Walkthrough: Create SharePoint 2010 Workflow Association Form and Initiation Form in Visual Studio 2010 by using Application Pages (Part 2 of 2)

This is Part 2 of 2 that describes the steps 18 to 27 . You will find Part 1 here: https://blog.kenaro.com/2011/04/24/walkthrough-create-sharepoint-2010-workflow-association-form-and-initiation-form-in-visual-studio-2010-by-using-application-pages-part-1-of-2/

The followings steps describe how to create a new sequential workflow in a Visual Studio 2010 project and associate a Initiation and Association Form with the workflow. Furthermore we will test the project. – In Part 1 we have created:

  • a Workflow Task list definition: “Workflow 2 Tasks”
  • a Workflow Host List definition: “Workflow 2 Host List”
  • a Data class: “Workflow2Data”
  • a base class "Workflow2DataPages” for the association and initiation form.
  • a Association Form
  • a Initiation Form.

Now we will go on.

Let’s start…

18. Deploy the project Smile – This will create  the list instances we need to create the workflow and assign them to lists for debug purpose. Of course you do not need to assign lists (such as Workflow Task List, History List, …) to the workflow at design time in Visual Studio. You could do this later, e.g. in a Feature Receiver.

19. Add a “Sequential Workflow” project item named “Workflow 2”.

image

Set “Workflow 2” as display name and “List workflow” as type.

image

Set “Workflow 2 Host List” as “library or list to associate with”, choose “Workflow History” in the second dropdown and choose “Workflow 2 Tasks” as list for “workflow tasks” in the third dropdown.

image

Now choose only “Start manually” in the next dialog.

image

20. Now the workflow designer opens.

image

Double click on “onWorkflowActivated1”. A new class member will be created in the workflows “codebehind” file.

Now add the following “usings” at the beginning of the file:

using System.IO;
using System.Xml;
using System.Xml.Serialization;

Above the previously created class member “onWorkflowActivated1_Invoked” add the following code. This will create a dependency property that will be persisted in the workflows data.

(You can use Visual Studio IntelliSense: type “propdp” and press “tab” two times. Then the structure of a new dependency property will be created.)

public Workflow2Data WorkflowDataAssociation
{
    get
    {
        return (Workflow2Data)GetValue(WorkflowDataAssociationProperty);
    }
    set
    {
        SetValue(WorkflowDataAssociationProperty, value);
    }
}

// Using a DependencyProperty as the backing store for WorkflowDataAssociation.  
//   This enables animation, styling, binding, etc...
public static readonly DependencyProperty WorkflowDataAssociationProperty =
    DependencyProperty.Register("WorkflowDataAssociation", typeof(Workflow2Data), typeof(Workflow_2));
 

Now add another dependency property of the “Initiation” data:

public Workflow2Data WorkflowDataInitiation
{
    get
    {
        return (Workflow2Data)GetValue(WorkflowDataInitiationProperty);
    }
    set
    {
        SetValue(WorkflowDataInitiationProperty, value);
    }
}

// Using a DependencyProperty as the backing store for WorkflowDataInitiation.  This enables animation, styling, binding, etc...
public static readonly DependencyProperty WorkflowDataInitiationProperty =
    DependencyProperty.Register("WorkflowDataInitiation", typeof(Workflow2Data), typeof(Workflow_2));
 

We need to do this because Association and Initiation data are stored separatly.

In the method “onWorkflowActivated1_Invoked” enter this code:

using( StringReader stringReader = new StringReader(workflowProperties.AssociationData) )
{
    using( XmlReader reader = XmlReader.Create(stringReader) )
    {
        XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Workflow2Data));
        WorkflowDataAssociation = (Workflow2Data)serializer.Deserialize(reader);
    }
}

using( StringReader stringReader = new StringReader(workflowProperties.InitiationData) )
{
    using( XmlReader reader = XmlReader.Create(stringReader) )
    {
        XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Workflow2Data));
        WorkflowDataInitiation = (Workflow2Data)serializer.Deserialize(reader);
    }
}

This will deserialize the workflows association data for using them inside the workflows code.

21. Now we need tho modify the “Elements.xml” file of the “Workflow 2” project item.

We add the attribute “AssociationUrl” and set it’s value to “Workflow2Forms/Workflow2AssociationForm.aspx” and add the attribute “InstantiationUrl” with value “Workflow2Forms/Workflow2InitiationForm.aspx”.

image

22. Now we can deploy the project and see the first results of our (hard) work.

23. Open the URL “http://sharepoint.local/sites/workflow/Lists/Workflow2HostList” in the browser.

Then open the “List” tab in the Ribbon and click “Workflow Settings”.

Now you should see the associated “Workflow 2”:

image

Click them.

At the bottom of the next page you will find the “Next” button that will open the association form. Click this button.

You see your association form page:

image

Super! – Press “OK”.

24. Now we add a new list item to the “Workflow 2 Host List” and start the “Workflow 2” manually:

image

“OK”.

image

Choose “Workflows” from the context menu of the created list item.

image

Click “Workflow 2”.

image

You see your Initiation Form!!

Click “OK” and the workflow will start – and will be “Completed”.

25. Let’s define a Code Activity to use the initiation data.

In the workflow designer drag a “LogToHistoryListActivity” activity from the Toolbox pane into the Workflow designer view of “Workflow 2” and drop it behind “onWorkflowActivated1”.

image

Now select the “logToHistoryListActivity1”. In the Properties pane select the property “HistoryDescription” and click the button beside the edit box of this property. In the upcoming dialog we will bind property “Data1” of the WorkflowDataAssociation object to the activities property:

image

Click “OK”.

Now we add a “Delay” activity behind “logToHistoryListActivity1” and set the delay “TimeDuration” to “00:01:00”. This forces the workflow to delay the execution of the next activities for the defined amount of time.

Now we add another “LogToHistoryListActivity” and bind it’s “HistoryDescription” property to “WorkflowDataInitiation.Data3” as described above.

image

(The workflow after adding the two activities)

image

(Properties of the “delayActivity1” activity.)

 image

(Properties of the “logToHistoryListActivity2”.)

26. Deploy the project and open the “Workflow 2 Host List” in the browser. Modify the association of the “Workflow 2” of the list and enter some information on the association form:

image

Now add an item to the list, start the “Workflow 2” on this item and enter some data in the initiation form:

image

After the workflow starts the information stored in “Data1” you entered in the association form will be written to the workflows history:

image

After about 1 minute the workflow will add another workflow history entry with the content of the “Data3” property entered in the initiation form:

image

27. That’s it! – Everything works as expected. – Thanks for reading! –

Please post your comments or question!

Walkthrough: Create SharePoint 2010 Workflow Association Form and Initiation Form in Visual Studio 2010 by using Application Pages (Part 1 of 2)

Because of some requests by my blog readers I’d like to show you how to create Workflow Association and Initiation (“Instantiation”) forms in Visual Studio 2010 for use with a sequential or state machine workflow in SharePoint 2010.

This is Part 1 of 2 that describes the steps 1 to 17. You will find Part 2 here: https://blog.kenaro.com/2011/04/24/walkthrough-create-sharepoint-2010-workflow-association-form-and-initiation-form-in-visual-studio-2010-by-using-application-pages-part-2-of-2/

For this demo I’ll use my sample project on Codeplex: http://spworkflowdemo.codeplex.com/

There I’ve shown how to create Workflow Task Forms with Visual Studio. See my blog posts on this topic: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

To follow this walkthrough you need to create a blank SharePoint 2010 site collection. I used this URL for the site collection: “http://sharepoint.local/sites/workflow”.

The code of this walkthrough is published in the demo project at Codeplex. If you would like to follow the walkthrough step by step you can start with the demo projects source code bundled in release 0.1.0.0. Or you just download the package 0.2.x.0 where the complete (working) code is included.

If you have difficulties to deploy the project in Visual Studio 2010 please read the “Part 3” post of my previous blog series.

