Declarative Workflows - Advanced Patterns

This document covers advanced patterns for building sophisticated declarative workflows, including multi-agent orchestration, loop control, and human-in-the-loop scenarios.

Overview

As your workflows grow in complexity, you'll need patterns that handle multi-step processes, agent coordination, and interactive scenarios. This guide provides templates and best practices for common advanced use cases.

Note

Documentation for declarative workflows in .NET is coming soon. Please check back for updates.

Multi-Agent Orchestration

Sequential Agent Pipeline

Pass work through multiple agents in sequence, where each agent builds on the previous agent's output.

Use case: Content creation pipelines where different specialists handle research, writing, and editing.

name: content-pipeline
description: Sequential agent pipeline for content creation

kind: Workflow
trigger:
  kind: OnConversationStart
  id: content_workflow
  actions:
    # First agent: Research and analyze
    - kind: InvokeAzureAgent
      id: invoke_researcher
      displayName: Research phase
      conversationId: =System.ConversationId
      agent:
        name: ResearcherAgent

    # Second agent: Write draft based on research
    - kind: InvokeAzureAgent
      id: invoke_writer
      displayName: Writing phase
      conversationId: =System.ConversationId
      agent:
        name: WriterAgent

    # Third agent: Edit and polish
    - kind: InvokeAzureAgent
      id: invoke_editor
      displayName: Editing phase
      conversationId: =System.ConversationId
      agent:
        name: EditorAgent

Python setup:

from agent_framework.declarative import WorkflowFactory

# Create factory and register agents
factory = WorkflowFactory()
factory.register_agent("ResearcherAgent", researcher_agent)
factory.register_agent("WriterAgent", writer_agent)
factory.register_agent("EditorAgent", editor_agent)

# Load and run
workflow = factory.create_workflow_from_yaml_path("content-pipeline.yaml")
result = await workflow.run({"topic": "AI in healthcare"})

Conditional Agent Routing

Route requests to different agents based on the input or intermediate results.

Use case: Support systems that route to specialized agents based on issue type.

name: support-router
description: Route to specialized support agents

inputs:
  category:
    type: string
    description: Support category (billing, technical, general)

actions:
  - kind: ConditionGroup
    id: route_request
    displayName: Route to appropriate agent
    conditions:
      - condition: =Workflow.Inputs.category = "billing"
        id: billing_route
        actions:
          - kind: InvokeAzureAgent
            id: billing_agent
            agent:
              name: BillingAgent
            conversationId: =System.ConversationId
      - condition: =Workflow.Inputs.category = "technical"
        id: technical_route
        actions:
          - kind: InvokeAzureAgent
            id: technical_agent
            agent:
              name: TechnicalAgent
            conversationId: =System.ConversationId
    elseActions:
      - kind: InvokeAzureAgent
        id: general_agent
        agent:
          name: GeneralAgent
        conversationId: =System.ConversationId

Agent with External Loop

Continue agent interaction until a condition is met, such as the issue being resolved.

Use case: Support conversations that continue until the user's problem is solved.

name: support-conversation
description: Continue support until resolved

actions:
  - kind: SetVariable
    variable: Local.IsResolved
    value: false

  - kind: InvokeAzureAgent
    id: support_agent
    displayName: Support agent with external loop
    agent:
      name: SupportAgent
    conversationId: =System.ConversationId
    input:
      externalLoop:
        when: =Not(Local.IsResolved)
    output:
      responseObject: Local.SupportResult

  - kind: SendActivity
    activity:
      text: "Thank you for contacting support. Your issue has been resolved."

Loop Control Patterns

Iterative Agent Conversation

Create back-and-forth conversations between agents with controlled iteration.

Use case: Student-teacher scenarios, debate simulations, or iterative refinement.

name: student-teacher
description: Iterative learning conversation between student and teacher

kind: Workflow
trigger:
  kind: OnConversationStart
  id: learning_session
  actions:
    # Initialize turn counter
    - kind: SetVariable
      id: init_counter
      path: Local.TurnCount
      value: 0

    - kind: SendActivity
      id: start_message
      activity:
        text: =Concat("Starting session for: ", Workflow.Inputs.problem)

    # Student attempts solution (loop entry point)
    - kind: SendActivity
      id: student_label
      activity:
        text: "\n[Student]:"

    - kind: InvokeAzureAgent
      id: student_attempt
      conversationId: =System.ConversationId
      agent:
        name: StudentAgent

    # Teacher reviews
    - kind: SendActivity
      id: teacher_label
      activity:
        text: "\n[Teacher]:"

    - kind: InvokeAzureAgent
      id: teacher_review
      conversationId: =System.ConversationId
      agent:
        name: TeacherAgent
      output:
        messages: Local.TeacherResponse

