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Dynamics 365 Community / Forums / Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Archived) / is wf essentially dead?
Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Archived)

is wf essentially dead?

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Posted on by Community Member

Hello - Is Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) essentially dead? CRM uses System.Activities.CodeActivity, which is a carryover from WF, but, afik, there is no graphical interface for this, like the one in WF. I searched the web for WF forums and could not find any active ones.

Based on what I've read on the web, it seems that most projects did not have much luck with WF, and found that a custom code-based implementation was much easier to design, write and maintain.

Can you provide any insight on the current state of WF? Is the CRM CodeActivity essentially the last remaining nugget of WF that has found new life through CRM? Also, I'm not aware of a graphical component of CodeActivity through CRM, but please correct me if I'm wrong?

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  • Verified answer
    ScottDurow Profile Picture
    ScottDurow 21 on at

    Hi Andrew,

    Windows Workflow Foundation is most definitely alive and kicking - it is at the core of many applications  (e.g Dynamics CRM and SharePoint) but does not have any user interface other than that found in the Visual Studio for designing workflows. Each application that uses it will typically build it's own UI for building workflows that is specific to the framework of that application and use Workflow activities that are also specifically written for a particular purpose. For instance, SharePoint and CRM both use WF, but they have very different Workflow designers and a unique set of Activities. You couldn't use the SharePoint WF activities in CRM or visa versa. The CodeActivity is simply a base class that these unique workflow components are built upon - and in fact if you create your own workflow components you would also inherit from CodeActivity (msdn.microsoft.com/.../gg334455.aspx). The same goes for SharePoint (blogs.technet.com/.../how-to-develop-a-workflow-code-activity-in-sharepoint-2013.aspx)

    hth,

    Scott

  • Community Member Profile Picture
    Community Member on at

    Thanks Scott!  The Process Builder UI allows you to add standard  conditions and steps, but afaik, CRM does not have a visual w/f designer in CRM, where you drag and connect different workflow shapes, like you do in WF? Is my understanding correct?  Also, I have doubts about how much new dev is actually being done for standalone WF projects, considering there are no active discussion forums for it?

  • Verified answer
    ScottDurow Profile Picture
    ScottDurow 21 on at

    Hi Andrew,

    CRM doesn't have a drag and drop UI you are right - but you can edit workflows in that style interface using Visual Studio if you wish - msdn.microsoft.com/.../gg334626.aspx

    Both techniques create xaml workflows which is the declarative markup language that is run by a WF host.

    WF is a significant part of the .NET framework and investment in it is continuing by Microsoft!

    Cheers,

    Scott

  • Community Member Profile Picture
    Community Member on at

    Thanks for the insight, Scott.  It looks like CRM does provide the ability to edit its w/f's inside a WF project.  However, the interface appears to be fairly basic for CRM. I think this probably reflects the basic nature of the w/f's built through the native CRM Process Builder.

    It doesn't seem like the view provided through the standalone WF project in this context provides much, if any, value over using the native CRM Process Builder UI?  Do you agree?  Or does a standalone WF project support additional capabilities that I'm not aware of?

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