Pro WF, Windows Workflow in .NET 3.0, Apress
Microsoft .NET Framework, ASP.NET, Visual C# (CSharp, C Sharp, C-Sharp) Developer Training, Visual Studio
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C# Online.NET Book Review
Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) is a Microsoft technology for defining, executing, and managing workflows. The technology is part of .NET Framework 3.0 which is available natively in the Windows Vista operating system, and may be installed on the Windows XP SP2 and Windows 2003 Server operating systems.
Currently, this is the best WF book on the market for the C# developer. It is recommended to any WF beginner and it will serve as a reference for the intermediate WF designer. The beginner who tries to save the cost of a book by using the online MSDN documentation will actually end up paying dearly. The MSDN documentation lacks many details available in this book; and, the MSDN documentation is more of a reference than a tutorial.
The book contains programming exercises which are the equivalent of a one week, instructor-led Windows Workflow Foundation training course. Also, it contains a lot of practical information not found in other WF titles. Notably, the sections on exception handling, rules, and Web service hosting alone are worth the price of admission. There are many practical examples which cut straight to the hearts of the matter without getting lost in the technical bushes.
Th author's style is very easy to read and understand. The organization is logical and comprehensive. And, since the book was authored by a single author, the book is more coherent than many of its competitors' offerings.
Future editions might explain how .NET 3.0 WF functions under the hood to make it all happen.
All of the source code examples are in the C# language using Visual Studio.
Bottom line
Succinctly, Pro WF is the best introductory book available on Windows Workflow Foundation (WF).
Publisher's description
Windows Workflow Foundation is a ground-breaking addition to the core of the .NET Framework that allows you to orchestrate human and system interactions as a series of workflows that can be easily mapped, analyzed, adjusted, and implemented.
As business problems become more complex, the need for a workflow-based solution has never been more evident. WF provides a simple and consistent way to model and implement complex problems. As a developer, you focus on developing the business logic for individual workflow tasks. The runtime handles the execution of those tasks after they have been composed into a workflow.
Pro WF: Windows Workflow in .NET 3.0 provides you with the skills you need to incorporate WF in your applications. This book gets you up to speed with Windows Workflow Foundation quickly and comprehensively. The practical aspects of using WF are covered in a lively tutorial style with each workflow concept illustrated in C#. This book also includes detailed coverage of how to customize your workflows and access them in a variety of ways and situations so you can maximize the advantages of this technology.
About the author(s)
Bruce Bukovics has been a working developer for over 25 years. During this time, he has designed and developed applications in such widely varying areas as banking, corporate finance, credit card processing, payroll processing, and retail automation.
He has first-hand developer experience with C, C++, Delphi, VB, C#, and Java, and he rode the waves of technology as they drifted from mainframe to client/server to n-Tier, from COM to COM+, and from Web Services to .NET Remoting and beyond.
Table of Contents (abbreviated)
- CHAPTER 1 A Quick Tour of Windows Workflow Foundation
- CHAPTER 2 Foundation Overview
- CHAPTER 3 Activities
- CHAPTER 4 Hosting the Workflow Runtime
- CHAPTER 5 Flow Control
- CHAPTER 6 Local Services
- CHAPTER 7 Event-Driven Activities
- CHAPTER 8 Workflow Persistence
- CHAPTER 9 State Machine Workflows
- CHAPTER 10 Transactions and Compensation
- CHAPTER 11 Workflow Rules
- CHAPTER 12 Exception and Error Handling
- CHAPTER 13 Dynamic Workflow Updates
- CHAPTER 14 Workflow Tracking
- CHAPTER 15 Web Services and ASP.NET
- CHAPTER 16 Workflow Serialization and Markup
- CHAPTER 17 Hosting the Workflow Designers
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Categories: CSharp-Online.NET Reviews | CSharp-Online.NET Book Reviews | Windows Book Reviews | .NET Book Reviews
