Using Nintex Workflow Cloud and Azure Functions to call on-premises workflows

This is from a lab from the soon to be released Nintex End User Training courses.  Its the first of its kind and I'll simply say, you will learn some fun stuff!  

  1. Login to
    Azure, or create a trial for Azure Functions
    • Trial
      https://functions.azure.com/try
    • Portal
      1. Select
        your subscription
      2. For
        the function name, type “NintexExternalStart”
      3. Select
        a region
      4. Click
        “Create + get started”, this can take a few seconds
  2. Click the
    “New Function” button
  3. Select the
    “HttpTrigger-CSharp” template:
  4. Click
    “Create"
 Copy the following to your azure function:
 
#r "Newtonsoft.Json"
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Net;
using System.Net.Http;
using System.Security.Cryptography;
using System.Text;
using Newtonsoft.Json;
using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq;
public static async Task<HttpResponseMessage> Run(HttpRequestMessage req, TraceWriter log)
{
    log.Info("C# HTTP trigger function processed a request.");    
    string url = "https://run.nintex.io/x-start/YourEndPoint";
    string securityKey = "YourSecurityKey";
    var variableValues = new Dictionary<string, object>();
    var service = new ExternalStartApiClient();
    try
    {
        log.Info("C# HTTP trigger function processed a request.");
        var correlationId = service.StartWorkflow(url, securityKey, variableValues, log);
    }
    catch
    {
    }
    string name = "Chris";
    return name == null
        ? req.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.BadRequest, "Please pass a name on the query string or in the request body")
        : req.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.OK, "Hello " + name);
}
    
    public class ExternalStartApiClient
    {
        public RestClient Client { get; internal set; }
        #region Constructors
        public ExternalStartApiClient()
        {
            this.Client = new RestClient();
        }
        public ExternalStartApiClient(RestClient client)
        {
            this.Client = client;
        }
        #endregion
        /// <summary>
        /// Retrieves information about the workflow variables available for the Nintex workflow associated with the
        /// specified endpoint URL.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="endpointUrl">The External Start endpoint URL associated with a Nintex workflow.</param>
        /// <returns>A List object that contains a WorkflowVariable object for each available workflow variable.</returns>
        public List<WorkflowVariable> GetWorkflowVariables(string endpointUrl)
        {
            // Send a GET request to the specified endpoint URL. No authorization or authentication is
            // required for this request.
            HttpResponseMessage response = this.Client.Invoke(HttpMethod.Get, endpointUrl, null, null);
            // If a response is returned, check the HTTP status code.
            if (response != null)
            {
                switch (response.StatusCode)
                {
                    case HttpStatusCode.OK:
                        // Success – deserialize and return the list of workflow variables.
                        return this.Client.DeserializeJson<List<WorkflowVariable>>(response);
                    case HttpStatusCode.BadRequest:
                        // Failure – the endpoint URL could not access a workflow.
                        throw new ArgumentException("The request could not be processed.");
                    default:
                        throw new Exception("An unexpected error has occurred.");
                }
            }
            else
            {
                return null;
            }
        }
        /// <summary>
        /// Sends a message to start the Nintex workflow associated with the specified endpoint URL, optionally specifying 
        /// values for workflow variables defined by that workflow
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="endpointUrl">
        /// The External Start endpoint URL associated with a Nintex workflow.
        /// </param>
        /// <param name="securityKey">
        /// The security key associated with the endpoint URL.
        /// </param>
        /// <param name="workflowVariables">
        /// The workflow variable values to use when starting the workflow.
        /// </param>
        /// <returns>
        /// The <see cref="string"/>.
        /// The X-CorrelationId: {GUID} of the request
        /// </returns>
        public string StartWorkflow(string endpointUrl, string securityKey, Dictionary<string, object> workflowVariables, TraceWriter log)
        {
            // If no workflow variable values are provided, send an empty request body; otherwise, send
            // a serialized JSON object, in which each workflow variable value is represented as a property value.
            string requestBody = "";
            if (workflowVariables != null)
            {
                JObject associationData = new JObject();
                foreach (string key in workflowVariables.Keys)
                {
                    JProperty value = new JProperty(key, workflowVariables[key]);
                    associationData.Add(value);
                }
                requestBody = associationData.ToString();
            }
            // Retrieve and configure the values used to calculate the digest value for the request.
            var path = new Uri(endpointUrl).AbsolutePath.ToLower();
            var httpMethod = HttpMethod.Post.ToString().ToLower();
            var nonce = Guid.NewGuid().ToString();
            var timestamp = DateTime.UtcNow.ToString("O");
            // Calculate and return the digest value for the request.
            var digest = CalculateDigest(securityKey, httpMethod, path, nonce, timestamp, requestBody);
            log.Info(digest);
            log.Info(timestamp);
            log.Info(nonce);
            // Specify the header values for the request.
            var headerValues = new Dictionary<string, string>();
            headerValues.Add("X-Api-Digest", digest);
            headerValues.Add("X-Api-Timestamp", timestamp);
            headerValues.Add("X-Api-Nonce", nonce);
            headerValues.Add("X-Api-Source", "ExternalStart");
            // Send the request to the endpoint URL. 
            HttpResponseMessage response = this.Client.Invoke(HttpMethod.Post, endpointUrl, headerValues,
                new StringContent(requestBody, Encoding.UTF8, "application/json"));
            