There is a article on MSDN that I used years ago to do this for MOSS. The code of this article is adapted from the MSDN article. I can’t find them at the moment. I’ve modified the code and “upgraded” them form SPS2010.

Let’s start…

1. You need to have a site collection “http://sharepoint.local/sites/workflow”.

2. Now start Visual Studio 2010 and open the downloaded package of my Codeplex hosted project http://spworkflowdemo.codeplex.com/

Use project version 0.1.0.0 !!! Deploy the project. If you have difficulties to deploy it please read this blog post:

3. In this walkthrough we will create a sequential workflow named “Workflow 2”.

3. Now we add a new Task List for our workflow. Add a new “List Definition” project item named “Workflow 2 Tasks”.

image

Click “Add”.

In the next step select “Task” as base type for the List Defintion and check “Add a list instance”.

image

In the “Schema.xml” file of the create list definition edit the “List” tag at the beginning of the file: Add the attribute “Type” with Value “107”.

Modify the “ContentTypes” tag:

    <ContentTypes>
      <ContentTypeRef ID="0x010801">
      </ContentTypeRef>
    </ContentTypes>
This references to the “Workflow Task” content type.
Now edit the “Elements.xml” file of the List Definition (not the “Elements.xml” file of the List Instance!).
Change the “Type” attribute of the “ListTemplate” tag to “107”. You may change the “Description” attribute.
Now change the “Elements.xml” file of the List Instance.
Change the “Title” attribute of the “ListInstance” tag to “Workflow 2 Tasks”.
Furthermore change the “TemplateType” attribute to “107” and the “Url” attribute to “Lists/Workflow2Tasks”.

4. Now we ass a new “host list” for the workflow. Our workflow will be associated with this list. It’s a simple list of type “Custom List” with no column modifications.

Add  a new “List Definition” project item named “Workflow 2 Host List”.

image

Click “Add”.

Now choose “Custom List” and change the display name. Be sure to choose “Add list instance…”.

image

Click “Finish”.

You may change the “Elements.xml” of the List Instance. Modify the “Title” and “Url” attributes of the “ListInstance” tag.

<Elements xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">
  <ListInstance Title="Workflow 2 Host List"
                OnQuickLaunch="TRUE"
                TemplateType="10001"
                Url="Lists/Workflow2HostList"
                Description="My List Instance">
  </ListInstance>
</Elements>

No further changes have to be done for now.

5. Add a new module project item “Module” named “Workflow 2 Forms”. There we will store our Initiation and Association forms.

image

Click “Add”.

First remove the “Sample.txt” file from the module.

Than modify the “Elements.xml” file of the module. Add a “URL” attribute to the “Module” tag and set it’s value to “Workflow2Forms”. Add a “RootWebOnly” attribute to the “Module” tag and set the value to “False”.

6. Now add a new project item of type “Class” to the module. Name the class “Workflow2Data” and mark them as “public”. This class will contain the data the users have to enter on Association or Initiation form.

image

Modify the namespace of the new class file. It should be “ik.SharePoint2010.Workflow”.

Add the Attribute “[Serializable()]” to the class definition. (The entered association and initiation data will be serialized as XML in the SharePoint database.)

image

Add this “using” lines at top of the file:

using System.IO;
using System.Xml.Serialization;

.csharpcode, .csharpcode pre
{
font-size: small;
color: black;
font-family: consolas, “Courier New”, courier, monospace;
background-color: #ffffff;
/*white-space: pre;*/
}
.csharpcode pre { margin: 0em; }
.csharpcode .rem { color: #008000; }
.csharpcode .kwrd { color: #0000ff; }
.csharpcode .str { color: #006080; }
.csharpcode .op { color: #0000c0; }
.csharpcode .preproc { color: #cc6633; }
.csharpcode .asp { background-color: #ffff00; }
.csharpcode .html { color: #800000; }
.csharpcode .attr { color: #ff0000; }
.csharpcode .alt
{
background-color: #f4f4f4;
width: 100%;
margin: 0em;
}
.csharpcode .lnum { color: #606060; }

Now add four public string properties to this class. Name them “Data1” … “Data4”. Use this template for all of the properties:

.csharpcode, .csharpcode pre
{
font-size: small;
color: black;
font-family: consolas, “Courier New”, courier, monospace;
background-color: #ffffff;
/*white-space: pre;*/
}
.csharpcode pre { margin: 0em; }
.csharpcode .rem { color: #008000; }
.csharpcode .kwrd { color: #0000ff; }
.csharpcode .str { color: #006080; }
.csharpcode .op { color: #0000c0; }
.csharpcode .preproc { color: #cc6633; }
.csharpcode .asp { background-color: #ffff00; }
.csharpcode .html { color: #800000; }
.csharpcode .attr { color: #ff0000; }
.csharpcode .alt
{
background-color: #f4f4f4;
width: 100%;
margin: 0em;
}
.csharpcode .lnum { color: #606060; }

         private string _dataX = default(string);
 
         public string DataX
         {
             get
             {
                 return _dataX;
             }
             set
             {
                 _dataX = value;
             }
         }

All of the “DataX” properties will be used in association form, but only “Data3” and “Data4” will be editable in initiation form too!

Furthermore we need a static “DeserializeFormData” method:

         public static Workflow2Data DeserializeFormData(string xmlString)
         {
             using( MemoryStream stream =    new MemoryStream(Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(xmlString)) )
             {
                 XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Workflow2Data));
                 Workflow2Data data = (Workflow2Data)serializer.Deserialize(stream);
                 return data;
             }
         } 

7. Now we add another “Class” project item to the module named “Workflow2DataPages”. This class have to be “public”. This will become the base class of the Association Form and Initiation Form ASPX’s code behind class.

image

Set the namespace of the class to “ik.SharePoint2010.Workflow”.

Set the base class to “LayoutsPageBase”.

image

Replace all the “usings” at the top of the file through this:

using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.WebControls;

using System.Web;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
using System.Web.UI.HtmlControls;
using System.Xml;
using System.Xml.Serialization;

using Microsoft.SharePoint;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.Utilities;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.WebControls;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.Workflow;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.Security;
using System.Security.Permissions;

.csharpcode, .csharpcode pre
{
font-size: small;
color: black;
font-family: consolas, “Courier New”, courier, monospace;
background-color: #ffffff;
/*white-space: pre;*/
}
.csharpcode pre { margin: 0em; }
.csharpcode .rem { color: #008000; }
.csharpcode .kwrd { color: #0000ff; }
.csharpcode .str { color: #006080; }
.csharpcode .op { color: #0000c0; }
.csharpcode .preproc { color: #cc6633; }
.csharpcode .asp { background-color: #ffff00; }
.csharpcode .html { color: #800000; }
.csharpcode .attr { color: #ff0000; }
.csharpcode .alt
{
background-color: #f4f4f4;
width: 100%;
margin: 0em;
}
.csharpcode .lnum { color: #606060; }

Now add an enumeration to the class definition:

public enum FormType
{
    Association,
    Initiation
}

.csharpcode, .csharpcode pre
{
font-size: small;
color: black;
font-family: consolas, “Courier New”, courier, monospace;
background-color: #ffffff;
/*white-space: pre;*/
}
.csharpcode pre { margin: 0em; }
.csharpcode .rem { color: #008000; }
.csharpcode .kwrd { color: #0000ff; }
.csharpcode .str { color: #006080; }
.csharpcode .op { color: #0000c0; }
.csharpcode .preproc { color: #cc6633; }
.csharpcode .asp { background-color: #ffff00; }
.csharpcode .html { color: #800000; }
.csharpcode .attr { color: #ff0000; }
.csharpcode .alt
{
background-color: #f4f4f4;
width: 100%;
margin: 0em;
}
.csharpcode .lnum { color: #606060; }

Add the following field class members. You will need them on every association or instantiation form you may create.

protected SPList list;
protected SPContentType contentType;
protected string workflowName;
protected HyperLink hlReturn;
protected string requestQueryString;
protected bool useContentTypeTemplate = false;

Now add some special field class members that are belong to the current workflow context. Here we add four TextBoxes for the “Data” properties that we will enter in our association or instantiation forms:

protected TextBox textboxData1;
protected TextBox textboxData2;
protected TextBox textboxData3;
protected TextBox textboxData4;

8. In “Workflow2DataPages.cs” add the method “OnLoad”:

 protected override void OnLoad(EventArgs e)
 {
     base.OnLoad(e);
 
     EnsureRequestParamsParsed();
 
     SPBasePermissions perms = SPBasePermissions.Open | SPBasePermissions.ViewPages;
     if( useContentTypeTemplate )
         perms |= SPBasePermissions.AddAndCustomizePages;
     else
         perms |= SPBasePermissions.ManageLists;
 
     Web.CheckPermissions(perms);
 }
 

This code will parse the query string part of the URL and check the users permissons.

