Developing and Configuring Custom Properties

Skelta Workflow.NET Help

Workflow.NET provides a set of properties for the actions. Custom properties can also be developed. If the custom action needs a custom property, it has to be developed and configured in the Actions.xml file.

All the properties implement the IPropertyType interface. For rendering the HTML for the property in the Process Designer, a web user interface and the property page has to be implemented for the property. The property type and the property web user interface have to be configured in the Actions.xml file. Refer to the API documentation for an example on implementing the IPropertyType interface. For displaying the property in the Process Designer implement the IPropertyTypeWebUI. Here is a sample implementation of the IPropertyTypeWebUI.

public class PropertySampleWebUI: IPropertyTypeWebUI

							   {

							      publicPropertySampleWebUI()

							      {

							

							      }

							      voidIPropertyTypeWebUI.Draw( 
							Workflow.NET.ActionoAction, Workflow.NET.Property oProperty, 
							Workflow.NET.Web.Designer.ProcessDesigner oWebDesigner )

							      { 
							         string output;

							         output = "<TABLE 
							class='propertiesboxinputstable' cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 
							width=100%>";

							         output += 
							"<TR>";

							         output += 
							"<TD>Sample Property</TD>";

							         output += "<TD 
							width=20><input type=button title=\"Click to Add" + 
							oProperty.Name + "\" style=\"width:15;height:15\" 
							onclick=wf_openpropertypage('sample', '"+oProperty.Name+"', 
							'"+oAction.Name+"', 
							'height=250,width=950,resizable=yes')></TD>";

							         output += 
							"</TR>";

							         output += 
							"</TABLE>";

							         oWebDesigner.Controls.Add(new 
							LiteralControl(output));

							      }

							      boolIPropertyTypeWebUI.HandlePostBack(Action 
							oAction, Property oProperty, ProcessDesigner oWebDesigner, ref string 
							ErrorString)

							      {

							         return true;

							      }

							      PropertyPage 
							IPropertyTypeWebUI.CreatePropertyPageInstance()

							      {

							         return new 
							Workflow.NET.Web.Designer.PropertyPages.PropertyPageSample();

							      }

							
   }

The sample code displays the HTML for Property in the Process Designer when an action with this property is clicked on the Process Designer. The property displays the text ‘Sample Property’ and a button, which pops up a property page.

All the property pages should inherit the PropertyPage class. Here is a sample code for the property page.

public class PropertyPageSample:PropertyPage

							   {

							      publicPropertyPageSample()

							      {

							

							      }

							      public override void HandleRequest()

							      {

							         string filename;

							         base.HandleRequest();

							         //Replace the 
							placeholders in the html for the property page.

							         Parse.Replace("placeholder1", 
							"This text will replace the place holder.");

							         //html file with the 
							placeholders for the property page.

							

							       filename = ParentControl.DirSourceElements 
							+ "PropertyPages\\Sample\\PropertyPageSample.htm";

							         //Write the output to the 
							client.

							

							      Context.Response.Write(Parse.CheckAndProcessFileGetString(filename, 
							ParentControl.DirTemp + "Cache", 
							"PropertyPages\\Sample\\"));

							      }

							      public override void HandlePostBack()

							      {

							         Property p = 
							ParentControl.SelectedAction.Properties[this.Context.Request["propertyname"]];

							         stringval = 
							this.Context.Request["propertyvalue"];

							         p.Value = val;

							         //Save the value in the 
							process design.

							         ParentControl.WriteFile();

							      }

							   }

The code above replaces the place holders in the HTML template and displays the property page.

The custom property has to be configured in the Actions.xml file. Add the propertytype element in the XML file, and specify the name of the property as value to the name attribute. Specify the name for the property type class and the web ui class. The assembly for the property type and the web ui classes can be configured using the assemblyname attribute.

The properties in Actions.xml are shown below.