What Service name does one use for Workflow WCF Services (XAMLX)

Question

I am trying to figure out how to provide endpoints etc to a WF Service that I created (MyFoo.xamlx). Typically when you create a Service you need to have the Service name="" reflect the type of service you've created? ie by filling out something like this:

<Service name="MyNameSpace.Foo" behaviorConfiguration="myFooBehaviorConfig">

This works in a typical .svc scenario and I can get that working fine. Only how does one map this concept across to a .xamlx service? In that if I have Foo.xamlx putting that inside the Service name doesn't work - or doesn't appear to work (as in no metadata is enabled).

If i then remove the behaviorConfiguration attribute from the Service and also remove the myFooBehaviorConfig from the <behavior/> tag - in that it essentially then takes on more of a global setting for the web config - boom! I can see the .xamlx exposed methods/operations?

<serviceBehaviors> <behavior name="foo" > vs <serviceBehaviors> <behavior >

At first this is great, no effort required but at the same time I don't want devs to access HTTP endpoints or netpipe for that matter. I only want them to come in through net.tcp port I specify. In order to do that I need to match the <Service name=""/> to the xamlx somehow?

I've also tried using the trick of creating an empty .svc file and then pointing to the xamlx that way (so that the devs always assume its a .svc and not a .xamlx)

<%@ ServiceHost Language="C#" Debug="true" Service="ActivityHubService.xamlx" Factory="System.ServiceModel.Activities.Activation.WorkflowServiceHostFactory" %>

Again, if I remove naming the behavior etc this also works via foo.svc ..but i just can't seem to crack the whole matching a <service> with a freakin xamlx!! :) hehe.

Frustrating..

Anyone an expert in this space?

Answer 1

I'm gonna give this one to GuerreroTook as although the answer he gave was partially in the same area of right it did however spark a moment of "yeah maybe its that simple.." thinking..

The solution was this:

---

    <services>

  <service name="ActivityHubService" behaviorConfiguration="foo">
    <endpoint address="" binding="netTcpBinding" bindingConfiguration="netTCPStreamedBinding" contract="IService" />
    <endpoint address="mex" binding="mexHttpBinding" contract="IMetadataExchange" />
    <host>
      <baseAddresses>
        <add baseAddress="net.tcp://synapse.hub.security:669/SynapseHubSecurity/ActivityHubService" />
      </baseAddresses>
    </host>
  </service>
</services>

Then inside a service i called PingService.svc I put this:

<%@ ServiceHost Language="C#" Debug="true" Service="ActivityHubService.xamlx" Factory="System.ServiceModel.Activities.Activation.WorkflowServiceHostFactory" %>

That seemed to have done the trick!! :)

Not sure why but i swore I did this like 3x and it failed..but...i am also in need of sleep..

Hopefully this will help others in the same jam down the track.

Answer 2

Based on what you ask, I understand that you need to expose a WF Workflow as a WCF service and you want client to call directly WF through WCF infrastructure, is that right?

The problem you facing is that you need to provide the full qualified name of the class in order to the factory to find and activated your WF workflow. If you have a typical WP project inside VisualStudio the Full Qualified Name is the name of the project + the class name, try with this.

When you build your workflow xaml file the compile will generate a class that hold and the code and logic, and following the same behavior of the xaml (WPF and Silverlight) compiler the name of the class will be the same of the file (.xamlx)