Virto SharePoint Workflow Activities Kit

Starting where the CodePlex Custom Workflow Activities left off (they are a free part of the Virto solution, incidentally), the Virto Workflow Activities Kit adds over two dozen additional workflow conditions and activities, greatly expanding the possibilities of end-user managed workflow solutions through Sharepoint Designer. While the list of activities and conditions is certainly not what one might call “exhaustive”, it is substantial enough to give workflow designers a number incredibly useful options, and push Sharepoint workflow to a new level. For instance example, there are activities to extend communications (enhanced email activities, twitter, SMS and other messaging solutions), Active Directory (lookup and update), Sharepoint security group management, site creation, list folder management, InfoPath activities, list item text management, copy/move item between lists and sites, and more.

Like playing in Sharepoint itself, the combination of these new options means that the possibilities it opens up are impressive. For instance, a major pain point for power users in Sharepoint is getting user information automatically from Active Directory, removing the need for users to tediously re-enter things like address, phone, email address, etc. With the workflow Activities Kit, this is a snap – simply create variables for the AD fields to be retrieved, enter the domain URL, and then do as you wish – compose email, update lists, etc. Email in SPD workflows is another major annoyance in MOSS/WSS 3.0, since one must rely on the preset application-wide outbound email name, and one cannot send attachments (document or list item). Again, Virto to the rescue. For those who need finely-controlled permissions for documents and list items, Virto helps in several ways, providing activities to add or remove users from Sharepoint groups, create unique list item security, re-inherit list item security, or even delete all permissions. Text activities can be used to extract and/or replace strings (using RegEx), and even provide validation and re-formatting. While we’ve not tried the translation and currency conversion activities, these look to be very helpful tools when working with trans-national audiences. Two of my personal favorites are the Loop and Folder activities, the former allowing bulk updates in lists and libraries (including subsets based on views of CAML), and the option to trigger secondary workflows after update; the latter to create and delete folders automatically. The use case for the Looping activities is (at last!) the ability to provide database-like cascade update functionality in Sharepoint. Finally, in this Web 2.0/3.0 world, communication and messaging are just as much part of the collaborative experience as content itself, so Virto has introduced SMS and Twitter Send activities – definitely a powerful addition to the Sharepoint communication functions.

Overall, the VirtoSoftware Workflow Activities Kit is an excellent and valuable addition to any WSS or MOSS environment – it really enhances the SPD-based workflow design experience, and makes workflow and business process management accessible to regular business users. The different combinations of activities and new conditions greatly expand the capabilities of Sharepoint workflow. Significantly less expensive than its competitors, it is able to provide the much of the functionality most Sharepoint users - and even IT people - need from Sharepoint Workflows but cannot get out of the box. Even if you already own other products, it is still a valuable tool, since it enables end-users to create useful workflows on their own in a familiar and constrained SPD environment. Try it, buy it – you won’t regret it.