The following Method is called by “OnLoad” and parses the query string part of the URL:

 protected void EnsureRequestParamsParsed()
 {
     workflowName = Request.Params["WorkflowName"];
 
     string strListID = Request.QueryString["List"];
     string strCTID = Request.QueryString["ctype"];
 
     if( strListID != null )
         list = Web.Lists[new Guid(strListID)];
 
     if( strCTID != null )
     {
         requestQueryString = "ctype=" + strCTID;
 
         if( list != null )
         {
             requestQueryString += "&List=" + strListID;
             contentType = list.ContentTypes[new SPContentTypeId(strCTID)];
         }
         else
         {
             contentType = Web.ContentTypes[new SPContentTypeId(strCTID)];
             useContentTypeTemplate = true;
         }
     }
     else
         requestQueryString = "List=" + strListID;
 }
 

9. The next method we will add to “Workflow2DataPages” is used for deserializing the workflows initiation or association data from the SharePoint objects.

 internal void PopulatePageFromXml(string associationXml, FormType type)
 {
     Workflow2Data Workflow2Data = new Workflow.Workflow2Data();
     if( !string.IsNullOrEmpty(associationXml) )
     {
         XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Workflow2Data));
         XmlTextReader reader = new XmlTextReader(new System.IO.StringReader(associationXml));
         Workflow2Data = (Workflow2Data)serializer.Deserialize(reader);
     } 
     /* ikarstein: Start your modifications here */
     if( type == FormType.Association )
     {
         textboxData1.Text = Workflow2Data.Data1;
         textboxData2.Text = Workflow2Data.Data2;
     }
 
     textboxData3.Text = Workflow2Data.Data3;
     textboxData4.Text = Workflow2Data.Data4;
/* ikarstein: End of Modifications */ }
  

As you can see the method will use a XmlSerializer object to deserialize the data stored in the parameter named “associationXml”. The method sets the values of the four TextBoxes that will be used to enter data in the browser.

10. Now we add a method for serializing the workflow data after the user has modified them in the browser.

 internal string SerializePageToXml(FormType type)
 {
     Workflow2Data data = new Workflow2Data();
     /* ikarstein: Start your modifications here */
     if( type == FormType.Association )
     {
         data.Data1 = textboxData1.Text;
         data.Data2 = textboxData2.Text;
     }
 
     data.Data3 = textboxData3.Text;
     data.Data4 = textboxData4.Text;
     /* ikarstein: End of Modifications */
 
     using( MemoryStream stream = new MemoryStream() )
     {
         XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Workflow2Data));
         serializer.Serialize(stream, data);
         stream.Position = 0;
         byte[] bytes = new byte[stream.Length];
         stream.Read(bytes, 0, bytes.Length);
         return Encoding.UTF8.GetString(bytes);
     }
 }
  

11. At least we add the following method to “Workflow2DataPages.cs”:

 [SharePointPermission(SecurityAction.Demand, ObjectModel = true)]
 protected override void OnPreInit(EventArgs e)
 {
     base.OnPreInit(e);
 
     string customMasterUrl = SPControl.GetContextWeb(this.Context).MasterUrl; //~masterurl/default.master
     this.MasterPageFile = customMasterUrl;
 }
  

12. Now we can start creating the Association Form ASPX page.

In the Visual Studio project add a new “Application Page” project item named “Workflow2AssociationForm.aspx”.

image

This item will be created inside the “Layoutsik.SharePoint2010.Workflow” folder. You have to move them from there into the module named “Workflow 2 Forms”. Do this by Drag’n’Drop in the Solution Explorer pane.

image

Now edit the ASPX page.

Modify the “Page” tag:

<%@ Page Language="C#" AutoEventWireup="true" CodeBehind="Workflow2AssociationForm.aspx.cs" 
Inherits="ik.SharePoint2010.Workflow.Workflow2AssociationForm"
MasterPageFile="~masterurl/default.master" %>

As you can see we need to replace the “DynamicMasterPageFile” attribute through “MasterPageFile” and change the “Inherits” attribute by modifying the classes full name. (Below we will change the namespace of the generated class file.)

Now we need to add some “Register” tags to register some SharePoint controls for using them in the site.

<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="LinksTable" src="/_controltemplates/LinksTable.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="InputFormSection" src="/_controltemplates/InputFormSection.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="InputFormControl" src="/_controltemplates/InputFormControl.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="LinkSection" src="/_controltemplates/LinkSection.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="ButtonSection" src="/_controltemplates/ButtonSection.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="ActionBar" src="/_controltemplates/ActionBar.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="ToolBar" src="/_controltemplates/ToolBar.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="ToolBarButton" src="/_controltemplates/ToolBarButton.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="Welcome" src="/_controltemplates/Welcome.ascx" %>

You can remove the content placeholder named “PlaceHolderAdditionalPageHead”.

The following ASP.NET code we add to the content placeholder named “PlaceHolderPageTitle”:

    <asp:Literal ID="Literal1" runat="server" Text="Customize Workflow" />

The following ASP.NET code we add to the content placeholder named “PlaceHolderPageTitleInTitleArea”:

    <%
        string strPTS = "Customize " + workflowName;
        SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(strPTS, Response.Output);
    %>
    :<asp:HyperLink ID="hlReturn" runat="server" />

The following ASP.NET code we add to the content placeholder named “PlaceHolderPageImage”:

    <img src="/_layouts/images/blank.gif" width="1" height="1" alt="" />
The following ASP.NET code we add to the content placeholder named “PlaceHolderPageDescription”:
    <%
        string strPD = "Use this page to customize this instance of " + workflowName + ".";
        SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(strPD, Response.Output);
    %>

Now we add a ASP.NET table control and some more content to the content placeholder named “PlaceHolderMain”. Inside this snipped the TextBoxes are defined that the user will use later while editing the association data.

