creating sharepoint 2013 workflows

SHAREPOINT AND PROJECT CONFERENCE ADRIATICS 2013

ZAGREB, NOVEMBER 27-28 2013

Creating SharePoint 2013 WorkflowsPENNY COVENTRY, PPP CONSULTING LTD

sponsors

Speaker Bio• Independent Consultant• Microsoft MVP SharePoint Server• MCSE: SharePoint 2013• Author/Co-author of 10+ SharePoint Books• Trainer• Worked with SharePoint since 2001• Based in UK, work in Europe & US

• Blogs/Web Site• http://www.sharepointdesignerstepbystep.com/

• Twitter: @pjcov

Agenda

Understanding the SharePoint 2013 Workflow

Platform

REST / Dictionary /

Loops

New Building Blocks

What’s Missing

Agenda

Understanding the SharePoint 2013 Workflow

Platform

REST / Dictionary /

Loops

New Building Blocks

What’s Missing

SharePoint 2013 Has Two Workflow PlatformsSharePoint Workflow Host

• a.k.a. “Legacy”• SharePoint 2010 Workflow• WF 3.5• Workflows run inside

SharePoint

Workflow Manager

• a.k.a. “New”• SharePoint 2013 Workflow• WF 4.5• Workflows run outside in

remote service

Goals and Challenges2010

• On-Premises focus• Full-trust extensions• Limited scale• Limited robustness

2013

• Cloud ≈ On-Premises• CSOM/REST/OAuth• Flexible scale• More robust

Tools for Building Workflows• Tools from Microsoft• SharePoint Designer 2013• Visual Studio 2012

• Both can target 2010 and 2013 workflows

Agenda

Understanding the SharePoint 2013 Workflow

Platform

REST / Dictionary /

Loops

New Building Blocks

What's Missing

Design surfaces - Views• Text Based Designer• Visual Designer• New design surface in SharePoint Designer 2013• Creating and editing SharePoint 2013 workflows• Based off the Visio design surface• Requires Visio Professional 2013• Click & drag experience for creating/editing workflows

• Fully integrated experience between Business Analyst and Workflow Developer• SPD and Visio both use the same VSDX file • Stage View for flow-level view

What is new – Visual designer

Stages• Break workflow into logical blocks• Navigate between blocks based on conditions

Control Actions• Start a List Workflow• Start a Site Workflow• Go to Stage• Wait for Event in List Item• Call HTTP Web Service

What is new – Actions

Loops & App-Only Steps• Loop• Loop n times• Loop with Condition

• App-Only Step• Actions (activities) run as App ID permission• Not restricted to permissions of initiator

• Parallel Block• ‘CompletionCondition’ for short-circuit of exit

Copy & Paste• Workflow logics can be copied and pasted• Pasted into Word & Notepad

What is new – Supporting feature

Packaging• Not only reusable workflow but also list/site workflow

can be packaged

What is new – Supporting feature

SharePoint 2013 Workflow: Project Server

• Demand Management• PWA Sites• Stages• Actions

BUILDING A SHAREPOINT 2013 WORKFLOW:SHAREPOINT DESIGNER 2013 : INTRODUCING THE NEW WORKFLOW BUILDING BLOCKS

Agenda

Understanding the SharePoint 2013 Workflow

Platform

REST / Dictionary /

Loops

Building Blocks

What’s Missing

ConditionsCONDITION CATEGORY

CONDITIONS THAT CAN BE USED IN BOTH SHAREPOINT 2013 AND SHAREPOINT 2010 WORKFLOWS

SHAREPOINT 2010 ONLY CONDITIONS

Common If Any Value Equals Value If Current Item Field Equals Value

Other Created By A Specific Person

Created In A Specific Date Span

Modified By A Specific Person

Modified in A Specific Date Span

Person Is A Valid SharePoint User

Title Field Contains Keywords

Check List Item Permission Levels (only available within an Impersonation Step)

Check List Item Permissions (only available within an Impersonation Step)

The File Size In A Specific Range Kilobytes

The File Is A Specific Type

Missing from 2013 Workflows:Task Actions

• Assign a Form to a Group• Assign a To-Do Item• Collect Data from a User

Missing from 2013 Workflows:Advanced Task Actions*

• Based on the approval workflows• Start Approval Process• Start Feedback Process• Start Custom Task Process (build your own)

• Modify in SharePoint Designer• Included as Sub Process (within your workflow)• Your workflow pauses until Task Action Completes*SharePoint Server only

21

SharePoint 2013 Workflow - Equivalence

• Task and Approval Actions• Assign a Task• Start a Task Process

Missing from 2013 Workflows:Document Set-Related Actions

• Capture a version of the Document Set• Send Document Set to Repository• Set Content Approval Status for the Document Set• Start Document Set Approval Process

Missing from 2013 Workflows: Permission-Related Actions

• Add List Item Permissions• Inherit List Item Parent Permissions• Remove List Item Permissions• Replace List Item Permissions

Missing from 2013 Workflows: Visio Visualization

• Not available for WF 4.5

Missing from 2013 Workflows: Miscellaneous

• Reusable workflows on content types• Workflow templates• Lookup Manager of a User• Declare Record• Set Content Approval Status• Wait for Field Change in Current Item• Impersonation Step (Block)• InfoPath support• Excel Workflow Reports

Mitigate the Feature Gap• SharePoint Designer 2013• Become very familiar with the REST API• Call SharePoint 2010 workflows as sub workflows

• Use Visual Studio 2013• Declarative Workflows• Custom Activities• Workflow Object Model• SharePoint Apps

BUILDING A SHAREPOINT 2013 WORKFLOW:STARTING SHAREPOINT 2010 WORKFLOWS

Agenda

Understanding the SharePoint 2013 Workflow

Platform

REST / Dictionary /

Loops

New Building Blocks

What’s Missing

New Variable Type: Dictionary• Container• A Collection of other Variables

• Actions• Build Dictionary• Count Items In A Dictionary• Get An Item From A Dictionary

• Critical when using Call HTTP Web Services

BUILDING A SHAREPOINT 2013 WORKFLOW:WEB SERVICE, LOOPS AND DICTIONARY SUPPORT

Useful Links• Workflows in SharePoint 2013

• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/jj556245.aspx• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj163986.aspx

• SharePoint 2013 workflows in Visio• http://blogs.office.com/b/visio/archive/2012/11/12/sharepoint-2013-workflows-in-visio.aspx

• How to create a SharePoint Designer 2013 workflow with app step

• http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sharepointdesigner/archive/2012/11/22/example-workflow-with-app-step-usage.aspx

• Demand Management, Now with SharePoint Designer

• http://blogs.office.com/b/project/archive/2012/09/18/demand-management-sharepoint-designer-project-server.aspx

• What’s new in Microsoft Office Developer Tools for Visual Studio 2012, from a workflow development perspective• http://www.sharepoint-reference.com/Blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=28

• Getting started developing Project Server 2013 workflows• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/ee767694.aspx

questions?

WWW.SHAREPOINTDESIGNERSTEPBYSTEP.COM/BLOG

@PJCOV

thank you.

SHAREPOINT AND PROJECT CONFERENCE ADRIATICS 2013

ZAGREB, NOVEMBER 27-28 2013