Question about Windows workflow foundation in n-tier application

28 Nov 2007 5:36 PM

Roar Jøssund

Hello,

I've got a general question concerning Windows Workflow foundation.
In samples in books on WF the workflow activities typically show user
interface directly to the user when the activity need to communicate with a
human.
But if you have a n-tier application you can't do that because the workflow
in located in the business layer. The smart client uses webservice to talk
to the business layer.

Are there any patterns or something that can be used to communicate with
humans using workflow in an n-tier application?
How can the workflow communicate with humans when it is located in the
business layer?

-rj

28 Nov 2007 6:54 PM

Cowboy (Gregory A. Beamer)

If you can isolate the code into its own routine, which you can with WF, you
can put it in another library. The worst thing that might happen, in WF, is
you will have to persist the workflow state in a different manner.

Look at the workflows in web applications, as they can give you a hint on
setting up libraries to persist. Most examples will probably embed code in
the ASPX (bleck!), but it is the persistance methods you are examining and
trying to get a paradigm shift out of.

Good luck!

--
Gregory A. Beamer
MVP, MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA

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"Roar Jøssund" <roar@nospam.sentinel.no> wrote in message
news:uErWRUeMIHA.3940@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Hello,
>
> I've got a general question concerning Windows Workflow foundation.
> In samples in books on WF the workflow activities typically show user
> interface directly to the user when the activity need to communicate with
> a human.
> But if you have a n-tier application you can't do that because the
> workflow in located in the business layer. The smart client uses
> webservice to talk to the business layer.
>
> Are there any patterns or something that can be used to communicate with
> humans using workflow in an n-tier application?
> How can the workflow communicate with humans when it is located in the
> business layer?
>
> -rj
>