<asp:Table CellSpacing="0" CellPadding="0" BorderWidth="0" CssClass="ms-propertysheet">
    <wssuc:InputFormSection Title="Workflow Data Values" Description="Specify the default workflow data values." runat="server">
        <template_inputformcontrols>
            <wssuc:InputFormControl Runat="server" LabelText="Specify Form Data Values:">
                <Template_Control>
                    <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
                        <!-- ikarstein: Start your modifications here -->
                        <tr>
                            <td class="ms-authoringcontrols">
                                Data 1: <asp:TextBox id="textboxData1" runat="server"></asp:TextBox>
                            </td>
                        </tr>
                            <tr>
                            <td class="ms-authoringcontrols">
                                Data 2: <asp:TextBox id="textboxData2" runat="server"></asp:TextBox>
                            </td>
                            </tr>
                            <tr>
                            <td class="ms-authoringcontrols">
                                Data 3: <asp:TextBox id="textboxData3" runat="server"></asp:TextBox>
                            </td>
                            </tr>
                            <tr>
                            <td class="ms-authoringcontrols">
                                Data 4: <asp:TextBox id="textboxData4" runat="server"></asp:TextBox>
                            </td>
                            </tr>
                        <!-- ikarstein: End of modifications -->
                    </table>
                </Template_Control>
            </wssuc:InputFormControl>
        </template_inputformcontrols>
    </wssuc:InputFormSection>
        
    <input type="hidden" name="WorkflowDefinition" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["WorkflowDefinition"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="WorkflowName" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["WorkflowName"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="AddToStatusMenu" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["AddToStatusMenu"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="AllowManual" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["AllowManual"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="RoleSelect" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["RoleSelect"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="GuidAssoc" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["GuidAssoc"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="SetDefault" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["SetDefault"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="HistoryList" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["HistoryList"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="TaskList" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["TaskList"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="UpdateLists" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["UpdateLists"]),Response.Output); %>'/>        
    <input type="hidden" name="AutoStartCreate" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["AutoStartCreate"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="AutoStartChange" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["AutoStartChange"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
        
    <wssuc:ButtonSection runat="server">
        <template_buttons>
            <asp:PlaceHolder runat="server">
                <asp:Button runat="server" class="ms-ButtonHeightWidth" OnClick="BtnOK_Click" Text="OK" id="btnOK" />
            </asp:PlaceHolder>
        </template_buttons>
    </wssuc:ButtonSection>
</asp:Table>

(I’ve marked the section you should modify for your special needs with HTML comments…)

13. Now we modify the “code behind” for Workflow2AssociationForm.aspx. – Open “Workflow2AssociationForm.aspx.cs”. Replace the content with this code:

 using System;
 using Microsoft.SharePoint;
 using Microsoft.SharePoint.WebControls;
 using Microsoft.SharePoint.Utilities;
 using Microsoft.SharePoint.Workflow;
 using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
 using Microsoft.SharePoint.Security;
 using System.Security.Permissions;
 using System.Web;
 
 namespace ik.SharePoint2010.Workflow
 {
     public partial class Workflow2AssociationForm : Workflow2DataPages
     {
         protected struct WorkflowOptions
         {
             public string taskListName;
             public string historyListName;
             public Guid taskListId;
             public Guid historyListId;
 
             public bool allowManual;
             public bool autoStartCreate;
             public bool autoStartChange;
 
             public bool setDefault;
             public bool updateLists;
             public bool lockItem;
         }
 
         protected WorkflowOptions workflowOptions = new WorkflowOptions();
 
         protected SPWorkflowTemplate baseTemplate;
         protected SPWorkflowAssociation associationTemplate;
         protected HyperLink hlReturn;
 
         protected override void OnPreRender(EventArgs e)
         {
             base.OnPreRender(e);
             if( associationTemplate != null )
                 PopulatePageFromXml((string)associationTemplate.AssociationData, FormType.Association);
         }
 
         protected override void OnLoad(EventArgs ea)
         {
             base.OnLoad(ea);
 
             //Get the Workflow Name.
             FetchAssociationInfo();
             GetTaskAndHistoryList();
         }
 
         private void FetchAssociationInfo()
         {
             SPWorkflowAssociationCollection wfAccociationCollection;
             baseTemplate = Web.WorkflowTemplates[new Guid(Request.Params["WorkflowDefinition"])];
             associationTemplate = null;
 
             if( contentType != null )
             {
                 // Associating with a content type.
                 wfAccociationCollection = contentType.WorkflowAssociations;
                 hlReturn.Text = contentType.Name;
                 hlReturn.NavigateUrl = "ManageContentType.aspx" + requestQueryString;
             }
             else
             {
                 list.CheckPermissions(SPBasePermissions.ManageLists);
 
                 wfAccociationCollection = list.WorkflowAssociations;
                 hlReturn.Text = list.Title;
                 hlReturn.NavigateUrl = list.DefaultViewUrl;
             }
             if( wfAccociationCollection == null || wfAccociationCollection.Count < 0 )
             {
                 throw new SPException("No Associations Found");
             }
 
             workflowOptions.autoStartCreate = ( Request.Params["AutoStartCreate"] == "ON" );
             workflowOptions.autoStartChange = ( Request.Params["AutoStartChange"] == "ON" );
             workflowOptions.allowManual = ( Request.Params["AllowManual"] == "ON" );
             workflowOptions.lockItem = ( Request.Params["LockItem"] == "ON" );
             workflowOptions.setDefault = ( Request.Params["SetDefault"] == "ON" );
             workflowOptions.updateLists = ( Request.Params["UpdateLists"] == "TRUE" );
 
             string associationGuid = Request.Params["GuidAssoc"];
             if( associationGuid != string.Empty )
             {
                 associationTemplate = wfAccociationCollection[new Guid(associationGuid)];
             }
 
             SPWorkflowAssociation checkForDuplicateTemplate = wfAccociationCollection.GetAssociationByName(workflowName, Web.Locale);
 
             if( checkForDuplicateTemplate != null && ( associationTemplate == null || associationTemplate.Id != checkForDuplicateTemplate.Id ) )
             {
                 throw new SPException("Duplicate workflow name is detected.");
             }
         }
 
         private void GetTaskAndHistoryList()
         {
             if (useContentTypeTemplate)
             {
                 workflowOptions.taskListName = Request.Params["TaskList"];
                 workflowOptions.historyListName = Request.Params["HistoryList"];
             }
             else
             {
                 string taskListGuid = Request.Params["TaskList"];
                 if (taskListGuid[0] != ) // already existing list
                 {
                     workflowOptions.taskListId = new Guid(taskListGuid);
                 }
                 else  // new list
                 {
                     SPList list = null;
                     workflowOptions.taskListName = taskListGuid.Substring(1);
                     try
                     {
                         list = Web.Lists[workflowOptions.taskListName];
                     }
                     catch (ArgumentException)
                     {
                     }
 
                     if (list != null)
                         throw new SPException("A list already exists with the same name as that proposed for the new task list. "+
                                               "Use your's Back button and either change the name of the workflow or "+
                                               "select an existing task list.&lt;br&gt;");
                 }
 
                 // Do the same for the history list
                 string historyListGuid = Request.Params["HistoryList"];
                 if (historyListGuid[0] != ) // user selected already existing list
                 {
                     workflowOptions.historyListId = new Guid(historyListGuid);
                 }
                 else // User wanted a new list
                 {
                     SPList list = null;
 
                     workflowOptions.historyListName = historyListGuid.Substring(1);
 
                     try
                     {
                         list = Web.Lists[workflowOptions.historyListName];
                     }
                     catch (ArgumentException)
                     {
                     }
                     if (list != null)
                         throw new SPException("A list already exists with the same name as that proposed for the new history list. Use your's Back button and either change the name of the workflow or select an existing history list.&lt;br&gt;");
                 }
             }
         }
 
         public void BtnOK_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
         {
             SPList taskList = null;
             SPList historyList = null;
             if (!IsValid)
                 return;
             if (!useContentTypeTemplate)
             {
                 // If the user requested a new task list, create it.
                 if( workflowOptions.taskListId == Guid.Empty )
                 {
                     string description = string.Format("Task list for the {0} workflow.", workflowName);
                     workflowOptions.taskListId = Web.Lists.Add(workflowOptions.taskListName, description, SPListTemplateType.Tasks);
                 }
 
                 // If the user requested a new history list, create it.
                 if( workflowOptions.historyListId == Guid.Empty )
                 {
                     string description = string.Format("History list for the {0} workflow.", workflowName);
                     workflowOptions.historyListId = Web.Lists.Add(workflowOptions.historyListName, description, SPListTemplateType.WorkflowHistory);
                 }
                 taskList = Web.Lists[workflowOptions.taskListId];
                 historyList = Web.Lists[workflowOptions.historyListId];
             }
 
