Creating your own Custom Workflow Activities as Components using Windows Workflow Foundation (Framework 3.0) and deployment on SharePoint 2007.

Required Installation Setup

The steps to add a simple activity to the SharePoint Designer interface include:

  1. Create a custom activity assembly.
  2. Sign and deploy the activity assembly to the GAC.
  3. Configure SharePoint to recognize the custom activity.
  4. Create a .ACTIONS file to be used by SharePoint Designer.

Step 1: Create a custom activity assembly

Code Block

using System;<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

using System.ComponentModel;

using System.ComponentModel.Design;

using System.Collections;

using System.Drawing;

using System.Workflow.ComponentModel.Compiler;

using System.Workflow.ComponentModel.Serialization;

using System.Workflow.ComponentModel;

using System.Workflow.ComponentModel.Design;

using System.Workflow.Runtime;

using System.Workflow.Activities;

using System.Workflow.Activities.Rules;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.Text;

namespace ActivityLibrary1

{

public partial class ADComponent : System.Workflow.ComponentModel.Activity

{

private string cn;

public ADComponent()

{

InitializeComponent();

}

public static DependencyProperty DirectoryUriProperty = DependencyProperty.
Register"DirectoryUri",typeofSystem.String),typeo(ActivityLibrary1.ADComponent));
[DescriptionAttribute("Please specify the URI of the directory. Either an AD Server
or an XML File.")]

[DesignerSerializationVisibilityAttribute(DesignerSerializationVisibility.Visible)]

[ValidationOption(ValidationOption.Required)]

[BrowsableAttribute(true)]

[Category("Directory")]

public string DirectoryUri

{

get

{

return ((String)(base.GetValue(ADComponent.DirectoryUriProperty)));

}

set

{

base.SetValue(ADComponent.DirectoryUriProperty, value);

}

}

public static DependencyProperty QueryProperty = DependencyProperty.Register
("Query", typeof(System.String), typeof(ActivityLibrary1.ADComponent));

[DescriptionAttribute("Please specify the Username of the user to retrieve.")]

[DesignerSerializationVisibilityAttribute(DesignerSerializationVisibility.Visible)]

[ValidationOption(ValidationOption.Optional)]

[BrowsableAttribute(true)]

[Category("Query")]

public string Query

{

get

{

return ((String)(base.GetValue(ADComponent.QueryProperty)));

}

set

{

base.SetValue(ADComponent.QueryProperty, value);

}

}

public static DependencyProperty RetrievedUserDataProperty = Dependency
Property.Register ("RetrievedUserData", typeof(System.String), typeof
(ActivityLibrary1.ADComponent));

[DescriptionAttribute("Please specify the Username of the user to retrieve.")]

[DesignerSerializationVisibilityAttribute(DesignerSerializationVisibility.Visible)]

[ValidationOption(ValidationOption.Optional)]

[BrowsableAttribute(true)]

[Category("RetrievedUserData")]

public string RetrievedUserData

{

get

{

return ((String)(base.GetValue(ADComponent.RetrievedUserDataProperty)));

}

set

{

base.SetValue(ADComponent.RetrievedUserDataProperty, value);

}

}

public string CN

{

get

{

return cn;

}

set

{

cn = value;

}

}

protected override ActivityExecutionStatus Execute(ActivityExecutionContext
context)

{

string a = "ActiveDirectory";

switch (a)

{

case "ActiveDirectory":

ADHelper adh = new ADHelper(this.DirectoryUri);

CN = adh.FetchUser(this.Query);

break;

}

//Set the results property

this.RetrievedUserData = CN;

return ActivityExecutionStatus.Closed;

}

}
}


Code Bock For Supportive ADHelper Class

//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------//

//--------------Active Directory helper Class----(Rifaqat:2nd April 06)-------//

//-------Description: ...............................................--------//

//-------------------------------------------------------------------------//

using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.ComponentModel;

using System.Data;

using System.Drawing;

using System.Text;

using System.DirectoryServices;

using System.Collections;

namespace ActivityLibrary1

{

internal class ADHelper

{

private string ldapPath;

