Foundations of WF: An Introduction to Windows Workflow Foundation

by Brian R. Myers

Windows Workflow Foundation is an addition to the WinFx Software Development Kit designed to allow any application to add workflow functionality. Similar in design to Windows Communication Foundation, Windows Workflow Foundation is the infrastructure for creating workflows, which are defined either graphically using the new Workflow Designer, or in code. Microsoft expects workflow to be one of the next hottest topics within application design and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590597184
• ISBN13: 9781590597187
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Apress
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Great intorductory walk through

First of all this is not foundational work at all. I guess this title maybe confuse many readers like me since tht title suggest more like fundamental coverage of core issues related to WF. But rather (I was surprised too) it is only available step by step walk trough of many important and basic stuff. If you are looking for the deeper understading of underlying tech look for "Essential workflow foundation". But for me this book offers what is missing in "Essential workflow foundation" and online stuff. You can familiarize yourself to "Desinger oriented" construction of workflow rather than programming or xml oriented. Also good coverage of ExternalMethod in chapter 7 also unique exmaple integrating office to WF using sharepoint.

An excellent introduction, worthy of reading

The book is methodical, easy to read, clear, simple, and I found it a pleasure to read. It offers a broad sweep over Workflow, and is a very good introduction - perhaps the best I have seen so far. To the seasoned Workflow developer, this book may nevertheless be a bit thin on the ground, but the intention of the book is to provide "Foundations". The source code for each chapter is available on the apress website. Unfortunately, there are some errors in at least one of the solutions (I reviewed the code for Chapter 10, which is a "real world application" to demonstrate WF using a state machine performance review system). Perhaps the apress people will fix the source... Sharepoint example is a bit thin, but very worthy. It is a great bonus to Brian for having this in, and a good starting block for getting into Sharepoint Workflows. Generally, the book is comprehensive, and covers the basics. If you are looking for more depth, however, I think that the next book from apress, "Pro WF : Windows Workflow in .NET 3.0" will be better. Among the missing topics in this book are batching, tracking services, dependency properties, changing workflows, roles, queues, correlation and perhaps a good few more. Overall, a very good foundation book, and worthy of being on the shelf of anybody interested in Workflow. I award this book four stars, just because the source code was faulty - and perhaps the solutions could have been a bit tighter around the "core" - e.g. too many non-essential web pages in Chapter 10.

Great Workflow book

I have purchased the only other 2 workflow books I could find on the market right now, and this is the 3rd one, and so far the most helpful. The example code in this book gives you a nice foundation to start your own workflows. The other books I have purchased were much more indepth in how it works and why but now enough code to tell you how to do what I now know it can do. Thats why I feel this book is the best one out right now, not only does it go over a foundation of what workflow is and why you would want to use it, but it shows you how to use it as well.