Abstract: A workflow schedule authoring tool enables a user to author a workflow by arranging building blocks in a particular order. Building blocks may correspond to events, conditions or actions. Each building block is associated with source code that defines an action to be taken when the building block is processed. The order of the building blocks determines the workflow schedule process. The building blocks allow a user to establish logic conditions for how the tasks in the workflow schedule are executed. A building block may require a user to input parameters before the building block may be executed. The workflow schedule is associated with an event such that the workflow schedule triggers when the event occurs. The building blocks simplify workflow schedule authoring because the user does not need to write any code.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for securely visualizing and routing digital signatures in an electronic document generated by an application program executing on a computer system. The application program may generate an electronic document for receiving a signature graphic, and calculate a hash value from the electronic document and the signature graphic, and create a cryptographic signature from the hash value using a cryptographic encryption method. The electronic document is digitally signed by embedding the cryptographic signature therein. The application program may further collect and route digital signatures by automatically collecting signatures from individual signers, one-by-one, and identify the appropriate signature line for each signer to sign. The application program may further generate a user interface for creating and collecting digital signatures.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for securely visualizing and routing digital signatures in an electronic document generated by an application program executing on a computer system. The application program may generate an electronic document for receiving a signature graphic, and calculate a hash value from the electronic document and the signature graphic, and create a cryptographic signature from the hash value using a cryptographic encryption method. The electronic document is digitally signed by embedding the cryptographic signature therein. The application program may further collect and route digital signatures by automatically collecting signatures from individual signers, one-by-one, and identify the appropriate signature line for each signer to sign. The application program may further generate a user interface for creating and collecting digital signatures.

Abstract: A workflow schedule authoring tool enables a user to author a workflow by arranging building blocks in a particular order. Building blocks may correspond to events, conditions or actions. Each building block is associated with source code that defines an action to be taken when the building block is processed. The order of the building blocks determines the workflow schedule process. The building blocks allow a user to establish logic conditions for how the tasks in the workflow schedule are executed. A building block may require a user to input parameters before the building block may be executed. The workflow schedule is associated with an event such that the workflow schedule triggers when the event occurs. The building blocks simplify workflow schedule authoring because the user does not need to write any code.

Abstract: A workflow schedule authoring tool enables a user to author a workflow by arranging building blocks in a particular order. Building blocks may correspond to events, conditions or actions. Each building block is associated with source code that defines an action to be taken when the building block is processed. The order of the building blocks determines the workflow schedule process. The building blocks allow a user to establish logic conditions for how the tasks in the workflow schedule are executed. A building block may require a user to input parameters before the building block may be executed. The workflow schedule is associated with an event such that the workflow schedule triggers when the event occurs. The building blocks simplify workflow schedule authoring because the user does not need to write any code.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for creating and executing a custom action in a workflow generated by an application program executing on a computer system. The application program may receive a selection of a custom action to execute in the workflow in a user interface generated by the application program. The application program may translate the custom action into a user interface button for executing the custom action in the workflow. The application program may display the button for executing the custom action in the workflow. The application program may also resolve references to external content in a shared workflow document by communicating with a workflow engine to register a callback function for receiving a location of the shared workflow document on a remote computer system. The workflow engine may send the location of the shared workflow document to the application program to enable access to the external content.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for saving workflow execution state and mapping the execution state to graphical elements overlaid on a graphical drawing representing the workflow generated by a separate application. The graphical drawing may be a flowchart drawing corresponding to one or more paths of the workflow and the graphical elements may provide status information associated with individual steps or groups of steps of the workflow execution.

Abstract: A first database and a second database have different schemas. An activity in a workflow accesses a data item in a list by invoking a method in an interface of a list object. The list comprises a collection of data items. Each data item in the list comprises an item key field specifying an item key. No two data items in the data item collection have item key fields specifying a shared item key. In addition, each data item in the list comprises a set of additional fields. Each field in the set of additional fields has a value derived from the first database or each field in the set of additional fields has a value derived from the second database. In this way, the activity can be implemented without knowledge of the different schemas of the first database and the second database.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for the granular data synchronization of multiple data objects. A three-tiered cache may be automatically generated by an application program. A server data object may be stored in a first tier and may include a first set of properties for a current state of data stored on a server. A client data object may be stored in a second tier and may include a second set of properties including one or more properties in the first set and/or un-persisted edits made to the first set. A view data object may be stored in a third tier and may include a third set of properties including un-persisted and unsaved edits made to the first or second set which are being viewed on a client. The server and client data objects may be synchronized to determine edits made to the data stored on the server.

Abstract: A workflow schedule authoring tool enables a user to author a workflow by arranging building blocks in a particular order. Building blocks may correspond to events, conditions or actions. Each building block is associated with source code that defines an action to be taken when the building block is processed. The order of the building blocks determines the workflow schedule process. The building blocks allow a user to establish logic conditions for how the tasks in the workflow schedule are executed. A building block may require a user to input parameters before the building block may be executed. The workflow schedule is associated with an event such that the workflow schedule triggers when the event occurs. The building blocks simplify workflow schedule authoring because the user does not need to write any code.