    # Increment counter
    - kind: SetVariable
      id: increment
      path: Local.TurnCount
      value: =Local.TurnCount + 1

    # Check completion conditions
    - kind: ConditionGroup
      id: check_completion
      conditions:
        # Success: Teacher congratulated student
        - condition: =Not(IsBlank(Find("congratulations", Local.TeacherResponse)))
          id: success_check
          actions:
            - kind: SendActivity
              activity:
                text: "Session complete - student succeeded!"
            - kind: SetVariable
              variable: Workflow.Outputs.result
              value: success
        # Continue: Under turn limit
        - condition: =Local.TurnCount < 4
          id: continue_check
          actions:
            - kind: GotoAction
              actionId: student_label
      elseActions:
        # Timeout: Reached turn limit
        - kind: SendActivity
          activity:
            text: "Session ended - turn limit reached."
        - kind: SetVariable
          variable: Workflow.Outputs.result
          value: timeout

Counter-Based Loops

Implement traditional counting loops using variables and GotoAction.

name: counter-loop
description: Process items with a counter

actions:
  - kind: SetVariable
    variable: Local.counter
    value: 0

  - kind: SetVariable
    variable: Local.maxIterations
    value: 5

  # Loop start
  - kind: SetVariable
    id: loop_start
    variable: Local.counter
    value: =Local.counter + 1

  - kind: SendActivity
    activity:
      text: =Concat("Processing iteration ", Local.counter)

  # Your processing logic here
  - kind: SetVariable
    variable: Local.result
    value: =Concat("Result from iteration ", Local.counter)

  # Check if should continue
  - kind: If
    condition: =Local.counter < Local.maxIterations
    then:
      - kind: GotoAction
        actionId: loop_start
    else:
      - kind: SendActivity
        activity:
          text: "Loop complete!"

Early Exit with BreakLoop

Use BreakLoop to exit iterations early when a condition is met.

name: search-workflow
description: Search through items and stop when found

actions:
  - kind: SetVariable
    variable: Local.found
    value: false

  - kind: Foreach
    source: =Workflow.Inputs.items
    itemName: currentItem
    actions:
      # Check if this is the item we're looking for
      - kind: If
        condition: =currentItem.id = Workflow.Inputs.targetId
        then:
          - kind: SetVariable
            variable: Local.found
            value: true
          - kind: SetVariable
            variable: Local.result
            value: =currentItem
          - kind: BreakLoop

      - kind: SendActivity
        activity:
          text: =Concat("Checked item: ", currentItem.name)

  - kind: If
    condition: =Local.found
    then:
      - kind: SendActivity
        activity:
          text: =Concat("Found: ", Local.result.name)
    else:
      - kind: SendActivity
        activity:
          text: "Item not found"

Human-in-the-Loop Patterns

Interactive Survey

Collect multiple pieces of information from the user.

name: customer-survey
description: Interactive customer feedback survey

actions:
  - kind: SendActivity
    activity:
      text: "Welcome to our customer feedback survey!"

  # Collect name
  - kind: Question
    id: ask_name
    question:
      text: "What is your name?"
    variable: Local.userName
    default: "Anonymous"

  - kind: SendActivity
    activity:
      text: =Concat("Nice to meet you, ", Local.userName, "!")

  # Collect rating
  - kind: Question
    id: ask_rating
    question:
      text: "How would you rate our service? (1-5)"
    variable: Local.rating
    default: "3"

  # Respond based on rating
  - kind: If
    condition: =Local.rating >= 4
    then:
      - kind: SendActivity
        activity:
          text: "Thank you for the positive feedback!"
    else:
      - kind: Question
        id: ask_improvement
        question:
          text: "What could we improve?"
        variable: Local.feedback

  # Collect additional feedback
  - kind: RequestExternalInput
    id: additional_comments
    prompt:
      text: "Any additional comments? (optional)"
    variable: Local.comments
    default: ""

  # Summary
  - kind: SendActivity
    activity:
      text: =Concat("Thank you, ", Local.userName, "! Your feedback has been recorded.")

  - kind: SetVariable
    variable: Workflow.Outputs.survey
    value:
      name: =Local.userName
      rating: =Local.rating
      feedback: =Local.feedback
      comments: =Local.comments

Approval Workflow

Request approval before proceeding with an action.

name: approval-workflow
description: Request approval before processing

inputs:
  requestType:
    type: string
    description: Type of request
  amount:
    type: number
    description: Request amount

actions:
  - kind: SendActivity
    activity:
      text: =Concat("Processing ", inputs.requestType, " request for $", inputs.amount)

  # Check if approval is needed
  - kind: If
    condition: =Workflow.Inputs.amount > 1000
    then:
      - kind: SendActivity
        activity:
          text: "This request requires manager approval."

