly WF/WCF Screencast series shakes things up a bit. This week is the first in the series covering Windows Workflow Foundation (WF). We will be alternating back and forth between the WF and WCF technologies each month.

In this short video, CSD MVP Matt Milner from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to create your WF Sequential Workflow. The screencast takes you on a quick tour of putting together a sequential workflow - creating the workflow, adding the business logic using flow control activities, and using custom activities to do the work. As an example, Matt uses the example of processing an eCommerce order - processing a customer purchasing transaction and working with back-end inventory. As we create the workflow, Matt discusses custom activities, using base activity library activities, and binding activity properties to custom workflow properties.

Compared to the WCF screencasts, this may seem to be a lot more to digest up front, but this screencast provides a good starting overview, that we will drill into as we move through the series.

For additional information on WF, please check out the WF Dev Center on MSDN and the .NET Endpoint team blog. For more information on classes offered by Aaron and the PluralSight folks, check out their catalog of instructor led courses and new online courses that cover a variety of Microsoft technologies, ranging from .NET v3.5 to WSS to BizTalk server.