            if (response != null)
            {
                log.Info(response.StatusCode.ToString());
                switch (response.StatusCode)
                {
                    case HttpStatusCode.OK:
                        // Success – the message was successfully sent.
                        IEnumerable<string> correlationIds;
                        response.Headers.TryGetValues("X-CorrelationId", out correlationIds);
                        return correlationIds.FirstOrDefault();
                        break;
                    case HttpStatusCode.BadRequest:
                        // Failure – the endpoint URL could not access a workflow.
                        throw new ArgumentException("The request could not be processed.");
                    default:
                        throw new Exception("An unexpected error has occurred.");
                }
            }
            else
            {
                throw new Exception("An unexpected error has occurred.");
            }
        }
        /// <summary>
        /// Calculate the digest value used to authenticate requests for the External Start feature.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="securityKey">The security key associated with an External Start endpoint URL.</param>
        /// <param name="httpMethod">The HTTP method name, in lower case.</param>
        /// <param name="path">The absolute URI of the External Start endpoint URL, in lower case.</param>
        /// <param name="nonce">The nonce value.</param>
        /// <param name="timestamp">The date and time of the request, in ISO 8601 format.</param>
        /// <param name="requestBody">The serialized body of the request.</param>
        /// <returns>A keyed hash value, using the SHA-256 function, to be used as the Hash-based Authentication Code (HMAC) value for a request.</returns>
        public string CalculateDigest(string securityKey, string httpMethod, string path, string nonce,
            string timestamp, string requestBody)
        {
            // The data values are concatenated into a single string, in which each data value is delimited by 
            // a colon (:) character, which is then encoded as a UTF-8 byte array.
            var dataBytes = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(String.Join(":", httpMethod, path, nonce, timestamp, requestBody));
            // The security key is encoded as a UTF-8 byte array.
            var keyBytes = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(securityKey);
            // Using the HMACSHA256 object provided by .NET Framework, the
            // data values are hashed, using the security key, and any dashes are removed.
            using (var hasher = new HMACSHA256(keyBytes))
            {
                var hashBytes = hasher.ComputeHash(dataBytes);
                return BitConverter.ToString(hashBytes).Replace("-", "");
            }

