How to create a workflow and list association programmatically

Post purpose

This post is intended to demonstrate how to perform a workflow and list association programmatically. Workflow can be standard, or created in Visual Studio. As for workflow, it will use standard task lists and a workflow history list.

Examples

We agree that the web variable is an SPWeb object that contains the list that we need to associate with workflow.

1. Declare the variables that we will use

1. SPList myList = null;                              // Лист для ассоциации с workflow
2. string myListName = null;                          // название нашего спика
3. SPList historyList = null;                         // список истории workflow
4. SPList taskList = null;                             // список задач workflow
5. string workflowTemplateGuid = null;                 // Guid шаблона worklfow
6. SPWorkflowTemplate workflowTemplate = null;         // шаблон Workflow
7. SPWorkflowAssociation workflowAssociation = null;  // ассоциация с workflow
8. string workflowAssocName = null;                    // имя ассоциации с workflow

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2. Initialization

Be sure to use the internal name of the list. And set the name of the association with workflow, it can match the name of the corresponding workflow.

1. myListName = "My list name";
2. workflowAssocName = "My Workflow";

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3. Get a workflow template

If you want to use a custom workflow and know the GUID of its template, use it.

1. workflowTemplateGuid = "BAD855B1-32CE-4bf1-A29E-463678304E1A";
2. workflowTemplate = web.WorkflowTemplates[new Guid(workflowTemplateGuid)];

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You can also get the template GUID using the GetTemplateByName method.

1. // Пытаемся получить список истории workflow
2. try
3. {
4.      historyList = web.Lists["Workflow History"];
5. }
6. catch (ArgumentException exc)
7. {
8.      // Создаем список истории workflow
9.      Guid listGuid = web.Lists.Add("Workflow History", "", SPListTemplateType.WorkflowHistory);
10.      historyList = web.Lists[listGuid];
11.      historyList.Hidden = true;
12.      historyList.Update();
13. }

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4. Get or create lists of workflow history and tasks.

The history list used by workflow must be inherited from the WorkflowHistory list template. In most cases, you do not need to create it.

1. workflowTemplate = web.WorkflowTemplates.GetTemplateByName(        "Template name",        System.Globalization.CultureInfo.CurrentCulture);

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A task list is a regular list inherited from the task list template. If you want to create a specific task list for workflow, you should not call it “Tasks”. For example, we can call it “Workflow tasks”.

1. // Пытаемся получить список задач для workflow
2. try
3. {
4.      taskList = web.Lists["Workflow Tasks"];
5. }
6. catch (ArgumentException exc)
7. {
8.      // Создаём список задач для workflow
9.      Guid listGuid = web.Lists.Add("Workflow Tasks", "", SPListTemplateType.Tasks);
10.      taskList = web.Lists[listGuid];
11.      taskList.Hidden = true;
12.      taskList.Update();
13. }

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5. Create an association with workflow, configure it and attach it to the list.

1. // Включаем небезопасные обновления для узла (web)
2. web.AllowUnsafeUpdates = true;
3. try
4. {
5.         // Создаем ассоциацию workflow
6.         workflowAssociation = SPWorkflowAssociation.CreateListAssociation(                workflowTemplate,                workflowAssocName, taskList, historyList);
7.  
8.         // Устанавливаем параметры workflow
9.         workflowAssociation.AllowManual = false;
10.         workflowAssociation.AutoStartCreate = true;
11.         workflowAssociation.AutoStartChange = false;
12.  
13.         // Связываем workflow со списком
14.         myList.AddWorkflowAssociation(workflowAssociation);
15.  
16.         // Активируем ассоциацию
17.         workflowAssociation.Enabled = true;
18. }
19. finally
20. {
21.         web.AllowUnsafeUpdates = false;
22. }

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