Applications

Applications screen

In the left menu on the Administration Module home page, click to display the Applications screen.

Menu banner

Buttons	Remarks
Refresh	Refreshes the displayed application list
New application	Opens a blank New application form

Filters

Filter on *	Remarks
Name	Filters by application name
Description	Filters by application description

* A filter can be applied to a part of a field.

External filters	Remarks
Active	Displays active applications only

Applications list

Columns	Remarks
Order	Use the arrows to change the order in which the applications are listed when adding or editing a workflow action
Name	Application name (click to display the application form in edit mode)
Description	Application description
Active	Application active status
Utilization	Number of actions in which the application is used

Application form

General tab

These fields are displayed as applicable to the selected application type.

Fields	Remarks
Name	Unique identifier for the application; must respect nomenclature and be limited to 30 characters (required field)
Description	Application description limited to 255 characters (required field)
Type	Application type: Assembly Asynchronous Web Procedure Incoming Webhook Non Interactive Client SOAP Web Service WCF Service Web Application Web Procedure
URL	The relative or the absolute URL of the application; both will work (required field)
WSDL	The WSDL URL to define a WSDL-based web service (if applicable); see WSDL web services for details on WSDL-based web services
Username *	Username to be used if an authentication is required to access the application’s URL
Password *	Password to be used if an authentication is required to access the application’s URL
Content type	Type of data encoding to be used when the application returns to WorkflowGen: application/x-www-form-urlencoded application/xml; charset=UTF-8 application/json multipart/form-data
Context format	Defines the format type of the context parameters exchanged between the application and WorkflowGen: JSON XML ADO.NET DataSet (default WorkflowGen schema) XML ADO Recordset
Schema definition	If checked, the schema will be embedded inline in the XML (for XML context formats only)
Parameters	Application parameters (a link displays the parameters form in edit mode)
Default application	If checked, the application is selected by default
Active	If checked, the application is active
Impersonate username	A WorkflowGen username to impersonate by the application (for the Incoming Webhook and Non Interactive Client application types)
Client ID	A client ID from the registered application of your authentication service provider e.g. Azure Active Directory (for the Non Interactive Client application type)

* Only needed by the web procedures and the web services.

Parameters tab

Columns	Remarks
Name	Application parameter name
Description	Application parameter description
Data type	Application parameter data type
Direction	Application parameter direction
Required	Required parameter
Default	Optional parameter; displays the parameter in the parameter list of the actions based on the current application by default

Adding an application parameter

Click the Add button to open the Add an application parameter panel.

Fields	Remarks
Name	Application parameter name (required field; see the list of XML naming rules below)
Description	Application parameter description (required field)
Data type	Application parameter data type: Text Numeric Date/Time File
Direction	Application parameter directions: IN (send the value into the parameter) OUT (receive the value from the parameter) INOUT (send and receive the value into and from the parameter)
Required	Is this parameter required? Yes (disables the default property) No (enables the default property)
Default	If checked, the parameter is displayed in the parameter list of the action based on the current application

Application parameter names should respect the following XML naming rules:

• They should begin with a letter or an underscore

• They should contain only letters, digits, hyphens, underscores, and periods

• They should not contain spaces

• They should not begin with the letters XML in any case (e.g. xml or Xml)

For more information, see https://www.w3schools.com/xml/xml_elements.asp.

Deleting an application

An application cannot be deleted if it's used in a process.

Deleting a parameter

A parameter cannot be deleted if its application is used in a process.

Assembly application

This application allows you to declare a .NET class method as a workflow application. This is the fastest solution to develop a custom workflow application (compared to web services). The execution performance is exceptional because WorkflowGen instantiates the assembly directly without network communication or web service authentication.

📌 Example

1. Copy a sample .dll assembly into a WorkflowGen bin folder.

2. In the Administration Module, click in the left menu and then New application.
3. Enter the following information in the appropriate fields:

   • Name: SAMPLE_GET_STRING

   • Description: Returns a string with a ! (exclamation point)

   • Type: Assembly

4. Assembly full name or path: WorkflowAppSample

5. Click Save.

• Class full name: Select WorkflowApp.Test

  • Method: Select GetString

These parameters are automatically generated:

• IN: message (Text)

• OUT: RETURN_VALUE (Text)

You can now use this workflow application in your process.

