azure-functions-durable-python/samples/serialize_arguments

Serializing Custom Classes - Sample

This sample illustrates how to create custom classes that can be serialized for usage in Durable Functions for Python. To create serializable classes, all we require is for your class to export two static methods: to_json(<str>) and from_json(<str>). The Durable Functions framework will interally call these classes to serialize and de-serialize your custom class. Therefore, you should design these two functions such that calling from_json on the result of to_json is able to reconstruct your class.

For an example, please review the shared_code directory, where we declare a custom class that we call SerializableClass which implements the required static methods.

Usage Instructions

Create a local.settings.json file in this directory

This file stores app settings, connection strings, and other settings used by local development tools. Learn more about it here. For this sample, you will only need an AzureWebJobsStorage connection string, which you can obtain from the Azure portal.

With you connection string, your local.settings.json file should look as follows, with <your connection string> replaced with the connection string you obtained from the Azure portal:

{
  "IsEncrypted": false,
  "Values": {
    "AzureWebJobsStorage": "<your connection string>",
    "FUNCTIONS_WORKER_RUNTIME": "python"
  }
}

Run the Sample

To try this sample, run func host start in this directory. If all the system requirements have been met, and after some initialization logs, you should see something like the following:

Http Functions:

        DurableTrigger: [POST,GET] http://localhost:7071/api/orchestrators/{functionName}

This indicates that your DurableTrigger function can be reached via a GET or POST request to that URL. DurableTrigger starts the function-chaning orchestrator whose name is passed as a parameter to the URL. So, to start the orchestrator, which is named DurableOrchestration, make a GET request to http://127.0.0.1:7071/api/orchestrators/DurableOrchestration.

And that's it! You should see a JSON response with five URLs to monitor the status of the orchestration. To learn more about this, please read here!