             // Perform association (if it does not already exist).
             bool isNewAssociation;
             if (associationTemplate == null)
             {
                 isNewAssociation = true;
                 if (!useContentTypeTemplate)
                     associationTemplate = SPWorkflowAssociation.CreateListAssociation(baseTemplate,
                                         workflowName, taskList, historyList);
                 else
                 {
                     associationTemplate = SPWorkflowAssociation.CreateWebContentTypeAssociation(baseTemplate, workflowName, 
                                         workflowOptions.taskListName, workflowOptions.historyListName);
                 }
             }
             else // Modify existing template.
             {
                 isNewAssociation = false;
                 associationTemplate.Name = workflowName;
                 associationTemplate.SetTaskList(taskList);
                 associationTemplate.SetHistoryList(historyList);
             }
 
             // Set up startup parameters in the template.
             associationTemplate.Name = workflowName;
             associationTemplate.LockItem = workflowOptions.lockItem;
             associationTemplate.AutoStartCreate = workflowOptions.autoStartCreate;
             associationTemplate.AutoStartChange = workflowOptions.autoStartChange;
             associationTemplate.AllowManual = workflowOptions.allowManual;
 
             if (associationTemplate.AllowManual)
             {
                 SPBasePermissions newPerms = SPBasePermissions.EmptyMask;
 
                 if (Request.Params["ManualPermEditItemRequired"] == "ON")
                     newPerms |= SPBasePermissions.EditListItems;
                 if (Request.Params["ManualPermManageListRequired"] == "ON")
                     newPerms |= SPBasePermissions.ManageLists;
 
                 associationTemplate.PermissionsManual = newPerms;
             }
 
             // Place data from form into the association template.
             associationTemplate.AssociationData = SerializePageToXml(FormType.Association);
 
             // If this is a content type association, add the template to the content type.
             if (contentType != null)
             {
                 if( isNewAssociation )
                     contentType.WorkflowAssociations.Add(associationTemplate);
                 else
                     contentType.WorkflowAssociations.Update(associationTemplate);
 
                 if( workflowOptions.updateLists )
                     contentType.UpdateWorkflowAssociationsOnChildren(false);
             }
             else // Else, if this is a list association.
             {
                 if (isNewAssociation)
                     list.WorkflowAssociations.Add(associationTemplate);
                 else
                     list.WorkflowAssociations.Update(associationTemplate);
 
                 if (associationTemplate.AllowManual && list.EnableMinorVersions)
                 {
                     // If this WF was selected to be the content approval WF 
                     // (m_setDefault = true, see association page) then enable content
                     // Approval for the list.
                     if (list.DefaultContentApprovalWorkflowId != associationTemplate.Id && workflowOptions.setDefault)
                     {
                         if (!list.EnableModeration)
                             list.EnableModeration = true;
                         list.DefaultContentApprovalWorkflowId = associationTemplate.Id;
                         list.Update();
                     }
                     else if( list.DefaultContentApprovalWorkflowId == associationTemplate.Id && !workflowOptions.setDefault )
                     {
                         // Reset the DefaultContentApprovalWorkflowId
                         list.DefaultContentApprovalWorkflowId = Guid.Empty;
                         list.Update();
                     }
                 }
             }
 
             SPUtility.Redirect("WrkSetng.aspx", SPRedirectFlags.RelativeToLayoutsPage, HttpContext.Current, requestQueryString);
         }
     }
 }
 
 

In most cases you should not need to modify this code! Because the serialization and deserialization of the data is done in the “Workflow2DataPages” base class.

14. Now we create another “Application Page” project item named “Workflow2InitiationForm.aspx”. This will be created in folder “Layoutsik.SharePoint2010.Workflow”. Move them to the module project item named “Workflow 2 Forms”.

image

Now you can remove the “Layouts” folder in the project structure in the Solution Explorer pane. (This folder was created automatically by adding a “Application Page” project item.)

image

Now edit the ASPX page.

Modify the “Page” tag:

<%@ Page Language="C#" AutoEventWireup="true" CodeBehind="Workflow2InitiationForm.aspx.cs" 
Inherits="ik.SharePoint2010.Workflow.Workflow2InitiationForm"
MasterPageFile="~masterurl/default.master" %>

As you can see we need to replace the “DynamicMasterPageFile” attribute through “MasterPageFile” and change the “Inherits” attribute by modifying the classes full name. (Below we will change the namespace of the generated class file.)

Now we need to add some “Register” tags to register some SharePoint controls for using them in the site.

<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="LinksTable" src="/_controltemplates/LinksTable.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="InputFormSection" src="/_controltemplates/InputFormSection.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="InputFormControl" src="/_controltemplates/InputFormControl.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="LinkSection" src="/_controltemplates/LinkSection.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="ButtonSection" src="/_controltemplates/ButtonSection.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="ActionBar" src="/_controltemplates/ActionBar.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="ToolBar" src="/_controltemplates/ToolBar.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="ToolBarButton" src="/_controltemplates/ToolBarButton.ascx" %> 
<%@ Register TagPrefix="wssuc" TagName="Welcome" src="/_controltemplates/Welcome.ascx" %>

You can remove the content placeholder named “PlaceHolderAdditionalPageHead”.

The following ASP.NET code we add to the content placeholder named “PlaceHolderPageTitle”:

    <asp:Literal ID="Literal1" runat="server" Text="Customize Workflow" />

The following ASP.NET code we add to the content placeholder named “PlaceHolderPageTitleInTitleArea”:

    <%
        string strPTS = "Customize " + workflowName;
        SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(strPTS, Response.Output);
    %>

The following ASP.NET code we add to the content placeholder named “PlaceHolderPageImage”:

    <img src="/_layouts/images/blank.gif" width="1" height="1" alt="" />
The following ASP.NET code we add to the content placeholder named “PlaceHolderPageDescription”:
    <%
        string strPD = "Use this page to customize this instance of " + workflowName + ".";
        SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(strPD, Response.Output);
    %>

Now we add a ASP.NET table control and some more content to the content placeholder named “PlaceHolderMain”. Inside this snipped the TextBoxes are defined that the user will use later while editing the association data.

<asp:Table CellSpacing="0" CellPadding="0" BorderWidth="0" CssClass="ms-propertysheet">
    <wssuc:InputFormSection Title="Workflow Data Values" Description="Specify the workflow data values." runat="server">
        <template_inputformcontrols>
            <wssuc:InputFormControl LabelText="Specify Form Data Values:" runat="server">
                <Template_Control>
                    <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
                        <!-- ikarstein: Start your modifications here -->
                        <tr>
                            <td class="ms-authoringcontrols">
                                Data 3: <asp:TextBox id="textboxData3" runat="server"></asp:TextBox>
                            </td>
                        </tr>
                        <tr>
                            <td class="ms-authoringcontrols">
                                Data 4: <asp:TextBox id="textboxData4" runat="server"></asp:TextBox>
                            </td>
                            </tr>
                        <!-- ikarstein: End of modifications -->
                    </table>
                </Template_Control>
            </wssuc:InputFormControl>
        </template_inputformcontrols>
    </wssuc:InputFormSection>
        
    <input type="hidden" name="WorkflowDefinition" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["WorkflowDefinition"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="WorkflowName" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["WorkflowName"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="AddToStatusMenu" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["AddToStatusMenu"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="AllowManual" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["AllowManual"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="RoleSelect" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["RoleSelect"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="GuidAssoc" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["GuidAssoc"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="SetDefault" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["SetDefault"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="HistoryList" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["HistoryList"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="TaskList" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["TaskList"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="UpdateLists" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["UpdateLists"]),Response.Output); %>'/>        
    <input type="hidden" name="AutoStartCreate" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["AutoStartCreate"]),Response.Output); %>'/>
    <input type="hidden" name="AutoStartChange" value='<% SPHttpUtility.NoEncode(SPHttpUtility.HtmlEncode(Request.Form["AutoStartChange"]),Response.Output); %>'/>

    <wssuc:ButtonSection runat="server">
        <template_buttons>
            <asp:PlaceHolder runat="server">
                <asp:Button runat="server" class="ms-ButtonHeightWidth" OnClick="BtnOK_Click" Text="OK" id="btnOK" />
            </asp:PlaceHolder>
        </template_buttons>
    </wssuc:ButtonSection>
</asp:Table>

(I’ve marked the section you should modify for your special needs with HTML comments…)

You see in the ASP.NET code: in this form only “Data3” and “Data4” will be modified. The propertied “Data1” and “Data2” will be modified only in the Association Form. (The “DataX” properties are defined in the “Workflow2Data” class.