WCF service application

This application allows you to declare a WCF service client proxy .NET class method as a workflow application.

📌 Example

1. In the WorkflowGen Administration Module, click in the left menu and then New application.
2. Enter the following information in the appropriate fields:

   • Name: WCFSERVICE_SAMPLE_GET_STRING

   • Description: Returns a string with a ! (exclamation point)

   • Type: WCF service

3. Assembly full name or path: WorkflowAppWCFSampleTest

4. Click Save.

• Class full name: Select workflowAppWCFSampleTest.ServiceClient

  • Method: Select GetString

These parameters are automatically generated:

• IN: message (Text)

• OUT: RETURN_VALUE (Text)

You can now use this workflow application in your process.

• Name: WCFSERVICE_SAMPLE_GET_STRING

WSDL web services

Overview

WorkflowGen supports web services based on the SOAP standard. This means that web services can be integrated into WorkflowGen to be used by process actions, without the need to program them. WorkflowGen can use predefined web services and reference them by using their WSDL (Web Services Description Language) files.

A URL to the WSDL file defining the web service is required to display the available web methods that can be called by WorkflowGen. Once the WSDL is referenced and saved (in the WorkflowGen application definition), and one of its defined web methods are selected, the WorkflowGen application parameters are automatically generated.

The data types of the parameters are mapped to the corresponding WorkflowGen data types (numeric, text, datetime). All complex XML types are mapped to a WorkflowGen file data.

Public web services

Public web services are web services that are available for public re-use. To reference one as a WorkflowGen application, follow the example below.

Creating a WSDL web service

1. In the Administration Module, click in the left menu, then create a new WorkflowGen application and define the following:

   • Name

   • Description

   • Type: Web service

   • Username: A valid WorkflowGen Administrator

   • Password: The valid password for the username

2. Reference a web service and WSDL by defining a URL to a valid web service and to its related WSDL file and save the application.

   📌 URL example:

   http://quickstarts.asp.net/QuickStartv20/webservices/Samples/MathService/vb/Server/MathService.asmx

   📌 WSDL example:

   http://quickstarts.asp.net/QuickStartv20/webservices/Samples/MathService/vb/Server/MathService.asmx?WSDL

3. Select the web method to use. The WSDL defines which web methods are available to be used. Once you select a web method and save the application, the associated parameters are automatically mapped and the application may now be used by process actions.

Private web service example

Overview

Private web services are web services that are not available for public re-use. They generally use a secure URL that requires the proper authentication. To reference one as a WorkflowGen application, follow the example below.

Creating a WSDL web service

1. In the Administration Module, click in the left menu, then create a new WorkflowGen application and define the following:

   • Name

   • Description

   • Type: Web service

   • Username: A valid WorkflowGen Administrator

   • Password: The valid password for the username

2. Reference a web service and WSDL by defining a URL to a valid web service and to its related WSDL file and save the application.

   The examples below demonstrate the use of a web service located on a SharePoint 2007 website. In this example, the web service is called lists.asmx. For more information, see http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms445760.aspx.

   📌 URL example:

   http://myspsserver/_vti_bin/lists.asmx

   📌 WSDL example:

   http://myspsserver/_vti_bin/lists.asmx?WSDL

3. Select the web method to use. The WSDL defines which web methods are available to be used. Once you select a web method and save the application, the associated parameters are automatically mapped and the application can now be used by process actions.

WSDL web service action: other parameters

Overview

WorkflowGen will create some extra parameters when referencing a WSDL. Other parameters can also be used in addition to those already defined in the WSDL file.

Other parameters

The other parameters that are defined by WorkflowGen are:

• RETURN_VALUE: If the web service returns a value, WorkflowGen will automatically add an OUT parameter.

• WFG_WS_URL: Specify a web service URL to override the predefined URL.

• WFG_WS_USERNAME: Specify a username to override the predefined username.

• WFG_WS_PASSWORD: Specify a password to override the predefined password.