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Creating Workflows ​

Creating a workflow in PoshUI involves defining the UI structure, collecting user input via a wizard, and then defining the tasks to be executed.

Basic Structure ​

A typical workflow script follows this pattern:

powershell
# 1. Import
Import-Module PoshUI.Workflow

# 2. Metadata
New-PoshUIWorkflow -Title 'System Setup' -Description 'Automated system configuration'

# 3. Wizard Phase (Optional but recommended)
Add-UIStep -Name 'Config' -Title 'Configuration' -Order 1
Add-UITextBox -Step 'Config' -Name 'ServerName' -Label 'Server Name' -Mandatory

# 4. Workflow Phase (Defining Tasks)
Add-UIStep -Name 'Execution' -Title 'Execution' -Order 2 -Type Workflow
Add-UIWorkflowTask -Step 'Execution' -Name 'Task1' -Title 'Installing Components' -ScriptBlock {
    $PoshUIWorkflow.WriteOutput("Checking prerequisites...", "INFO")
    Start-Sleep -Seconds 2
    $PoshUIWorkflow.WriteOutput("Installing Windows Features...", "INFO")
    # Your logic here
}

# 5. Execute
Show-PoshUIWorkflow

Initializing the Workflow ​

The New-PoshUIWorkflow cmdlet initializes the workflow context.

ParameterDescription
-TitleThe primary title shown in the window.
-DescriptionOptional text explaining the workflow's purpose.
-ThemeSets the visual style (Auto, Light, or Dark).
-LogPathCustom directory for execution logs.

The Workflow Context ​

When New-PoshUIWorkflow is called, it initializes a module-scoped variable that stores the definition. Like wizards and dashboards, subsequent Add-UI* calls automatically target this context.

Workflow Execution Flow ​

  1. User Interaction: The UI displays the wizard steps defined.
  2. Task Queueing: After the user clicks "Start", the execution engine takes over.
  3. Serial Execution: Tasks are executed one by one in the order they were added.
  4. State Persistence: The workflow state is saved before each task starts, allowing for recovery if the process is interrupted.

Two-Phase Workflow Pattern ​

Most workflows follow a two-phase pattern:

Phase 1: Configuration (Wizard) ​

User provides input via forms. This data is available to all tasks.

powershell
# Define what user inputs
Add-UIStep -Name 'Config' -Title 'Configuration' -Order 1
Add-UITextBox -Step 'Config' -Name 'ServerName' -Label 'Server Name' -Mandatory
Add-UIDropdown -Step 'Config' -Name 'Environment' -Label 'Environment' `
    -Choices @('Dev', 'Staging', 'Prod')

Phase 2: Execution (Workflow) ​

Tasks run sequentially, accessing user inputs and reporting progress.

powershell
# Define tasks that execute
Add-UIStep -Name 'Execution' -Title 'Execution' -Order 2 -Type Workflow
Add-UIWorkflowTask -Step 'Execution' -Name 'Deploy' -Title 'Deploying...' -ScriptBlock {
    # Can access $ServerName and $Environment from wizard
    $PoshUIWorkflow.WriteOutput("Deploying to $ServerName ($Environment)", "INFO")
}

Key Concepts ​

Wizard Inputs ​

Values collected from the user are automatically available as variables in all tasks. See Data Passing Patterns for details.

Progress Reporting ​

Tasks report progress using either auto-progress (WriteOutput()) or manual progress (UpdateProgress()). See Progress Reporting Guide for decision tree and examples.

Reboot & Resume ​

Workflows can request system reboots and automatically resume after. See Reboot & Resume for implementation details and checklist.

Task Arguments ​

Pass task-specific parameters using the -Arguments parameter. See Data Passing Patterns for examples.

Complete Minimal Example ​

powershell
Import-Module PoshUI.Workflow

# Initialize
New-PoshUIWorkflow -Title 'Quick Setup'

# Wizard: Collect configuration
Add-UIStep -Name 'Config' -Title 'Configuration' -Order 1
Add-UITextBox -Step 'Config' -Name 'ComputerName' -Label 'Computer Name' -Mandatory

# Execution: Run tasks
Add-UIStep -Name 'Execution' -Title 'Execution' -Order 2 -Type Workflow

Add-UIWorkflowTask -Step 'Execution' -Name 'Rename' -Title 'Renaming Computer' `
    -ScriptBlock {
        $PoshUIWorkflow.WriteOutput("Renaming to $ComputerName...", "INFO")
        Rename-Computer -NewName $ComputerName -Force
        $PoshUIWorkflow.WriteOutput("Rename complete", "INFO")
        $PoshUIWorkflow.RequestReboot("Computer rename requires reboot")
    }

# Show the UI
Show-PoshUIWorkflow

Next Steps ​

Learn about specific workflow features: