pvm – PHP Process virtual machine for building and executing workflows

At some point last year I wrote the blog post titled “Getting started with workflows in PHP“.  I received quite a bit of feedback about it, but, unfortunately, the priorities at work shifted and I haven’t done much more with workflows since than.

The world, however, hasn’t stopped.  The tools and libraries that existed a year ago are still around and they got a lot better.  Additionally, there are a few new tools that help with workflows, state machines, and the like.

Today I came across a really useful and easy to use tool for building and executing workflows in PHP – pvm, aka PHP Process Virtual Machine.  It’s built and released as Open Source software under MIT license by the excellent guys at Forma-Pro.   If you are still looking for a tool to build and execute workflows, I strongly suggest you give PVM a try.  Given how complex the nature of the problem, this tool is probably the easiest to get started with.

Getting started with workflows in PHP

For a large project at work, we need to integrate or develop a workflow engine.  I worked a little bit with workflow engines in the past, but the subject is way to big and complex for me to claim any expertise in it.

So, I am looking at what’s available these days and what are our options.  This post is a collection of initial links and thoughts, and it’s goal is mostly to document my research process and findings, and not to provide any answers or solutions yet.

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