How to Create Custom Workflows in Microsoft CRM

Microsoft CRM provides a powerful platform for automating business processes through workflows. Custom workflows allow you to extend the capabilities of out-of-the-box workflows to handle more complex business scenarios. In this article, you will learn how to create custom workflows in Microsoft CRM using a code example.

Prerequisites:

Before you begin, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

1. Microsoft CRM 2011 or later
2. Visual Studio 2010 or later
3. Windows SDK for .NET Framework 4
4. Microsoft.CrmSdk.Workflow NuGet package

Creating a Custom Workflow Activity:

Custom workflow activities are reusable components that encapsulate business logic for use in workflows. To create a custom workflow activity, follow these steps:

1. Create a Class Library project in Visual Studio.
2. Add the Microsoft.CrmSdk.Workflow NuGet package to the project.
3. Create a class that inherits from the CodeActivity class.
4. Define the input and output parameters for the activity.
5. Implement the Execute method, which contains the business logic for the activity.
6. Sign the assembly using a strong name key.
7. Build the project and deploy the assembly to the CRM server.

Example Code:

Here’s an example of a simple custom workflow activity that sends an email notification when an account record is created:

public class SendAccountNotificationActivity : CodeActivity
{
    public new InArgument<Entity> Target { get; set; }

    public new InArgument<string> FromAddress { get; set; }

    public new InArgument<string> ToAddress { get; set; }

    public new InArgument<string> Subject { get; set; }

    public new InArgument<string> Body { get; set; }

    protected override void Execute(CodeActivityContext executionContext)
    {
        var account = Target.Get(executionContext);
        var fromAddress = FromAddress.Get(executionContext);
        var toAddress = ToAddress.Get(executionContext);
        var subject = Subject.Get(executionContext);
        var body = Body.Get(executionContext);

        // Send email notification
        using (var smtpClient = new SmtpClient())
        {
            var mailMessage = new MailMessage(fromAddress, toAddress, subject, body);
            smtpClient.Send(mailMessage);
        }
    }
}

Registering the Custom Workflow Activity:

Once you have created your custom workflow activity, you need to register it with CRM so that it can be used in workflows. To register the activity, follow these steps:

1. Open the Plugin Registration Tool in CRM.
2. Click the New button.
3. Select Workflow Activity as the Step Type.
4. Enter a name for the activity and select the assembly containing the activity.
5. Click OK to register the activity.

Using the Custom Workflow Activity in a Workflow:

After registering the custom workflow activity, you can use it in workflows. To add the activity to a workflow, follow these steps:

1. Open the workflow editor in CRM.
2. Drag and drop the custom workflow activity onto the workflow canvas.
3. Configure the properties of the activity.
4. Save and activate the workflow.

Custom workflows provide a powerful tool for automating complex business processes in Microsoft CRM. By creating custom workflow activities, you can extend the capabilities of workflows to handle a wide range of scenarios. The code example provided in this article demonstrates how to create a simple custom workflow activity that sends an email notification.