15. Now we modify the “code behind” for Workflow2InitiationForm.aspx. – Open “Workflow2InitiationForm.aspx.cs”. Replace the content with this code:

using System;
using Microsoft.SharePoint;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.WebControls;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.Utilities;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.Workflow;
using System.Web;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.Security;
using System.Security.Permissions;

namespace ik.SharePoint2010.Workflow
{
    public partial class Workflow2InitiationForm : Workflow2DataPages
    {
        protected SPListItem listItem;
        protected string listItemName;
        protected string listItemUrl;
        protected SPWorkflowAssociation associationTemplate;
        protected SPWorkflowTemplate baseTemplate;

        protected override void OnLoad(EventArgs e)
        {
            base.OnLoad(e);

            GetListItemInfo();
            GetAssociationInfo();

            if( !IsPostBack )
            {
                PopulatePageFromXml((string)associationTemplate.AssociationData, FormType.Initiation);
            }
        }

        private void GetAssociationInfo()
        {
            Guid associationTemplateId = new Guid(Request.Params["TemplateID"]);

            associationTemplate = list.WorkflowAssociations[associationTemplateId];
            
            if( associationTemplate == null ) 
            {
                SPContentTypeId contentTypeId = (SPContentTypeId)listItem["ContentTypeId"];
                SPContentType contentType = list.ContentTypes[contentTypeId];
                associationTemplate = contentType.WorkflowAssociations[associationTemplateId];
            }

            if( associationTemplate == null )
                throw new SPException("The requested workflow could not be found.");

            baseTemplate = Web.WorkflowTemplates[associationTemplate.BaseId];
            
            workflowName = associationTemplate.Name;
            
            string m_formData = (string)associationTemplate.AssociationData;
        }

        private void GetListItemInfo()
        {
            listItem = list.GetItemById(Convert.ToInt32(Request.Params["ID"]));

            if( listItem.File == null )
                listItemUrl = Web.Url + listItem.ParentList.Forms[PAGETYPE.PAGE_DISPLAYFORM].ServerRelativeUrl + "?ID=" + listItem.ID.ToString();
            else
                listItemUrl = Web.Url + "/" + listItem.File.Url;

            if( list.BaseType == SPBaseType.DocumentLibrary )
            {
                listItemName = (string)listItem["Name"];

                int i = listItemName.LastIndexOf('.');
                
                if( i > 0 )
                    listItemName = listItemName.Substring(0, i);
            }
            else
                listItemName = (string)listItem["Title"];
        }

        public void BtnOK_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            string InitData = SerializePageToXml(FormType.Initiation);
            InitiateWorkflow(InitData);
        }

        private void InitiateWorkflow(string InitData)
        {
            try
            {
                Web.Site.WorkflowManager.StartWorkflow(listItem, associationTemplate, InitData);
            }
            catch( Exception ex )
            {
                SPException spEx = ex as SPException;

                string errorString;

                if( spEx != null && spEx.ErrorCode == -2130575205 /* SPErrorCode.TP_E_WORKFLOW_ALREADY_RUNNING */)
                    errorString = SPResource.GetString(Strings.WorkflowFailedAlreadyRunningMessage);
                else if( spEx != null && spEx.ErrorCode == -2130575339 /* SPErrorCode.TP_E_VERSIONCONFLICT */)
                    errorString = SPResource.GetString(Strings.ListVersionMismatch);
                else if( spEx != null && spEx.ErrorCode == -2130575338 /* SPErrorCode.TP_E_LISTITEMDELETED */)
                    errorString = spEx.Message;
                else
                    errorString = SPResource.GetString(Strings.WorkflowFailedStartMessage);

                SPUtility.Redirect("Error.aspx", SPRedirectFlags.RelativeToLayoutsPage, HttpContext.Current,
                    "ErrorText=" + SPHttpUtility.UrlKeyValueEncode(errorString));
            }

            SPUtility.Redirect(list.DefaultViewUrl, SPRedirectFlags.UseSource, HttpContext.Current);
        }

    }
}

In most cases you should not need to modify this code! Because the serialization and deserialization of the data is done in the “Workflow2DataPages” base class.

16. Now modify the “Elements.xml” file of the module “Workflow 2 Forms”.

<Elements xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">
  <Module Name="Workflow 2 Forms" Url="Workflow2Forms" RootWebOnly="False">
    <File Path="Workflow 2 FormsWorkflow2AssociationForm.aspx" Url="Workflow2AssociationForm.aspx" />
    <File Path="Workflow 2 FormsWorkflow2InitiationForm.aspx" Url="Workflow2InitiationForm.aspx" />
</Module>
</Elements>

You have to add the two “File” tags (including their content) to the “Module” tag.

17. Now we are done with creating the Association and Initiation form! In the next post I will create a sequential workflow, connect them with both forms created in this walkthrough and test the project. Continue reading here: Part 2.

Walkthrough: Creating a simple Sequential Workflow with a custom Task Form in SharePoint 2010 using Visual Studio 2010 (Part 3 of (2+1))

 

This article belongs to these previous posts:

You should read this article if you have problems to deploy my sample project on Codeplex (http://spworkflowdemo.codeplex.com/) in Visual Studio 2010.

1. Download the code and copy them into your sources folder.

2. Create a site collection in SharePoint 2010, e.g. “http://sharepoint.local/sites/workflow”. Use “Blank Site” site template.

3. Open the solution file in Visual Studio 2010 (file with extension “.sln”).

4. In the Solution Explorer pane select the project node.

5. Set the “Site URL” property to your previously created SharePoint Site (see step 2 above).

image

6. In the Solution Explorer pane select the “Workflow 1” node in the project.

7. In the Properties pane modify the value of “Display Name”. Set it to “Workflow 1”.

8. Now click into the values edit box of “History List” (or “Target List” or “Task List”). This will open a wizard.

9. In the wizard specify the values of the Workflow Association. Choose the values shown in following screenshot:

Step “A”:

image

Click “Next”.

Step “B”:

image

Click “Next”.

Step “C”:

image

Click “Finish”.

10. Now you should be able to deploy the project.

Walkthrough: Deploying a InfoPath 2010 List Form in a Visual Studio 2010 solution package

This is not easy. It took me some days. – Now it works! Smile

Here I’ll show you how to create a List Form for a SharePoint List using InfoPath 2010. Therefore you need SharePoint 2010 Server with Enterprise CALs! – With InfoPath Forms Services it’s possible to render List Forms (“New”, “Edit” and “Display” forms) as browser enabled InfoPath forms. This is really, really cool!

I’ve published the project source code on Codeplex: http://spinfopathlistform.codeplex.com/

Lets start…

1. We create a SharePoint site collection named “http://sharepoint.local/sites/infopathlistform”.

image

2. Now we activate the site collection features:

  • SharePoint Server Enterprise Site Collection features
  • SharePoint Server Standard Site Collection features

image

The enterprise features need to be activated in order to get InfoPath Forms Services working.

3. Open Visual Studio 2010. Create an “Empty SharePoint Project” named “ik.SharePoint2010.InfoPathListFormDemo”.

image

Deploy them as “Farm Solution”.

image

4. Now we add a new project item of type “List Definition” named “Test List 1”.

image

We choose “Custom List” as base type and check “Add a list instance…”

image

5. We open the “Elements.xml” file of the List Instance.

image

We change the List Title and List URL.

image

6.  We edit the “schema.xml” file.

image

We create a list content type with 3 fields.

