As it stands, the Struts ActionMappings are already very nearly
workflows. To close the loop, I believe we only need a few things.
1) A way to declare prerequesite actions.
2) A way to bookmark an Action, so the workflows can be rentrant.
3) A way to declare the html:form Action path at runtime.
Given these capabilities, and a simple support structure, a set of
ActionMappings can be linked together to form a robust workflow that can
reuse input forms.
Matthias Bauer has code for (1),
<
http://www.mail-archive.com/struts-dev@jakarta.apache.org/msg01685.html
>
and Martin Cooper has a plan for ActionRequests that sound good for (2).
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http://www.mail-archive.com/struts-dev@jakarta.apache.org/msg02398.html
>
As for (3), I have a hack in place now,
<
http://www.mail-archive.com/struts-dev@jakarta.apache.org/msg02374.html
>
but was waiting on Martin's ActionRequests before thinking seriously
about integrating the mechanism into the framework.
Craig is also reviewing some "airplane notes"
<
http://www.mail-archive.com/struts-dev@jakarta.apache.org/msg02439.html
>
he has about a scripting mechanism that might also be used for
workflows.
In the end, I think a workflow will look like another set of
ActionMappings, and the Action will just contain some extra logic for
returning the correct ActionForward if the flow gets out of synch.
In the meantime, I do like the ideas that are coming up on this thread.
> Jonathan Asbell wrote:
>
> Hello all. I just got back and was reading the e-mails about
> workflows. By the tone and lack of dialog I think that we are not
> sure how we really want to design workflows still. So lets have more
> discussion on the subject. When its clearer we will better know what
> we want to do.
