How to: Configure Visual Studio 2010 for a Project Server Workflow

Run Visual Studio 2010 as an administrator.

Note
To take advantage of automated deployment and debugging, and to add SharePoint Server workflow activities to the Toolbox, you must run Visual Studio on a test installation of Project Server.

Create a project that uses the SharePoint 2010 Sequential Workflow template. In the drop-down list at the top of the New Project dialog box, select .NET Framework 3.5 (Figure 1).

The name and location of the new project is not important for the following procedures; the project is just used as an example to help find all of the references and to set Toolbox tabs. For example, create a project named WorkflowProject1.

In the SharePoint Customization Wizard, in the What local site do you want to use for debugging? drop-down list, select the URL of the local Project Web App site (Figure 2). The option Deploy as a farm solution is selected by default. Click Next.

Type the name of the workflow (Figure 3). The first part of the name is the Visual Studio project. The second part of the name is the workflow class name. For example, WorkflowProject1 – Workflow1 is the default name.

Click Site Workflow to make the workflow apply to a SharePoint site, instead of to a list.

In the Select the lists you will use when debugging page of the SharePoint Customization Wizard, select Yes, associate this workflow with the following libraries and lists (Figure 4).

In the drop-down list for the history list to display, use the default value Project Server Workflow History. In the drop-down list for the task list to display, use the default value Project Server Workflow Tasks.

Note
The workflow task list is the default list that contains workflow approvals.

On the last page of the wizard (Specify the conditions for how your workflow is started), select A user manually starts the workflow.

Click Finish to create the workflow project.

In Visual Studio Solution Explorer, expand the Workflow1 node, and then double-click the Workflow1.cs file to open the Sequential Workflow design view. On the View menu, click Toolbox, and then pin the Toolbox pane open.

Right-click a blank area in the Toolbox pane, and then click Add Tab (Figure 5). For example, name the tab Project Server – Workflow.

Right-click within the new Project Server - Workflow tab area, and then click Choose Items.

In the Choose Toolbox Items dialog box, click the System.Workflow Components tab, and then click Browse. Navigate to the Microsoft.Office.Project.Server.Workflow.dll assembly in [Program Files]\Microsoft Office Servers\14.0\Bin, and then click Open.

Note
Some pre-release combinations of Project Server 2010 and Visual Studio 2010 required adding workflow activities to the .NET Framework Components tab in the Choose Toolbox Items dialog box.

Leave all of the other items selected in the Choose Toolbox Items dialog box. Click the Namespace column header to sort the activities by namespace. There are ten Project Server workflow activities. The highlighted items (Figure 6) are those that will be added to the Project Server - Workflow tab in the Toolbox. Click OK.

Right-click in the Project Server - Workflow tab area, and then click Sort Items Alphabetically. Figure 7 shows the Project Server 2010 workflow activity items.

Right-click a blank area in the Toolbox pane, and then click Add Tab. For example, name the tab SharePoint Server – Workflow.

Close the Project Server – Workflow tab and expand the new SharePoint Server – Workflow tab. Right-click within the SharePoint Server - Workflow tab area, and then click Choose Items.

In the Choose Toolbox Items dialog box, click the System.Workflow Components tab, and then click Browse. Navigate to the Microsoft.Office.Workflow.Actions.dll assembly in [Program Files]\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\ISAPI, and then click Open.

Leave all of the items selected in the Choose Toolbox Items dialog box. Click the Namespace column header to sort the activities by namespace. Check the highlighted items in the Microsoft.Office.Workflow.Actions namespace that will be added to the SharePoint Server - Workflow tab in the Toolbox. Click OK.

Right-click in the SharePoint Server - Workflow tab area, and then click Sort Alphabetically. Figure 8 shows the SharePoint Server 2010 workflow activity items.