Abstract: Methods, systems, apparatus, and computer-readable media are provided herein for declarative data binding and data type propagation in a remote workflow schedule authoring system. According to one method, a user interface is provided for binding a parameter in a workflow action rule to a data value provided by a data source. The user interface may include a control for specifying a data source and a data field to which the parameter should be bound. The parameter is bound to the data source and data field selected using the user interface. If the data type of the selected data source is identical to the data type of the parameter, an internal lookup may be performed to retrieve the data value. Otherwise, the data type of the parameter may be propagated to the data source during lookup of the data value.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for saving workflow execution state and mapping the execution state to graphical elements overlaid on a graphical drawing representing the workflow generated by a separate application. The graphical drawing may be a flowchart drawing corresponding to one or more paths of the workflow and the graphical elements may provide status information associated with individual steps or groups of steps of the workflow execution.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for the granular data synchronization of multiple data objects. A three-tiered cache may be automatically generated by an application program. A server data object may be stored in a first tier and may include a first set of properties for a current state of data stored on a server. A client data object may be stored in a second tier and may include a second set of properties including one or more properties in the first set and/or un-persisted edits made to the first set. A view data object may be stored in a third tier and may include a third set of properties including un-persisted and unsaved edits made to the first or second set which are being viewed on a client. The server and client data objects may be synchronized to determine edits made to the data stored on the server.

Abstract: A first database and a second database have different schemas. An activity in a workflow accesses a data item in a list by invoking a method in an interface of a list object. The list comprises a collection of data items. Each data item in the list comprises an item key field specifying an item key. No two data items in the data item collection have item key fields specifying a shared item key. In addition, each data item in the list comprises a set of additional fields. Each field in the set of additional fields has a value derived from the first database or each field in the set of additional fields has a value derived from the second database. In this way, the activity can be implemented without knowledge of the different schemas of the first database and the second database.

Abstract: A server computing system stores at least one workflow template and at least one workflow customization table. The workflow template includes activity elements that indicate activities included in the workflow. The activity elements include attributes associated with input properties of the indicated activities. At least one of the activity elements includes an attribute associated with an input property, the attribute specifying a variable name, not particular data. The workflow customization table includes an entry associating the variable name with particular data. When the server computing system initializes a workflow instance based on the workflow template, the server computing system binds the input property to the particular data specified by the workflow customization table. Thus, by storing different workflow customization tables, the same workflow template can be used to initialize workflow instances having different behavior.

Abstract: A front-end computing system initializes an instance of a workflow. The workflow contains a plurality of activities. The plurality of activities includes a shim activity. When the front-end computing system executes the workflow instance, the front-end computing system performs the shim activity. When the front-end computing system performs the shim activity, the front-end computing system sends a custom activity assembly to a sandbox computing system. The custom activity assembly is not fully trusted. The sandbox computing system executes the custom activity assembly. The sandbox computing system is isolated from the front-end computing system such that unexpected behavior of the sandbox computing system does not cause the front-end computing system to perform unexpected behavior.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for creating and executing a custom action in a workflow generated by an application program executing on a computer system. The application program may receive a selection of a custom action to execute in the workflow in a user interface generated by the application program. The application program may translate the custom action into a user interface button for executing the custom action in the workflow. The application program may display the button for executing the custom action in the workflow. The application program may also resolve references to external content in a shared workflow document by communicating with a workflow engine to register a callback function for receiving a location of the shared workflow document on a remote computer system. The workflow engine may send the location of the shared workflow document to the application program to enable access to the external content.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for securely visualizing and routing digital signatures in an electronic document generated by an application program executing on a computer system. The application program may generate an electronic document for receiving a signature graphic, and calculate a hash value from the electronic document and the signature graphic, and create a cryptographic signature from the hash value using a cryptographic encryption method. The electronic document is digitally signed by embedding the cryptographic signature therein. The application program may further collect and route digital signatures by automatically collecting signatures from individual signers, one-by-one, and identify the appropriate signature line for each signer to sign. The application program may further generate a user interface for creating and collecting digital signatures.

Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for a navigation based design tool. Relationships between artifacts that are managed by a design tool are accessed. An initial view of the design tool is displayed with a default page showing categories of the artifacts based upon the relationships. A user can navigate page by page through a plurality of pages to manage one or more of the artifacts. The page by page navigation is enabled by using the relationships between the artifacts. As the user navigates page by page through the pages, a navigation history is displayed to illustrate a history of the pages that have been accessed.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided to generate a new file and any appropriate markup for the new file. In an embodiment, the new file and the appropriate markup can be automatically generated based in part on an examination of parameters associated with a source file and an instance of the source file. In one embodiment, a new file associated with a collaboration application can be created, including the appropriate markup, based in part on an examination of objects associated with the collaboration application and an instance of the collaboration application.