Introduction to Programming Windows Workflow Foundation 

Windows Workflow Foundation is a development framework that enables you to embed workflows in .NET Framework applications. Windows Workflow Foundation is not itself an executable application or program; instead it enables you to create your own workflow applications.

Conventional general-purpose programming languages target short-lived applications and lack intrinsic support for program durability and persistence. Windows Workflow Foundation is a framework, not a language. It has a good understanding of the workflow program to be able to correctly handle work such as persistence and compensation.

Windows Workflow Foundation is flexible and extensible. You can write your workflows directly in code, in markup, or in a combination of both. You can implement your own custom workflow patterns through custom activities that can be reused across workflows.

Windows Workflow Foundation enables model-driven workflow development, providing natural design visibility and hiding system-level concerns such as transactions, state management, and concurrency control.

There are two primary facets of programming workflows. One is designing workflows and their activities, and the other is using these workflows in an application. For more information, see Developing Workflows and Developing Workflow-Enabled Applications.

See Also

Concepts

Workflows Overview

Other Resources

Developing Workflows
Developing Workflow Activities
Windows Workflow Foundation Activities
Developing Workflow-Enabled Applications
Windows Workflow Foundation Programming Guide

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