Workflow Plugins

BarakoCMS v2.0 Phase 2 introduces a plugin-based architecture for workflow actions, allowing developers to extend the workflow system without modifying core code.

Architecture

graph TB
    Event[Content Event] --> Engine[WorkflowEngine]
    Engine --> Match{Match Workflow?}
    Match -->|Yes| Actions[Execute Actions]
    Actions --> DI[DI Container]
    DI --> EmailPlugin[EmailAction]
    DI --> SmsPlugin[SmsAction]
    DI --> CustomPlugin[Your Custom Plugin]

Creating a Custom Action Plugin

1. Implement IWorkflowAction

using barakoCMS.Features.Workflows;
using barakoCMS.Models;

namespace YourApp.Workflows;

public class SlackAction : IWorkflowAction
{
    private readonly IHttpClientFactory _httpClientFactory;

    public SlackAction(IHttpClientFactory httpClientFactory)
    {
        _httpClientFactory = httpClientFactory;
    }

    // Must match the "Type" in workflow definitions
    public string Type => "Slack";

    public async Task ExecuteAsync(
        Dictionary<string, string> parameters, 
        Content content, 
        CancellationToken ct)
    {
        var webhookUrl = parameters.GetValueOrDefault("WebhookUrl");
        var message = parameters.GetValueOrDefault("Message", "Workflow triggered");

        var client = _httpClientFactory.CreateClient();
        await client.PostAsJsonAsync(webhookUrl, new { text = message }, ct);
    }
}

2. Register the Plugin

In your Program.cs or Startup.cs:

services.AddScoped<IWorkflowAction, SlackAction>();

BarakoCMS will automatically discover and inject all IWorkflowAction implementations into the WorkflowEngine.

3. Use in Workflow Definitions

{
  "name": "Notify Slack on New Content",
  "triggerContentType": "BlogPost",
  "triggerEvent": "Created",
  "conditions": {
    "status": "Published"
  },
  "actions": [
    {
      "type": "Slack",
      "parameters": {
        "WebhookUrl": "https://hooks.slack.com/services/YOUR/WEBHOOK/URL",
        "Message": "New blog post published: {{data.Title}}"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Built-in Actions

BarakoCMS ships with the following workflow actions:

Core Actions

• EmailAction (Type: "Email")

  • Parameters: To, Subject, Body
  • Sends emails via the configured email service

• SmsAction (Type: "SMS")

  • Parameters: To, Message
  • Sends SMS via the configured SMS service

• WebhookAction (Type: "Webhook")

  • Parameters: Url
  • Sends HTTP POST requests with content data to external webhooks
  • Payload includes: contentId, contentType, status, data, createdAt, updatedAt

Advanced Actions

• CreateTaskAction (Type: "CreateTask")

  • Parameters: ContentType, Status, Title, Data.*
  • Auto-generates new content items (tasks, tickets) from workflow triggers
  • Tracks relationship to source content

• UpdateFieldAction (Type: "UpdateField")

  • Parameters: Field, Value, TargetId (optional)
  • Modifies fields on content (supports nested paths like data.AssignedTo)
  • Can update triggering content or specify target by ID

• ConditionalAction (Type: "Conditional")

  • Parameters: Condition, ThenActions, ElseActions
  • Implements if/then/else logic for workflows
  • Supports simple expressions: { {data.Field} } == "Value", { {status} } == "Published"

Action Examples

Email Notification

{
  "type": "Email",
  "parameters": {
    "To": "admin@example.com",
    "Subject": "New content created",
    "Body": "Content {{id}} was created."
  }
}

Auto-Create Task

{
  "type": "CreateTask",
  "parameters": {
    "ContentType": "Task",
    "Status": "Draft",
    "Title": "Review: {{data.Title}}",
    "Data.Priority": "High",
    "Data.AssignedTo": "team@example.com"
  }
}

Update Content Field

{
  "type": "UpdateField",
  "parameters": {
    "Field": "data.ReviewStatus",
    "Value": "PendingApproval"
  }
}

Conditional Workflow

{
  "type": "Conditional",
  "parameters": {
    "Condition": "{{data.Priority}} == \"High\"",
    "ThenActions": "[{\"Type\":\"Email\",\"Parameters\":{\"To\":\"urgent@example.com\",\"Subject\":\"High Priority Alert\"}}]",
    "ElseActions": "[{\"Type\":\"SMS\",\"Parameters\":{\"To\":\"+1234567890\",\"Message\":\"Normal priority item\"}}]"
  }
}

Advanced: Template Variables

Action parameters support template variables using {{variable}} syntax:

Variable	Description	Example
{{id}}	Content ID	{{id}}
{{contentType}}	Content type name	{{contentType}}
{{status}}	Content status	{{status}}
{ {data.FieldName} }	Value from content data	{ {data.Email} }

Best Practices

1. Dependency Injection: Use constructor injection for services (e.g., IHttpClientFactory, ILogger)
2. Error Handling: Wrap risky operations in try-catch to prevent workflow failures
3. Logging: Log action execution for debugging
4. Validation: Validate required parameters in ExecuteAsync
5. Async/Await: Always use async operations for I/O-bound tasks

Example: WebhookAction

public class WebhookAction : IWorkflowAction
{
    private readonly IHttpClientFactory _httpClientFactory;
    private readonly ILogger<WebhookAction> _logger;

    public WebhookAction(IHttpClientFactory httpClientFactory, ILogger<WebhookAction> logger)
    {
        _httpClientFactory = httpClientFactory;
        _logger = logger;
    }

    public string Type => "Webhook";

    public async Task ExecuteAsync(
        Dictionary<string, string> parameters, 
        Content content, 
        CancellationToken ct)
    {
        var url = parameters.GetValueOrDefault("Url");
        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(url))
        {
            _logger.LogWarning("Webhook URL not provided");
            return;
        }

        try
        {
            var client = _httpClientFactory.CreateClient();
            var payload = new
            {
                contentId = content.Id,
                contentType = content.ContentType,
                data = content.Data
            };

            await client.PostAsJsonAsync(url, payload, ct);
            _logger.LogInformation("Webhook sent to {Url}", url);
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            _logger.LogError(ex, "Failed to send webhook to {Url}", url);
        }
    }
}

Future Enhancements

Phase 2 roadmap includes:

• Plugin Auto-Discovery: Automatically scan assemblies for IWorkflowAction implementations
• Visual Workflow Builder: Drag-and-drop UI for creating workflows
• Plugin Marketplace: Share and discover community-built action plugins
• Enhanced Testing Tools: Workflow debugging and testing utilities