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Forms and User Displays
Form Development in Visual Studio
Form Development in Visual Studio
A form can be used as an activity in a workflow subprocess to provide a user interface (UI) that works with a workflow task step.
Declaring Parameters
A form has input data that it processes into output data, even though it may not have a user interface. This section discusses the input and output parameters, which are passed to and from the client using the IForm interface.

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- Form Development in Visual Studio
  - Form Development in Visual Studio
    A form can be used as an activity in a workflow subprocess to provide a user interface (UI) that works with a workflow task step.
    - Extend the base form
    - Add pre-existing forms and user displays to Workflow
      This procedure is used for forms and user displays that were created outside of the Designer, in a tool such as Visual Studio.
    - Add custom submit, cancel, and enable to a form using the Designer
      The form can be configured so that the Workflow Task List Submit and Cancel buttons are not visible when the form is displayed in the Task List. You can also ensure that a form is only ready for submission after the appropriate operator interaction by enabling/disabling the Submit button.
    - Enable a form Submit button after operator interaction
      You can ensure that the form's Submit button becomes active after an operator has entered data into the form. Using the IsSubmitEnable property prevents an operator from submitting a form prematurely because it does not contain data, or because the data is not valid.
    - Declaring Parameters
      A form has input data that it processes into output data, even though it may not have a user interface. This section discusses the input and output parameters, which are passed to and from the client using the IForm interface.
    - Overriding the Base Form Methods
      Overrides are used to override the inputs and outputs of the base form and to allow you to pass inputs to and from a workflow into your form code.
    - Reading Data Internally
      In addition to input parameters, your form can have input data that is read internally; such as from a data source. This kind of data normally is received from a subscription to a Workflow service provider, and can be displayed in the form.
    - Writing Data Internally
      In addition to output parameters being used by Workflow to perform actions, your form can have output data that is written internally; for example, to a log file, or a Proficy service provider.
    - Subscribing to Events
      Your form can respond to published events.
    - Noting Form State
      Your form can note (to some extent) whether the Submit or Cancel button was clicked; such as to set the value of an output parameter.
- Form Development in Silverlight
Building and Configuring Workflows
eSOP
ActiveX Task Controls
Service Interfaces
Operator Task List in the Workflow Client
Best Practices

Declaring Parameters

A form has input data that it processes into output data, even though it may not have a user interface. This section discusses the input and output parameters, which are passed to and from the client using the IForm interface.

The base form implements this interface; therefore your variables need to be declared only with the specific attribute of InputProperty or Outputproperty, as follows:

    <Global.Proficy.Platform.Samples.Forms.Base.InputProperty("Name", “DisplayName ", "Description")> _
    Protected _input As String = "Default Value"

    <Global.Proficy.Platform.Samples.Forms.Base.OutputProperty("Name", " DisplayName ", "Description")> _
    Protected _output As String

The following is an example of input parameters:

#Region "InputParameters"
    <Global.Proficy.Platform.Samples.Forms.Base.InputProperty("QEventIn", "QEvent", "QEvent")> _
    Protected QEventIn As String
    <Global.Proficy.Platform.Samples.Forms.Base.InputProperty("SelectLabelIn", "SelectLabel", "SelectLabel")> _
     Protected SelectLabelIn As String
    <Global.Proficy.Platform.Samples.Forms.Base.InputProperty("tblEventsIn", "Table Events", "Table Events")> _
    Protected tblEventsIn As DataTable
#End Region
Here is an example of Output Parameters:
#Region "OutputParameters"
    <Global.Proficy.Platform.Samples.Forms.Base.OutputProperty _
   ("SelectedRowsOut", "SelectedEvents", "Events selected using the form.")> _
   Protected SelectedEventsOut As DataTable
   <Global.Proficy.Platform.Samples.Forms.Base.OutputProperty _
   ("ActionOut", "Action", "Action")> _
   Protected ActionOut As String
#End Region

With the InputProperty attribute, the variable automatically receives its initial value from the client, if it is bound. With the OutputProperty attribute, the value of the variable is automatically passed to the Client for binding after the form has been submitted.

The arguments for constructing the attributes are Name, DisplayName, and Description. The Name is used internally (that is, it is never displayed) and it must be unique among both input and output properties. The DisplayName is the name that users see in the Workflow Editor, in the Input and Output pane, and must also be unique. The Description appears in the Workflow Editor under the DisplayName, for example, in tooltips.