Which API can I use for writing SDL Tridion workflow activities?

Question

I would like to create workflow using SDL Tridion 2011 SP1, and i am going through the documentation in the live content portal.

I have few questions when I go through the documentation as follows:

1. Can I use C# (TOM.NET) for automatted activities/decisions? or should I use only VBScript (TOM)? Is there any sample code given in the live content portal for automatted activity/decision?

2. If C# (TOM.NET) is not allowed to use in workflows, why are its namespace/class/member references given there in TOM.NET API file?

3. If VBScript only allowed to use in WF, where can I get code/TOM API reference in SDL live content? As of now I dont have access to SDL Tridion server to get the documentation from the installer package.

Answer 1

Can I use C# (TOM.NET) for automated activities? Or should I use only VBScript (TOM)?

You can use the TOM within your C# code to write automated activities. There is a primary interop assembly provided for that purpose (IIRC).

Is use of TOM.NET allowed in workflows?

Accessing workflow items from within existing TOM.NET code (i.e. a TBB or DataExtender) is supported. So you can query items that are in workflow, kick off workflows, etc.. But using the TOM.NET for writing automated workflow activities is not supported.

The reason for this has something to do with incompatible threading models from what I recall. But I mostly just took the word of the developers for it; they are bound to know better than me.

Where can I get code/TOM API reference?

API reference documentation for Tridion is not in LiveContent, but instead is delivered in CHM (or zipped JavaDoc) files. The latest documentation for the TOM API can be found in the "SDL Tridion 2009 full documentation" zip on the Tridion 2009 documentation page on SDL Tridion World (login required).

Thanks to Quirijn and Alvin for pointing this out in the comments.

Answer 2

You can use C# for automated tasks. Create a class and sign it with:

[ProgId("[Namespace].[Class Name]")]
[ComVisible(true)]

And sign the assembly with RegAsm.exe with the /codebase parameter.

Then in the Script of the automated action you can use this object.

Answer 3

1. Create the workflow diagram (based on the requirement) using visio after installing the visio plugin.
2. upload the workflow into SDL Content Manager by providing the credentials and choosing the relevant publication.
3. For automatted activities: create a c# class library and refer the tridion dll's, and user progid and comvisible = true in the solution.
4. create the necessary functions for your workflow.
5. register the assembly in the SDL Tridion Content Manager server.
6. in the workflow "Edit script" use vb script code to get the C# object and its methods.
7. This will simplify the VBScript code and provide flexibility to the developr to work in c#.

Answer 4

It is fine to use the TOM .Net API. However we must consider that we would need to create Session instances since our new TOM .Net for Workflow won't allow you to pass a WorkItem instance from VBScript (Code Tab in Visio for Automatic Activities) and you are forced to pass the TcmUri for that WorkItem. The session creation is mandatory in order to get Tridion objects instantiated since you just have a tcmuri. The recommendation here is to use the C# class registered as a COM class by using the ComVisible and ProgId attributes but use the CoreServices for all the processing in your Com Visible class.

If you use the Core Services for processing you won't need to take care of sessions creations and your core would be much faster and scalable. You might be interested in use a TCP binding or a Net Pipes binding for performance obviously.