SharePoint Online Integrated Workflow Apps support in Visual Studio 2015

Integrated workflow apps for SharePoint Online allows the creation workflows that can be attached to list or library in Host Web. Though this feature has been available in SharePoint Online for some time there is no tooling support for this Visual Studio 2013. To create an integrated workflow app in Visual Studio 2013 we will have to perform a workaround by editing the workflowmanifest.xml manually and setting the Integrated App value to true. This process is explained clearly in Andrew Connell’s article

With the release of Visual Studio 2015 Integrated Workflow Apps can be created from the IDE without requiring manual edit of XML files. Below are the steps to create an integrated workflow app in Visual Studio 2015

1. Create SharePoint Hosted App and target it to SharePoint Online.
2. Add a workflow item to the SharePoint App project. The app can become an integrated workflow app only after a workflow has been added to it.
3. Open the project properties window and set the Integrated App property available under the Workflow section to true
   

   
4. That’s all you need to do. Now after the app is deployed to a SharePoint online site you will be able to add a workflow to a list or library in the host web.
   
   
   
   

SharePoint 2016 Durable Document Links

One of the new feature available in SharePoint 2016 is Durable Links which provides resource id based links for documents. This feature protects the integrity of document links even if the document is renamed or moved to. When links to documents with resource id are used SharePoint 2016 looks up the document by resource id and opens in Office Online.

An example of how durable link in SharePoint 2016 works

1.    User uploads a document named TestDoc.docx to a document library in SharePoint 2016 sites.

2.    User shares the document to other users in his organization by using Share option in document preview page

3.    An email is sent to users with the link to the document TestDoc.docx.

4.    If you notice the link it will have a reference to the resource id like https://SharePoint Site /Documents/TestDoc.docx?d=wc0309c29bbf74b26be00d97cd54b9a79

5.    Clicking the link will open the document in Office online web app

6.    If the document creator changes the name of the document say to TestDocUpdated.docx the link that was shared earlier will work without breaking as office online loads the document based on the resource id