Here you see the complete content of the “Schema.xml” file.

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> 
 <List xmlns:ows="Microsoft SharePoint" Title="Test List 1" FolderCreation="FALSE"
       Direction="$Resources:Direction;"
       Url="Lists/ik.SharePoint2010.InfoPathListFormDemo-TestList1"
       Type="100"
       BaseType="0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/"> 
   <MetaData> 
     <ContentTypes> 
       <ContentType ID="0x01009A15733A093E44C385EDB29F8E2E1B5A" Name="List Item" Inherits="false"> 
         <Folder TargetName="Item" /> 
         <FieldRefs> 
           <FieldRef ID="{10F8137D-B555-472C-8ACB-B64FF5BEAAF8}" Name="Field_1" /> 
           <FieldRef ID="{84E33CDB-8DDC-4F46-BBF5-845D4071ED41}" Name="Field_2" /> 
           <FieldRef ID="{52680EED-BE6F-478F-A6EC-730398CD626C}" Name="Field_3" /> 
         </FieldRefs> 
       </ContentType> 
       <ContentTypeRef ID="0x0120" /> 
     </ContentTypes> 
     <Fields> 
       <Field ID="{10F8137D-B555-472C-8ACB-B64FF5BEAAF8}" Name="Field_1" StaticName="Field_1"
              DisplayName="Text Field" Type="Text"/> 
       <Field ID="{84E33CDB-8DDC-4F46-BBF5-845D4071ED41}" Name="Field_2"  StaticName="Field_2"
              DisplayName="DateTime Field" Type="DateTime" Format="DateOnly" /> 
       <Field ID="{52680EED-BE6F-478F-A6EC-730398CD626C}" Name="Field_3"  StaticName="Field_3"
              DisplayName="Checkbox Field" Type="Boolean" /> 
     </Fields> 
     <Views> 
       <View BaseViewID="0" Type="HTML" MobileView="TRUE" TabularView="FALSE"> 
         <Toolbar Type="Standard" /> 
         <XslLink Default="TRUE">main.xsl</XslLink> 
         <RowLimit Paged="TRUE">30</RowLimit> 
         <ViewFields> 
           <FieldRef Name="LinkTitleNoMenu"></FieldRef> 
           <FieldRef Name="Field_1"></FieldRef> 
           <FieldRef Name="Field_2"></FieldRef> 
           <FieldRef Name="Field_3"></FieldRef> 
         </ViewFields> 
         <Query> 
           <OrderBy> 
             <FieldRef Name="Modified" Ascending="FALSE"></FieldRef> 
           </OrderBy> 
         </Query> 
         <ParameterBindings> 
           <ParameterBinding Name="AddNewAnnouncement" Location="Resource(wss,addnewitem)" /> 
           <ParameterBinding Name="NoAnnouncements" Location="Resource(wss,noXinviewofY_LIST)" /> 
           <ParameterBinding Name="NoAnnouncementsHowTo" Location="Resource(wss,noXinviewofY_ONET_HOME)" /> 
         </ParameterBindings> 
       </View> 
       <View BaseViewID="1" Type="HTML" WebPartZoneID="Main" DisplayName="$Resources:core,objectiv_schema_mwsidcamlidC24;" DefaultView="TRUE" MobileView="TRUE" MobileDefaultView="TRUE" SetupPath="pages\viewpage.aspx" ImageUrl="/_layouts/images/generic.png" Url="AllItems.aspx"> 
         <Toolbar Type="Standard" /> 
         <XslLink Default="TRUE">main.xsl</XslLink> 
         <RowLimit Paged="TRUE">30</RowLimit> 
         <ViewFields> 
           <FieldRef Name="Attachments"></FieldRef> 
           <FieldRef Name="LinkTitle"></FieldRef> 
           <FieldRef Name="Field_1"></FieldRef> 
           <FieldRef Name="Field_2"></FieldRef> 
           <FieldRef Name="Field_3"></FieldRef> 
         </ViewFields> 
         <Query> 
           <OrderBy> 
             <FieldRef Name="ID"></FieldRef> 
           </OrderBy> 
         </Query> 
         <ParameterBindings> 
           <ParameterBinding Name="NoAnnouncements" Location="Resource(wss,noXinviewofY_LIST)" /> 
           <ParameterBinding Name="NoAnnouncementsHowTo" Location="Resource(wss,noXinviewofY_DEFAULT)" /> 
         </ParameterBindings> 
       </View> 
     </Views> 
     <Forms> 
       <Form Type="DisplayForm" Url="DispForm.aspx" SetupPath="pagesform.aspx" WebPartZoneID="Main" /> 
       <Form Type="EditForm" Url="EditForm.aspx" SetupPath="pagesform.aspx" WebPartZoneID="Main" /> 
       <Form Type="NewForm" Url="NewForm.aspx" SetupPath="pagesform.aspx" WebPartZoneID="Main" /> 
     </Forms> 
   </MetaData> 
 </List>

 

7. The next step is to add an “Empty Element” project item named “Fields”. We add the following content:

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> 
 <Elements xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/"> 
   <Field ID="{10F8137D-B555-472C-8ACB-B64FF5BEAAF8}" Name="Field_1" StaticName="Field_1"
          DisplayName="Text Field" Type="Text"/> 
   <Field ID="{84E33CDB-8DDC-4F46-BBF5-845D4071ED41}" Name="Field_2"  StaticName="Field_2"
          DisplayName="DateTime Field" Type="DateTime" Format="DateOnly" /> 
   <Field ID="{52680EED-BE6F-478F-A6EC-730398CD626C}" Name="Field_3"  StaticName="Field_3"
          DisplayName="Checkbox Field" Type="Boolean" /> 
 </Elements> 


 

8. Now we deploy the project.

9. Open the site in the browser. Navigate to the “Test List 1”. Select “Edit in SharePoint Designer” from the “Site Actions” menu.

image

10. In SharePoint Designer 2010 open the “Lists and Libraries” from the “Navigation” pane and open the “Test List 1”.

image

In the Ribbon you’ll see the command “Design Forms in InfoPath”.

image

Click the command button and select “List Item” in the drop down menu.

Now InfoPath Designer 2010 opens…

11. In InfoPath Designer 2010 modify the form.

(I will not modify it.)

image

Press the “Publish” button on the Shortcut Menu:

image

12. In SharePoint Designer 2010 choose “All Files” from the “Navigation” pane. Click “Lists”.

image

Click “TestList1”.

image

Click “Item”.

image

Right-click “template.xsn”. Select “Properties…” from the context menu.

image

Select the “Location” from the properties dialog.

image

Copy the URL and open it in a new browser window. You’ll get a “File Download” dialog.

image

Save the file to a temporary location, e.g. to the Desktop.

13. Add a new “Module” project item and name it “Form”.

image

Open a Windows Explorer. Navigate to the Desktop. Drag the file “template.xsn” from the Desktop into the “Form” module inside the Visual Studio project.

