
Amazon Simple Workflow Service
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DESCRIPTION
===========

The Amazon Simple Workflow Service API Reference is intended for
programmers who need detailed information about the Amazon SWF actions
and data types.

For an broader overview of the Amazon SWF programming model, please go
to the Amazon SWF Developer Guide .

This section provides an overview of Amazon SWF actions.

**Action Categories**

The Amazon SWF actions can be grouped into the following major
categories.

* Actions related to Activities

* Actions related to Deciders

* Actions related to Workflow Executions

* Actions related to Administration

* Actions related to Visibility

**Actions related to Activities**

The following are actions that are performed by activity workers:

* poll-for-activity-task

* respond-activity-task-completed

* respond-activity-task-failed

* respond-activity-task-canceled

* record-activity-task-heartbeat

Activity workers use the poll-for-activity-task to get new activity
tasks. After a worker receives an activity task from Amazon SWF, it
performs the task and responds using respond-activity-task-completed
if successful or respond-activity-task-failed if unsuccessful.

**Actions related to Deciders**

The following are actions that are performed by deciders:

* poll-for-decision-task

* respond-decision-task-completed

Deciders use poll-for-decision-task to get decision tasks. After a
decider receives a decision task from Amazon SWF, it examines its
workflow execution history and decides what to do next. It calls
respond-decision-task-completed to complete the decision task and
provide zero or more next decisions.

**Actions related to Workflow Executions**

The following actions operate on a workflow execution:

* request-cancel-workflow-execution

* start-workflow-execution

* signal-workflow-execution

* terminate-workflow-execution

**Actions related to Administration**

Although you can perform administrative tasks from the Amazon SWF
console, you can use the actions in this section to automate functions
or build your own administrative tools.

**Activity Management**

* register-activity-type

* deprecate-activity-type

**Workflow Management**

* register-workflow-type

* deprecate-workflow-type

**Domain Management**

* register-domain

* deprecate-domain

**Workflow Execution Management**

* request-cancel-workflow-execution

* terminate-workflow-execution

**Visibility Actions**

Although you can perform visibility actions from the Amazon SWF
console, you can use the actions in this section to build your own
console or administrative tools.

**Activity Visibility**

* list-activity-types

* DescribeActivity

**Workflow Visibility**

* list-workflow-types

* describe-workflow-type

**Workflow Execution Visibility**

* describe-workflow-execution

* list-open-workflow-executions

* list-closed-workflow-executions

* count-open-workflow-executions

* count-closed-workflow-executions

* get-workflow-execution-history

**Domain Visibility**

* list-domains

* describe-domain

**Task List Visibility**

* count-pending-activity-tasks

* count-pending-decision-tasks


Available Commands
==================

* count-closed-workflow-executions

* count-open-workflow-executions

* count-pending-activity-tasks

* count-pending-decision-tasks

* deprecate-activity-type

* deprecate-domain

* deprecate-workflow-type

* describe-activity-type

* describe-domain

* describe-workflow-execution

* describe-workflow-type

* get-workflow-execution-history

* list-activity-types

* list-closed-workflow-executions

* list-domains

* list-open-workflow-executions

* list-workflow-types

* poll-for-activity-task

* poll-for-decision-task

* record-activity-task-heartbeat

* register-activity-type

* register-domain

* register-workflow-type

* request-cancel-workflow-execution

* respond-activity-task-canceled

* respond-activity-task-completed

* respond-activity-task-failed

* respond-decision-task-completed

* signal-workflow-execution

* start-workflow-execution

* terminate-workflow-execution
