Chapter 6. Windows Workflow Foundation 4

Availability: Framework 4.0

Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) was first introduced in 2006 with .NET 3.0. It is probably fair to say that WF didn't receive the widespread adoption Microsoft was hoping for. This lack of uptake was probably due to a number of factors:

• Although the WF designer offers a natural way of working, it is a very different way of developing applications and contains a new API to master.

• Its performance was slow.

• Writing your own workflow activities was not as easy as it could have been.

• Handling and passing data between activities was cumbersome.

• Support for messaging scenarios and integration with WCF was limited.

• Some developers were confused by the hosting model.

• The clunky designer interface made you want to poke your own eyes out (OK, it wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good either).

Microsoft has aimed to address these issues and also to integrate WCF and WF more closely than ever before.