      - kind: Confirmation
        id: get_approval
        question:
          text: =Concat("Do you approve this ", inputs.requestType, " request for $", inputs.amount, "?")
        variable: Local.approved

      - kind: If
        condition: =Local.approved
        then:
          - kind: SendActivity
            activity:
              text: "Request approved. Processing..."
          - kind: SetVariable
            variable: Workflow.Outputs.status
            value: approved
        else:
          - kind: SendActivity
            activity:
              text: "Request denied."
          - kind: SetVariable
            variable: Workflow.Outputs.status
            value: denied
    else:
      - kind: SendActivity
        activity:
          text: "Request auto-approved (under threshold)."
      - kind: SetVariable
        variable: Workflow.Outputs.status
        value: auto_approved

Complex Orchestration

Support Ticket Workflow

A comprehensive example combining multiple patterns: agent routing, conditional logic, and conversation management.

name: support-ticket-workflow
description: Complete support ticket handling with escalation

kind: Workflow
trigger:
  kind: OnConversationStart
  id: support_workflow
  actions:
    # Initial self-service agent
    - kind: InvokeAzureAgent
      id: self_service
      displayName: Self-service agent
      agent:
        name: SelfServiceAgent
      conversationId: =System.ConversationId
      input:
        externalLoop:
          when: =Not(Local.ServiceResult.IsResolved)
      output:
        responseObject: Local.ServiceResult

    # Check if resolved by self-service
    - kind: If
      condition: =Local.ServiceResult.IsResolved
      then:
        - kind: SendActivity
          activity:
            text: "Issue resolved through self-service."
        - kind: SetVariable
          variable: Workflow.Outputs.resolution
          value: self_service
        - kind: EndWorkflow
          id: end_resolved

    # Create support ticket
    - kind: SendActivity
      activity:
        text: "Creating support ticket..."

    - kind: SetVariable
      variable: Local.TicketId
      value: =Concat("TKT-", System.ConversationId)

    # Route to appropriate team
    - kind: ConditionGroup
      id: route_ticket
      conditions:
        - condition: =Local.ServiceResult.Category = "technical"
          id: technical_route
          actions:
            - kind: InvokeAzureAgent
              id: technical_support
              agent:
                name: TechnicalSupportAgent
              conversationId: =System.ConversationId
              output:
                responseObject: Local.TechResult
        - condition: =Local.ServiceResult.Category = "billing"
          id: billing_route
          actions:
            - kind: InvokeAzureAgent
              id: billing_support
              agent:
                name: BillingSupportAgent
              conversationId: =System.ConversationId
              output:
                responseObject: Local.BillingResult
      elseActions:
        # Escalate to human
        - kind: SendActivity
          activity:
            text: "Escalating to human support..."
        - kind: SetVariable
          variable: Workflow.Outputs.resolution
          value: escalated

    - kind: SendActivity
      activity:
        text: =Concat("Ticket ", Local.TicketId, " has been processed.")

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use clear, descriptive names for actions and variables:

# Good
- kind: SetVariable
  id: calculate_total_price
  variable: Local.orderTotal

# Avoid
- kind: SetVariable
  id: sv1
  variable: Local.x

Organizing Large Workflows

Break complex workflows into logical sections with comments:

actions:
  # === INITIALIZATION ===
  - kind: SetVariable
    id: init_status
    variable: Local.status
    value: started

  # === DATA COLLECTION ===
  - kind: Question
    id: collect_name
    # ...

  # === PROCESSING ===
  - kind: InvokeAzureAgent
    id: process_request
    # ...

  # === OUTPUT ===
  - kind: SendActivity
    id: send_result
    # ...

Error Handling

Use conditional checks to handle potential issues:

actions:
  - kind: SetVariable
    variable: Local.hasError
    value: false

  - kind: InvokeAzureAgent
    id: call_agent
    agent:
      name: ProcessingAgent
    output:
      responseObject: Local.AgentResult

  - kind: If
    condition: =IsBlank(Local.AgentResult)
    then:
      - kind: SetVariable
        variable: Local.hasError
        value: true
      - kind: SendActivity
        activity:
          text: "An error occurred during processing."
    else:
      - kind: SendActivity
        activity:
          text: =Local.AgentResult.message

Testing Strategies

1. Start simple: Test basic flows before adding complexity
2. Use default values: Provide sensible defaults for inputs
3. Add logging: Use SendActivity for debugging during development
4. Test edge cases: Verify behavior with missing or invalid inputs

# Debug logging example
- kind: SendActivity
  id: debug_log
  activity:
    text: =Concat("[DEBUG] Current state: counter=", Local.counter, ", status=", Local.status)

Next Steps

• Declarative Workflows Overview - Return to the overview
• Expressions and Variables - Learn the expression language
• Actions Reference - Complete reference for all action types