Configure AWI via environment variables

[Michael A. Lowry]

Prior to v21, AWI configuration options were set in several files:

• configuration.properties
• colors.properties
• uc4config.xml

Starting with AE v21, it is possible to configure the AWI using environment variables. I first proposed this feature in 2017. The capability was added primarily to support running the Automation Engine in container-based systems (AAKE). However, it is also useful when running the AWI in Cloud Foundry or another container-based system.

For instance, for an AWI system that needs to connect to just one AE system, one can specify the name of the AE system via the environment variable AUTOMIC_SYSTEM_NAME, and the addresses & port numbers of the JCPs using the environment variable AUTOMIC_SYSTEM_CPS. With these two environment variable set, it is not necessary to have a uc4config.xml file.

If all of the required options are set via environment variables, then the AWI can start up just fine without the three files above. This is a big step forward!

[Michael A. Lowry]

I have assembled a table of environment variables for configuring the Automic Web Interface. Some are undocumented. 

Environment variable	Documented	Default value
Connection properties
AUTOMIC_SYSTEM_NAME	✔
AUTOMIC_SYSTEM_CPS	✔
AUTOMIC_TRACE_LEVEL	✔	INFO
AUTOMIC_AUTOMATIONENGINE_INDEX	✔	-1
General properties
AUTOMIC_MAXOPENBULKACTIONS	✔	50
AUTOMIC_WFDISPLAYSETTINGS	✔	NAME,TITLE
AUTOMIC_PSDISPLAYSETTINGS	✘	TITLE,NAME
AUTOMIC_PROMPTSET_VALIDATION_MANDATORY	✔	true
Home dashboards
AUTOMIC_DEFAULTHOMEDASHBOARD	✔	WELCOME.DASHBOARD
AUTOMIC_CUSTOMHOMEDASHBOARDSFOLDER	✔	DASHBOARDS
Login properties
AUTOMIC_SSO_SAML_ENABLED	✔	false
AUTOMIC_SSO_KDC_ENABLED	✔	false
AUTOMIC_SSO_RETRY_TIMEOUT	✘	10000
AUTOMIC_PARAMETER_LOGIN_ENABLED	✔	false
AUTOMIC_PARAMETER_LOGIN_WITH_PASSWORD	✘	false
Network properties
AUTOMIC_ALLOWWEBSOCKETS	✔	true
AUTOMIC_PUSH_WEBSOCKET_IDLETIME	✔	3600000
AUTOMIC_AUTOMATIONENGINEOPENCONNECTIONTIMEOUTMILLISECONDS	✔	10000
AUTOMIC_AUTOMATIONENGINETIMEOUTMILLISECONDS	✔	180000
AUTOMIC_ASYNCLOADINGTIMEOUTMILLISECONDS	✔	180000
AUTOMIC_XREQUESTEXECUTORTIMEOUTMILLISECONDS	✔	90000
AUTOMIC_SHUTDOWNEXECUTIONTIMEOUTMILLISECONDS	✘	30000
AUTOMIC_HEARTBEATINTERVAL	✘	20
AUTOMIC_CLOSEIDLESESSIONS	✘	false
Context-sensitive help (documentation)
AUTOMIC_HELPURL_PATTERN	✔	https://docs.automic.com/documentation/webhelp /{0}/ALL/components/DOCU/{1}/{2}/#CSHID={3}
AUTOMIC_HELPURL_VERSION	✘	The current AWI version, e.g., 21
AUTOMIC_HELPURL_PRODUCT	✘	Automic%20Automation%20Guides
Colors & theme
AUTOMIC_MAINCOLOR	✔	#FAC800
AUTOMIC_SESSION_COLORS	✔	#BF2F1F,#E76456,#E88E35,#D6246E,#8953B0, #4E61C2,#0A786F,#6BC84C,#736D00,#E1D828
AUTOMIC_WHITE_BACKGROUND	✔	false
AUTOMIC_LOGO_FILENAME	✔
AUTOMIC_LOGO_MIMETYPE	✔	image/png
AUTOMIC_LOGO_BACKGROUND	✘	#1E1E1E
AUTOMIC_HEADER_FILENAME	✘	theme/custom_extension_header.txt
AUTOMIC_LOGO_BASE64	✔
Miscellaneous undocumented properties
AUTOMIC_DEBUG	✘	false
AUTOMIC_CACHE	✘	3600
AUTOMIC_STACKTRACES_VISIBLE	✘	false
AUTOMIC_PERFORMANCE_TEST_ACTIVE	✘	false
AUTOMIC_WEBSITEURL	✘	https://www.broadcom.com
AUTOMIC_SUPPORTURL	✘	https://casupport.broadcom.com
AUTOMIC_HTMLHEADER_META_AUTHOR	✘
AUTOMIC_COOKIE_MAXAGE	✘	1209600
AUTOMIC_IE_REFRESH_WORKAROUND	✘	true
AUTOMIC_RENDERING_WORKFLOWENTITIESWARNINGTHRESHOLD	✘	3000
AUTOMIC_AE_MAX_WIDGET_ACTIVITES	✘	100
AUTOMIC_PLUGINS_AUTOINSTALL_AE	✘	true
AUTOMIC_PLUGINS_AUTOINSTALL_AE_CACHE_DIR	✘	tomcat/temp/ecc-plugins
AUTOMIC_PLUGINS_AUTOINSTALL_AE_CACHE_CLEAR_ON_STARTUP	✘	false
AUTOMIC_PLUGINS_AUTOINSTALL_AE_STORE_NAME	✘	UC_ECC_PLUGINS
AUTOMIC_PLUGINS_AUTOINSTALL_AE_REGISTRY	✘	UC_BUNDLE_REGISTRY

