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A workflow allows you to attach a business process to items in Windows SharePoint
Services 3.0. This process can control almost any aspect of an item in Windows SharePoint
Services 3.0, including the life cycle of that item. For example, you could create
a simple workflow that routes a document to a series of users for approval. Workflows
can be as simple or complex as your business processes require. You can create workflows
that the user initiates, or workflows that Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 automatically
initiate based on some event, such as when an item is created or changed. |
Using Window SharePoint Workflows |
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Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 workflows are made available to end-users at the
list or document-library level. Workflows can be added to documents or list items.
Workflow can also be added to content types. Multiple workflows may be available
for a given item. Multiple workflows can run simultaneously on the same item, but
only one instance of a specific workflow can run on a specific item at any given
time. For example, you might have two workflows, SpecReview and LegalReview, available
for a specific content type, Specification. Although both workflows can run simultaneously
on a specific item of the Specification content type, you can't have two instances
of the LegalReview workflow running on the same item at the same time. |
SharePoint Workflow Technology Architecture |
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You can create workflows using the Visual Studio 2005 Designer for Windows Workflow
Foundation. Each workflow is compiled into its own Dynamic Linking Library (.dll). |
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In addition, your workflows can interact directly with the user through custom workflow
forms. Workflow forms enable you to gather information from the user at each stage
of the workflow. |
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To install the workflow on a server farm, you need to create a workflow definition.
A workflow template definition is an XML file that contains the information Windows
SharePoint Services 3.0 requires to instantiate and run the workflow, such as: |
- The name, GUID, and description of the workflow
- The location of any custom forms used in this workflow
- The correct class within the workflow assembly to call
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Each server farm contains a workflow associations table. Each entry in this table
contains association data for a workflow as it applies to a specific content type,
list, or document library. This association data typically includes whether the
workflow is started automatically or by users, and the task and history lists for
the workflow. If a workflow has been added to multiple content types, lists, or
document libraries, it will have one entry for each such association. Likewise,
if you add multiple workflows to a specific content type, list, or document library,
then the table contains one entry for each workflow added to the content type, list,
or document library. |
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