        }
    }
    public class RestClient
    {
        public NetworkCredential Credential { get; set; }
        #region Constructors
        public RestClient()
        {
        }
        public RestClient(NetworkCredential credential)
        {
            this.Credential = credential;
        }
        #endregion
        #region Deserialization
        /// <summary>
        /// Deserialize the body of a specified HTTP response as an instance of a specified type.
        /// </summary>
        /// <typeparam name="T">The type into which to deserialize.</typeparam>
        /// <param name="restResponse">The HTTP response from which to deserialize.</param>
        /// <param name="jsonConverters">If needed, any custom JSON converters with which to deserialize.</param>
        /// <returns>An instance of the specified type, deserialized from the body of the specified HTTP response.</returns>
        internal T DeserializeJson<T>(HttpResponseMessage restResponse, JsonConverter[] jsonConverters = null)
        {
            return this.DeserializeJson<T>(restResponse.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().Result, jsonConverters);
        }
        /// <summary>
        /// Deserialize a specified JSON-encoded string as an instance of a specified type.
        /// </summary>
        /// <typeparam name="T">The type into which to deserialize.</typeparam>
        /// <param name="jsonString">The string from which to deserialize.</param>
        /// <param name="jsonConverters">If needed, any custom JSON converters with which to deserialize.</param>
        /// <returns>An instance of the specified type, deserialized from the body of the specified string.</returns>
        internal T DeserializeJson<T>(string jsonString, JsonConverter[] jsonConverters = null)
        {
            if (jsonConverters != null)
                return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<T>(jsonString, jsonConverters);
            else
                return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<T>(jsonString);
        }
        #endregion
        #region Serialization
        /// <summary>
        /// Serialize the specified object as a JSON-encoded string.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="value">The object from which to serialize.</param>
        /// <param name="jsonConverters">If needed, any custom JSON converters with which to serialize.</param>
        /// <returns>A JSON-encoded string that contains the serialization of the specified object.</returns>
        internal string SerializeJson(object value, JsonConverter[] jsonConverters = null)
        {
            if (jsonConverters != null)
            {
                return JsonConvert.SerializeObject(value, Formatting.Indented, jsonConverters);
            }
            return JsonConvert.SerializeObject(value, Formatting.Indented);
        }
        #endregion
        #region REST invocation
        /// <summary>
        /// Invokes the specified REST resource, using the specified HTTP method, optionally providing any specified header values and request content.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="operationMethod">The HTTP method with which to invoke the REST resource.</param>
        /// <param name="operationUrl">The operation URL with which to invoke the REST resource.</param>
        /// <param name="operationHeaders">A collection of header names and values to include when invoking the REST resource.</param>
        /// <param name="operationContent">The HTTP content to include when invoking the REST resource.</param>
        /// <returns></returns>
        internal HttpResponseMessage Invoke(HttpMethod operationMethod, 
            string operationUrl, 
            Dictionary<string, string> operationHeaders, 
            HttpContent operationContent)
        {
            HttpResponseMessage response = null;
            try
            {
                // Instantiate a new HttpClientHandler object and, if credentials are provided,
                // configure and include them.
                var clientHandler = new HttpClientHandler { PreAuthenticate = true };
                if (this.Credential == null)
                {
                    clientHandler.UseDefaultCredentials = true;
                }
                else
                {
                    clientHandler.Credentials = this.Credential;
                }
                // Instantiate a new HttpRequestMessage, using the specified HTTP method and operation URL,
                // for the request.
    &n
bsp;           var request = new HttpRequestMessage(operationMethod, operationUrl);
                // If header values are provided, add them to the request.
                // NOTE: The implementation is not optimal, but suffices for the sample.
                if (operationHeaders != null)
                {
                    foreach (var key in operationHeaders.Keys)
                    {
                        request.Headers.Add(key, operationHeaders[key]);
                    }
                }
                if (operationContent != null)
                {
                    request.Content = operationContent;
                }
                // Instantiate a new HttpClient, asynchronously invoke the REST resource,
                // and await the result. 
                using (var client = new HttpClient(clientHandler))
                {
                    response = client.SendAsync(request).GetAwaiter().GetResult();
                }
            }
            catch (Exception)
            {
                response = null;
            }
            // Return the resulting HttpResponseMessage.
            return response;
        }
        #endregion
    }
    public enum VariableTypes
    {
        Text,
        TextMultipleLine,
        Number,
        DateTime,
        Boolean
    }
    /// <summary>
    /// Models the information returned for workflow variables by the External Start feature.
    /// This class is used to deserialize that information for the purposes of the sample.
    /// </summary>
    public class WorkflowVariable
    {
        [JsonProperty("Name"), JsonRequired]
        public string Name { get; internal set; }
        [JsonProperty("Type"), JsonRequired]
        public VariableTypes Type { get; internal set; }
        [JsonProperty("Required"), JsonRequired]
        public bool Required { get; internal set; }
    }
 
 And then you'll need a project.json file:
 
 {
  "frameworks": {
    "net46":{
      "dependencies": {
        "Newtonsoft.Json": "8.0.3"
      }
    }
   }
}