Workflow Applications
Workflow processes are used to enforce business rules, such as who sees an item, the sequence of events an item goes through, the routing of an item, or even when an item can be created or deleted. The Workflow Designer for Exchange 2000 Server creates workflow processes specifically for Exchange folders. When workflow is applied to a folder, all items in that folder must conform to the information flow created by the workflow process.
A workflow process is made up of a series of tasks and events, the order in which they must occur, and the script that is executed for each event or transition. In its simplest form, a workflow process automates and enforces the order of tasks. For example, a user can create a new item in a folder and assign it to another user. This user can resolve the item and assign it to the original user who then can close the issue.
The Workflow Designer for Exchange Server uses a graphical user interface (GUI) to represent the workflow process as a diagram that can be edited. The conceptual model for a workflow process in the Workflow Designer for Exchange Server includes states, events, and transitions.
| Workflow component | Description |
|---|---|
| State | A state defines the current status of an item in the workflow process, such as Resolved. For more information, see Adding and Modifying States in a Workflow. |
| Event | An event defines the operations that can be performed on an item, such as Create. In addition, workflow events can be used to trigger scripts. For more information, see Choosing Workflow Events. |
| Transition | A transition moves an item from one state to another. Change is an example of an event that can be used to cause a transition. When creating a transition, in addition to selecting the event, you also must specify the next state. For more information, see Order of Workflow Events. |
When a new workflow process is created, the developer must name the empty process. Create and Delete events are added to this empty workflow process automatically. The Create event appears in the workflow process diagram as the starting block and the Delete event appears as the ending block. States, events, and transitions can be added to enhance the workflow process.
In the following diagram of a workflow process, the rectangles represent states, the arrows represent transitions, and the squares represent the starting block (create) and the ending block (delete). The lines with bends in them (transition within), labeled Edit, represent events that do not cause state changes.
Workflow Process
.gif)
The following is an example of how the diagram looks as an actual workflow process in the Development Environment. Notice that the events, labeled Edit earlier, have transitions within the same state. These special transitions signify that an event does occur, but there is no advance in the workflow state.
Workflow Diagram
.gif)
See Also
Workflow Applications Architecture for Exchange Server | Workflow Events | Event Order | Exchange Server and Public Folders | Application User Interface | Workflow Scripting | Building a Workflow Process | Choosing Workflow Events