parse parameters before the start of execution of a process

[yonghoe]

hi in the screenshot which i show below i specified the parameters in properties for program_1. 

i would like to check how we do parse parameters before the start of execution of a process, ie PAM will prompt to key in param "0" and param "1".

 

[Andrew Thompson]

I think what you are looking for is a Start Request Form.  If you have clicked the button on the home page of your Process Automation install to "Browse Out-of-the-Box Content", you should have a "PAM PredefinedContent" folder in your library that has example processes.  Under the "Getting Started" folder there is a folder for Start Request Forms.  This is an example to show you how Start Request Forms work.

 

You design a start request form that the user launches. When launched, the form prompts the user for values and then upon completion of the form the values are passed to the process and the process runs with these values.  

 

If this isn't what you are looking for, let us know more details about what you are trying to accomplish.

[yonghoe]

hi andrew, yes i am looking for something like what you have mentioned (will give it a try in the morning)

 

but in detail what i am trying is to integrate it to another system which will call for the web service method on PAM, i just did some reading on the web service guide and found out that there is a  executeStartRequest which is marked as "Use this method to start a start request form from the CA Process Automation library." is thisexecuteStartRequest  the method that i should be using to start a process and parse in the required params? or  executeProcess. i am seeing both the SOAP examples provided have params i the soap envelope. 

 

[yonghoe]

hi andrew, i just tried to click on the option "Browse Out-of-the-Box Content" its throwing me an error that it cannot be downloaded but i found PAM tutorial xml and loaded it into the library, is this the same one that you are referring to? 

[IanRich]

Hi,

 

If you are going to be using a web service to start the CAPA job, you can just start the job itself with executeProcess and pass your parameters, you don't have to use a start request form/executeStartRequest (unless you want people to be able to start the job manually from a browser as well).

 

Use executeProcess via SOAP:

 

<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:itp="http://www.ca.com/itpam">
<soapenv:Header/>
<soapenv:Body>
<itp:executeProcess>
<itp:flow>
<itp:name>[ProcessPath]</itp:name>
<itp:action>start</itp:action>
<itp:auth>
<itp:user>[CAPA_Username]</itp:user>
<itp:password>[CAPA_Password]</itp:password>
</itp:auth>
<itp:params>
[AdditionalParams]
</itp:params>
</itp:flow>
</itp:executeProcess>
</soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

 

Where additional params looks like this:

<itp:param name="param1">Value1</itp:param>

<itp:param name="param2">Value2</itp:param>

 

Hope this helps,

Ian

[yonghoe]

hi Ian, i managed to get the process to start by doing the SOAP call however started with the parameters i had earlier key in in the properties. I removed 2 parameters i added in the properties and tried the SOAP call it also does not work.

 

[IanRich]

Hi,

 

Sorry, I didn't see the notification that you replied to my suggestion.

 

If you still haven't gotten it working by now, hopefully this will help.

 

I think you are just looking in the wrong place for the parameters.  When you call the executeProcess passing parameters they get added to the Process's variables, and if you want to use them you would reference them from there.

 

So for example, if I call my Process "Test 123" with Parameters var_param1 and var_param2, you would then see them in the DataSet view of the process that you have called.

 

 

 

If you want to then use them in your run process, you would use them as Process.var_param1 and Process.var_param2

 

Hope that helps,

Ian

[yonghoe]

hi ian, thanks for the detail reply. i got it to work by specifying in the "run program" process.var_param1 however some how i recall do not see the the var_param1 in my data set. like to check if you meant when we specify the params in the SOAP envelope does the param get created when we perform the soap call and we do not need to add it to the dataset?

[IanRich]

Hi,

 

Yes, you are correct, any parameters you create in the SOAP call will automatically get added to the Process DataSet if they don't already exist.  If they do already exist, the values you pass in the SOAP call will be entered into the existing DataSet variables.

 

Personally, I prefer to create a placeholder for the Parameters that I will pass into a Process.  This allows me to keep track of the parameters, plus anyone else who looks at my code will know what/where those values come from.

 

Normally I make a page in the dataset and call it Input Parameters, and then any parameters that I will be passing I list in there.

 

But that is just me, it is a totally optional step, as they will be created when passed from the SOAP call.

 

Thanks,

Ian

[yonghoe]

hi ian, thanks for the detailed explanation that helped a lot .