Workflow in the 2007 Microsoft Office System

Book description

Workflow is the glue that binds information worker processes, users, and artifacts. Without workflow, information workers are just islands of data and potential. Workflow in the 2007 Microsoft Office System details how to implement workflow in SharePoint 2007 and the rest of the 2007 Office System to help information workers share data, enforce processes and business rules, and work more efficiently together or solo.

This book covers anything you're likely going to need to know—from what workflow is all about, to creating new Activities; from InfoPath forms to ASP.NET forms; from the Rules Engine to the object model. Theres even a section on integrating Office 2003 clients with SharePoint 2007 workflows. Youll come away from reading this book with solid knowledge of how to implement workflow in the new world of Office and SharePoint.

Table of contents

  1. Foreword
  2. About the Author
  3. About the Technical Reviewer
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. I. A New Beginning
    1. 1. Introduction
      1. Introducing Workflow
        1. Workflow Scenarios
        2. Types of Workflow
      2. Workflowasaurus: Workflow in the Pre-Office 2007 Mesozoic
      3. Ladies and Gentlemen...Windows Workflow Foundation
        1. Windows Workflow Foundation Architecture
      4. Office 2007 Workflow Technology
        1. Introducing the Office 2007 Client
        2. Introducing the Office 2007 Servers
      5. The Cast of Ben-Hur
      6. Key Facts Summary
      7. Sample Office 2007 Workflow Scenarios
      8. Summary
    2. 2. Getting Started
      1. Setting Up the Environment
      2. Scenarios in This Book
        1. Welcome to KCD Holdings
        2. Scenarios in the Chapters
      3. Summary
  6. II. Having an Out-of-the-Box Experience
    1. 3. Using the Default Workflows
      1. The Out-of-the-Box Workflows
      2. WSS Workflow: Three-State
      3. MOSS Workflow: Document Approval
        1. Solving the Problem: The Workflow Administrator's Role
        2. Showcasing the Solution
        3. Permutations = Power
        4. Benefits of the Solution
        5. Workflow in Previous Office Versions
      4. Summary
    2. 4. Using the SharePoint Designer
      1. Introducing the SharePoint Designer
      2. Overview of the Workflow Designer
        1. Steps
        2. Conditions
        3. Actions
        4. Variables
        5. Workflow Lookups
        6. Initiation
        7. Check Your Workflow
        8. Information Types
        9. Workflow Forms
      3. Constructing a Workflow with the Workflow Designer
        1. Going Through the Steps
        2. Deploying Our New Workflow
        3. Testing 1, 2, 3...Testing 1, 2, 3
      4. Summary
  7. III. Teaching Your Workflow to Dance
    1. 5. Activities
      1. Simple Activities
      2. Composite Activities
      3. Out-of-the-Box Activities
        1. WF Activities
        2. SharePoint Activities
      4. Building a Custom Simple Activity
        1. Setting Up the Environment
        2. Coding the Activity
        3. Adding Custom Properties
        4. Wrapping It All Up
        5. Finishing and Compiling
        6. Deploying Our Activity
      5. Building a Custom Composite Activity
        1. Setting Up the Environment
        2. Coding the Activity
        3. Compiling and Finishing
      6. Summary
    2. 6. Building a Workflow with Visual Studio 2005
      1. Getting Started
      2. New Project Types
      3. Building a Sequential Workflow
        1. Working in the Designer
        2. Adding Activities
        3. Writing All That Code
        4. Compiling and Wrapping Up
        5. Deploying Our Workflow
        6. Testing Our Workflow
        7. Wrap Up
      4. Building a State Machine Workflow
        1. Exploring State Machines and the State Machine Designer
        2. Working in the Designer
        3. Deploying and Testing
      5. Deploying to Production
      6. Summary
    3. 7. Workflow Forms
      1. Types of Forms
        1. Introducing InfoPath
        2. ASP.NET
        3. Association and Initiation Forms
        4. Modification Forms
        5. Task Forms
      2. Creating Custom Workflow Forms
        1. Scenario 7-1: Using InfoPath Forms
        2. Scenario 7-2: Using ASP.NET Forms
      3. Summary
  8. IV. Turning Things Up a Notch
    1. 8. Workflow Rules
      1. Rule Mechanics
        1. Code Conditions
        2. Declarative Rule Conditions
        3. Policy Activity
      2. Office Workflow External Policy Solution
        1. External Policy Activity
        2. Rule Management
        3. Putting It All TogetherA Sample Workflow
      3. Summary
    2. 9. A Workflow Smorgasbord
      1. Dehydration
      2. Reality Check
        1. Workflow Processing
        2. Debugging
      3. Going Mobile
        1. SharePoint Mobile Views
        2. Outlook Synchronization With SharePoint
        3. The Mobile Experience
      4. Fault Handling
        1. Configuring Fault Handlers
        2. Local Scope
        3. Fault Handling Summary
        4. Canceling Workflows
      5. Tools Comparison
      6. Integrating Office 2003
        1. Getting Started
        2. Step 1: Write a Web Service
        3. Step 2: Create the VSTO Solution
        4. Step 3: Create the File Share
        5. Step 4: Publish the Solution
        6. Step 5: Create Site and Document Library
        7. Step 6: Move VSTO Document
        8. Step 7: Switch New Document Template
        9. Step 8: Set Security
        10. Step 9: Test
        11. Step 10: Celebrate
        12. Wrapping Up
      7. Picking On PeopleThe Infopath Contact Picker And The Aspx People Editor
        1. InfoPath Contact Picker
        2. ASPX People Editor
      8. Building with BlocksThe Makings of an ASPX Form
      9. XAML
      10. Hiding Documents During Workflow Processing
      11. Custom Conditions and Actions for SPD
        1. Custom Actions
        2. Custom Conditions
      12. Activity Verbs
      13. Workflow Reports
      14. Odds and Sods
      15. Summary
    3. 10. The Workflow Object Model
      1. Primary Objects
        1. SPWorkflow
        2. SPWorkflowCollection
        3. SPWorkflowFilter
        4. SPWorkflowActivationProperties
        5. SPWorkflowAssociation
        6. SPWorkflowManager
        7. SPWorkflowState
        8. SPWorkflowTask
        9. SPWorkflowTaskProperties
        10. SPWorkflowTemplate
        11. SPWorkflowHistoryEventType
      2. Workflow Throughout the Object Model
      3. MOSS
        1. Workflow Web Service
        2. Extensions to the Core Object Model
      4. Summary
    4. A. Frequently Asked Questions
      1. Introduction and General Questions
      2. Development Questions
        1. Administration Questions
    5. Glossary

Product information

  • Title: Workflow in the 2007 Microsoft Office System
  • Author(s): David Mann
  • Release date: April 2007
  • Publisher(s): Apress
  • ISBN: 9781590597002