Workflows or processes with dynamic reference activity
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsGonzalo Ruiz, Nirav Shah, Steven Kaplan, Mesganaw Anteneh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A placeholder activity is employed in a workflow or process definition, which may be loaded in a workflow design application even if the type of activity referred by the placeholder activity cannot be loaded. The “reference activity” enables a workflow or a process to bind to an actual activity type at runtime such that the workflow or process can dynamically use a latest version of the activity without a need to modify the workflow/process definition.
Claims20
A method executed at least in part in a computing device for providing a workflow with a dynamic reference activity, the method comprising:
- receiving a workflow definition that includes at least one reference activity;
- when the reference activity is reached at runtime, determining a referred activity associated with the referenced activity;
- retrieving and initializing the referred activity;
- executing the referred activity at least partially based on an argument and a property of the reference activity;
- returning a result of the referred activity execution to the reference activity;
- and
- forwarding the result from the reference activity to a subsequent activity in the workflow.
A system for providing a workflow service with dynamic reference activity, the system comprising:
- a first server hosting a workflow design application, the workflow design application configured to:
- enable loading of a reference activity in a workflow definition regardless of availability of a type of an activity referred to by the reference activity;
- and
- a second server hosting a workflow application, the workflow application configured to:
- receive the workflow definition from the workflow design application;
- when the reference activity is reached at runtime, determine a latest version of the referred activity associated with the referenced activity;
- retrieve and initialize the referred activity;
- execute the referred activity at least partially based on an argument and a property of the reference activity;
- return a result of the referred activity execution to the reference activity;
- and
- forward the result from the reference activity to a subsequent activity in the workflow.
A computer-readable storage medium with instructions stored thereon for providing a workflow service with dynamic reference activity, the instructions comprising:
- enabling loading of a reference activity in a workflow definition regardless of availability of a type of an activity referred to by the reference activity;
- when the reference activity is reached at runtime, determining a referred activity associated with the referenced activity employing a strategy defined by a context extension interface that is independent of the reference activity;
- retrieving and initializing the referred activity;
- executing the referred activity at least partially based on an argument and a property of the reference activity;
- returning a result of the referred activity execution to the reference activity;
- and
- forwarding the result from the reference activity to a subsequent activity in the workflow.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.