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Web-Based and E-Mail Workflow

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Web-Based and E-Mail Workflow

This content is no longer actively maintained. It is provided as is, for anyone who may still be using these technologies, with no warranties or claims of accuracy with regard to the most recent product version or service release.

CDO for Workflow (CDOWF) supports both Web-based workflow and e-mail workflow. The following sections explain these two types of workflow.

Web-Based Workflow

In Web-based workflow, users can update Exchange store items directly over the corporate network using their network credentials. If a client application updates a property on the work item, you can update the workflow state depending on the value of this property. For example, a manager clicks an Approve box on a form (client) and saves it. Your workflow design moves the item from a "needs approval" state to an "approved" state.

You can use e-mail in this type of application only to send notification messages to users. These notification messages contain a URL that links to the actual work item that needs to be updated.

Because the user who connects directly to the Exchange store has been authenticated by Microsoft® Windows® server operating systems security, you can control access to data based on the user's identity. The WorkflowSession, ItemReaders, and ItemAuthors collections provide mechanisms to control access to individual items as they move through the workflow process. The following illustration shows the client computer directly connected to the Exchange store server through the corporate network.

Diagram showing a client computer directly connected to the Exchange 2000 server through the corporate network

E-Mail Workflow

In e-mail workflow, users need not be directly connected to the corporate network. Offline users can participate in workflow through the Internet by transmitting data in e-mail. In this case, CDOWF updates the workflow state upon receipt of a message that correlates to an existing workflow process instance. Direct authentication of such messages by workflow is not possible. The following illustration shows a client participating in e-mail workflow without network credentials.

Diagram showing a client computer participating in e-mail workflow without network credentials

The system compares incoming messages to existing workflow process instances. If the system fails to correlate an incoming message, it considers that message a new process instance and starts a new workflow. Standard SMTP mail does not always contain sufficient information for correlation. For example, some mailers have a message ID and some do not, or a message header can get rewritten. CDOWF implements a reliable process to make sure that each outgoing and incoming workflow item or response has a unique correlation ID. The correlation ID feature requires Microsoft Outlook® as the e-mail client.

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Build: June 2007 (2007.618.1)

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