Where are We?


In this chapter, we began by exploring the three kinds of dependency properties that are supported by DependencyObjectmetadata properties, databinding-enabled properties, and attached propertiesand why these special kinds of properties are helpful when defining activity types and WF programs.

Next, we showed how WF programs can, using XAML, be compiled into activity types that are usable within other WF programs. WF programs that are compiled into .NET assemblies can therefore be expressed using XAML, XAML plus code, or entirely with code.

Finally, we broadened the notion of what an activity is to include a set of components associated with the class that defines the activity. Modularizing the definition of an activity has several benefits, which originate from the fact that different aspects of an activity's functionality can be described and manipulated as discrete elements. The WF programming model introduces validation and code generation components that can be associated with any activity. Validation allows activities to participate in the determination of whether a tree of activity objects is a legal WF program. We also discussed XAML and CodeDOM as serialization formats for activities, which are two formats supported by WF natively. The WF runtime is not dependent upon these formats, so it is possible to specify WF programs using domain-specific languages (DSLs) by associating custom designer serializer components with activity types.




Essential Windows Workflow Foundation
Essential Windows Workflow Foundation
ISBN: 0321399838
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 97

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