DirectorySearcher search;

internal ADHelper(string ldapPath)

{

this.ldapPath = ldapPath;

search = new DirectorySearcher(new DirectoryEntry(ldapPath));

}

internal string GetUsersManager(string loginName)

{

SearchResult result;

search.Filter = String.Format("(SAMAccountName={0})", loginName);

search.PropertiesToLoad.Add("manager");

result = search.FindOne();

if (result == null)

{

return "";

}

else

{

string userPath = result.Properties["manager"][0].ToString();

System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry de = new DirectoryEntry("LDAP://" +
userPath);

return de.Properties["sAMAccountName"].Value.ToString();

}

}

internal string FetchUser(string Designation)

{

string _User = "";

try

{

SearchResult result;

search.Filter = String.Format("(Title={0})", Designation);

search.PropertiesToLoad.Add("cn");

result = search.FindOne();

if (result != null)

{

_User = result.Properties["cn"][0].ToString();

}

}

catch (Exception ex)

{

}

return _User;

}

internal string FetchUseronDesg(string loginName)

{

string _User = "";

try

{

SearchResult result;

search.Filter = String.Format("(SAMAccountName={0})", loginName);

search.PropertiesToLoad.Add("title");

search.PropertiesToLoad.Add("cn");

result = search.FindOne();

if (result != null)

{

_User = result.Properties["title"][0].ToString();

}

}

catch (Exception ex)

{

string s = ex.Message;

}

return _User;

}

}

}

Your Solution Explorer will be like this:



In this code the DirectoryUri and Query are passing as inputproperty and are used to specify the text that will be displayed in the Display Name of User as Output. We use a dependency property to enable the workflow to bind data to it. As with all workflow activities, the Execute method performs the action.

Step 2: Sign and deploy the activity assembly to the GAC

Step 3: Configure SharePoint to recognize the custom activity

After you build the custom activity assembly, sign it and copy it to the GAC. You then have to tell SharePoint to trust the assembly. This is similar to configuring a web part as a safe control, but instead of adding an entry to the <SafeControls> section, you add an entry to the <System.Workflow.ComponentModel.WorkflowCompiler> section. Edit the web.config file for your SharePoint web application and add an <authorizedType> element as in the following example:

Step 4: Create a .ACTIONS file to be used by SharePoint Designer

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

<WorkflowInfo>

<Actions Sequential="then" Parallel="and">

<Action Name="Fetch User Onbehalf of Designation"

ClassName="Microsoft.SharePoint.WorkflowActions.CollectDataTask"

Assembly="Microsoft.SharePoint.WorkflowActions, Version=12.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c"

AppliesTo="all"

CreatesTask="true"

Category="Task Actions">

<RuleDesigner Sentence="Collect %1 from %2 (Output to %3)">

<FieldBind Field="Title,ContentTypeId" DesignerType="Survey" Text="data" Id="1"/>

<FieldBind Field="AssignedTo" DesignerType="SinglePerson" Text="this user"Id="2"/>

<FieldBind Field="TaskId" DesignerType="ParameterNames" Text="collect" Id="3"/>

</RuleDesigner>

<Parameters>

<Parameter Name="__Context" Type="Microsoft.SharePoint.WorkflowActions.
WorkflowContext, Microsoft.SharePoint.WorkflowActions" Direction="In" />

<Parameter Name="ContentTypeId" Type="System.String, mscorlib"Direction="In" />

<Parameter Name="AssignedTo" Type="System.String, mscorlib" Direction="In" />

<Parameter Name="Title" Type="System.String, mscorlib" Direction="In" />

<Parameter Name="TaskId" Type="System.Int32, mscorlib" Direction="Out" />

</Parameters>

</Action>

</Actions>

</WorkflowInfo>