Modify the “Elements.xml” file of the “Form” module.

image

14. Add a new “Module” project item and name it “FormPages”.

Into the “Elements.xml” file of this module enter the following code:

 

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> 
 <Elements xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/"> 
   <Module Name="TestList1Form" Url="Lists/TestList1/Item" SetupPath="pages" RootWebOnly="FALSE" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/"> 
     <File Url="displayifs.aspx" Type="Ghostable" Path="form.aspx"> 
       <BinarySerializedWebPart> 
         <GUIDMap> 
           <GUID Id="1b8faa0c_4e13_43e7_981f_57d525170d09" ListUrl="Lists/TestList1" /> 
         </GUIDMap> 
         <WebPart ID="{D95DEC48-6F9E-4961-BE47-380AD2870CCA}"
                  List="{$ListId:Lists/TestList1;}"
                  Type="4"
                  Url="Lists/TestList1/Item/displayifs.aspx"
                  WebPartOrder="0"
                  WebPartZoneID="Main"
                  IsIncluded="True"
                  FrameState="0"
                  WPTypeId="{b1dc92e2-8558-f555-ae81-35ed9ddf1644}"
                  Assembly="Microsoft.Office.InfoPath.Server, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c"
                  Class="Microsoft.Office.InfoPath.Server.Controls.WebUI.BrowserFormWebPart"
                  AllUsers="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"
                  PerUser="/wEUKwAJAgICAwIBAQAAAgQChAELKjFTeXN0ZW0uV2ViLlVJLldlYkNvbnRyb2xzLldlYlBhcnRzLlBhcnRDaHJvbWVUeXBlAgIEBRZJbmZvUGF0aCBGb3JtIFdlYiBQYXJ0" /> 
       </BinarySerializedWebPart> 
     </File> 
     <File Url="editifs.aspx" Type="Ghostable" Path="form.aspx"> 
       <BinarySerializedWebPart> 
         <GUIDMap> 
           <GUID Id="1b8faa0c_4e13_43e7_981f_57d525170d09" ListUrl="Lists/TestList1" /> 
         </GUIDMap> 
         <WebPart ID="{f811e526-1ad2-4563-b51b-4233f2641a33}"
                  List="{$ListId:Lists/TestList1;}"
                  Type="6"
                  Flags="0"
                  Url="Lists/TestList1/Item/editifs.aspx"
                  WebPartOrder="0"
                  WebPartZoneID="Main"
                  IsIncluded="True"
                  FrameState="0"
                  WPTypeId="{b1dc92e2-8558-f555-ae81-35ed9ddf1644}"
                  Assembly="Microsoft.Office.InfoPath.Server, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c"
                  Class="Microsoft.Office.InfoPath.Server.Controls.WebUI.BrowserFormWebPart"
                  AllUsers="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"
                  PerUser="/wEUKwAJAgICAwIBAQAAAgQChAELKjFTeXN0ZW0uV2ViLlVJLldlYkNvbnRyb2xzLldlYlBhcnRzLlBhcnRDaHJvbWVUeXBlAgIEBRZJbmZvUGF0aCBGb3JtIFdlYiBQYXJ0" /> 
       </BinarySerializedWebPart> 
     </File> 
     <File Url="newifs.aspx" Type="Ghostable" Path="form.aspx"> 
       <BinarySerializedWebPart> 
         <GUIDMap> 
           <GUID Id="1b8faa0c_4e13_43e7_981f_57d525170d09" ListUrl="Lists/TestList1" /> 
         </GUIDMap> 
         <WebPart ID="{7319002a-a547-4cdf-8acc-c5ba9cf8a6c9}"
                  List="{$ListId:Lists/TestList1;}"
                  Type="8"
                  Flags="0"
                  Url="Lists/TestList1/Item/newifs.aspx"
                  WebPartOrder="0"
                  WebPartZoneID="Main"
                  IsIncluded="True"
                  FrameState="0"
                  WPTypeId="{b1dc92e2-8558-f555-ae81-35ed9ddf1644}"
                  Assembly="Microsoft.Office.InfoPath.Server, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c"
                  Class="Microsoft.Office.InfoPath.Server.Controls.WebUI.BrowserFormWebPart"
                  AllUsers="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"
                  PerUser="/wEUKwAJAgICAwIBAQAAAgQChAELKjFTeXN0ZW0uV2ViLlVJLldlYkNvbnRyb2xzLldlYlBhcnRzLlBhcnRDaHJvbWVUeXBlAgIEBRZJbmZvUGF0aCBGb3JtIFdlYiBQYXJ0" /> 
       </BinarySerializedWebPart> 
     </File> 
   </Module> 
 </Elements>

 

During deployment this creates the form aspx pages that will host the InfoPath Web Part that renders the form at runtime.

In the XML code there are several references to the destination list. All of them have to be set to “Lists/TestList1”. All the code needs to remain unmodified. Don’t change “WPTypeId” attributes! “{b1dc92e2-8558-f555-ae81-35ed9ddf1644}” is the identifier for InfoPath Render Web Part.

BUT change the “ID” attributes of the three “WebPart” tags! Use the “Create GUID” tool from the “Tools” menu of Visual Studio 2010.

15. Now open the “Schema.xml” file of the List Definition project item of “Test List 1”. Add the following code at the before the closing tag of our list content type.

         <XmlDocuments> 
           <XmlDocument NamespaceURI="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/v3/contenttype/forms"> 
             <FormTemplates xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/v3/contenttype/forms"> 
               <Display> ListForm</Display> 
               <Edit> ListForm</Edit> 
               <New> ListForm</New> 
             </FormTemplates> 
           </XmlDocument> 
           <XmlDocument NamespaceURI="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/v3/contenttype/forms/url"> 
             <FormUrls xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/v3/contenttype/forms/url"> 
               <Display> ~list/Item/displayifs.aspx</Display> 
               <Edit> ~list/Item/editifs.aspx</Edit> 
               <New> ~list/Item/newifs.aspx</New> 
             </FormUrls> 
           </XmlDocument> 
         </XmlDocuments>

 

16. Add another project item of type “Empty Element” named “PropertyBag”. Edit the “Elements.xml” file. Add this code:

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> 
 <Elements xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/"> 
   <PropertyBag Url="Lists/TestList1/Item/template.xsn"  
                ParentType="File" RootWebOnly="FALSE"  
                xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/"> 
     <Property Name="ipfs_listform" Value="true" Type="string" /> 
     <Property Name="ipfs_streamhash" Value="" Type="string" /> 
   </PropertyBag> 
 </Elements> 

 

This will define the “template.xsn” to be a “InfoPath Forms Services” file (image).

17. Deploy the project.

18. Open the browser and navigate to the “Test List 1”.

Click “Add new item”…

19. HERE WE ARE!

image

But if you enter values and try to save you get this error:

image

This is caused by the missing “Title” field inside the form. This field is marked as mandatory so you need to define it or to remove it from the Content Type and modify the form.

We will do the last one now.

20. In Visual Studio modify the “schema.xml” file of the “Test List 1”. Insert the marked line of code inside the “FieldsRefs” tag of the content type with id starting “0x01…”.

image

Now search for “LinkTitleNoMenu” in the schema.xml file. Replace this “view field reference” with “Edit”.

Now search for “LinkTitle” and replace it with “Edit” too.

21. In Visual Studio look for “template.xsn” in “Form” path in the Solution Explorer. Right-Click the project item and select “Open Containing Folder”.

image

22. In Windows Explorer right-click the file “template.xsn” and click “Design”. The InfoPath 2010 Designer will open.

23. In InfoPath 2010 you’ll see that “Title” cannot be removed. To remove it you would need the edit the xsn file with Notepad: XSN is a CAB file. So you can rename it to cab, extract it’s content, modify the “manifest.xfs” file and compress the folder as CAB file named “template.xsn”… (If you need assistance on this please post as comment.)

In the “Fields” pane select “Title”.

image

(This is the “advanced view” !)

Click the arrow behind the element. Click “Properties” in the context menu.

Uncheck “Cannot be blank”. Click the “OK” button. Save the file. Don’t press “Publish” on the upcoming dialog. Just press “Save”!

Quit InfoPath.

Deploy the project.

24. In Internet Explorer refresh you site and add a new item to the “Test  List 1”.

You’ll see: the “Title” column is gone. Now we have a “Edit item” column on the list view.

Now add an item.

image

Save it.

25. HERE WE ARE AGAIN!

It works for me now!

image

Just for testing purpose select the list item and click “View Item” on the Ribbon.

You will see the list item in a read-only InfoPath browser form!! – If you click “Edit” on the Ribbon, you’ll be able to edit the item.