How to handle a Query in a Workflow in Java

To handle a Query in the Workflow, create a Query handler using the @QueryMethod annotation in the Workflow interface and define it in the Workflow implementation.

The @QueryMethod annotation indicates that the method is used to handle a Query that is sent to the Workflow Execution. The method can have parameters that can be used to filter data that the Query returns. Because the method returns a value, it must have a return type that is not void.

The Query name defaults to the name of the method. In the following example, the Query name defaults to getStatus.

@WorkflowInterface
public interface FileProcessingWorkflow {
   @QueryMethod
   String getStatus();
}

To overwrite this default naming and assign a custom Query name, use the @QueryMethod annotation with the name parameter. In the following example, the Query name is set to "history".

@WorkflowInterface
public interface FileProcessingWorkflow {
   @QueryMethod(name = "history")
   String getStatus();
}

A Workflow Definition interface can define multiple methods annotated with @QueryMethod, but the method names or the name parameters for each must be unique.

The following Workflow interface has a Query method getCount() to handle Queries to this Workflow.

  @WorkflowInterface
  public interface HelloWorld {
    @WorkflowMethod
    void sayHello(String name);

    @QueryMethod
    int getCount();
  }

The following example is the Workflow implementation with the Query method defined in the HelloWorld Workflow interface from the previous example.

  public static class HelloWorldImpl implements HelloWorld {

    private String greeting = "Hello";
    private int count = 0;

    @Override
    public void sayHello(String name) {
      while (!"Bye".equals(greeting)) {
        logger.info(++count + ": " + greeting + " " + name + "!");
        String oldGreeting = greeting;
        Workflow.await(() -> !Objects.equals(greeting, oldGreeting));
      }
      logger.info(++count + ": " + greeting + " " + name + "!");
    }

    @Override
    public int getCount() {
      return count;
    }
  }

Dynamic Query Handler You can also implement Query handlers dynamically. This is useful for library-level code and implementation of DSLs.

Use Workflow.registerListener(Object) to register an implementation of the DynamicQueryListener in the Workflow implementation code.

      Workflow.registerListener(
        (DynamicQueryHandler)
            (queryName, encodedArgs) -> name = encodedArgs.get(0, String.class));

When registered, any Queries sent to the Workflow without a defined handler will be delivered to the DynamicQueryHandler. Note that you can only register one Workflow.registerListener(Object) per Workflow Execution. DynamicQueryHandler can be implemented in both regular and dynamic Workflow implementations.