This table is based on an older discussion thread, AWI configuration settings.

Please reply below if you learn of environment variables not listed here.

[Michael A. Lowry]

Currently, several configuration files are still required, including:

• felix.properties
• framework-logging.xml
• logback.xml

It might be possible to eliminate the need for the felix.properties file by specifying its properties via environment variables or Java system properties, but I doubt it's possible to do the same for the two logging configuration files.

[Michael A. Lowry]

As far as I can see, there is still no way to specify a custom favicon file.

I proposed this capability in 2016 and it received positive feedback. Unfortunately, the idea was never fully realized, and was among many ideas unceremoniously deleted by Broadcom last year. The only way I've found to use a custom favicon file is to replace the favicon.ico file inside of one of the JARs of the AWI. This rather defeats the idea of using the same AWI package for all deployments, and specifying environment-specific configuration information dynamically at deployment time.

I submitted a new idea in which I requested this capability. If you like the idea, please vote for it here:

AWI: custom favicon

[Michael A. Lowry]

While doing some tests to document how the AWI handles session colors, I discovered a much more straightforward way to deliver custom favicon files with an AWI deployment.

If you use non-standard session colors, the AWI will dynamically generate ICO files for these colors at startup, and will place them in the root AWI application directory with names in the format favicon_hex-rbg-color.ico, e.g., favicon_2CADA7.ico.

I discovered that if the favicons corresponding to custom session colors already exist with the expected filenames, the AWI does not overwrite them with dynamically-generated ones, but uses the files that are already there. One can take advantage of this mechanism to deliver one's own custom favicon files - one icon per custom session color.

I supplied one ICO file for each of our systems, and named each file after the associated session color.

I then deployed the AWI with AUTOMIC_SESSION_COLORS set to #FA9607 - EXP2, #FFCC00 - EXP, #2A97FF - DEV, #00C400 - ITE, #FF0000 - PROD;.

The session colors menu looked like this:

Selecting one of the session colors switches the favorite icon to the ICO whose file name is based on that color.

Using this approach, I can bundle all the icons regardless of the deployment target, and simply use the AUTOMIC_SESSION_COLORS variable to specify just one session color per AWI system. This works, but the user still has to select the session color from the list or the default, No Color, will be used.

I have found no way to remove the No Color option or specify a different default. This means there is no way to ensure that a particular session color is used. (The main color and logo are fixed at AWI deployment time, so this does help ensure distinctiveness of each AWI system.)

[Michael A. Lowry]

Today I discovered a straightforward way to override the default favorite icon used by the AWI. Simply put the file into the main AWI directory with the file name favicon_E6E6E6.ico.

It does not work as I hoped. The browser was loading a cached icon, not the one from the server.

[Olgun Onur Ozmen]

Hi Michael ,

/opt/automic/tomcat/tomcat/webapps/ROOT/config/configuration.properties

There are differences between the spelling in the documentation and yours. 

 

documentation : parameter_login.enable

you : automic_parameter_login_enable

 

Why is it like this and which one is right?  I have tried both types but the page does not auto-fill. why is this happening? 

link examples: 

https://automicpre/?system=AutomicPreprod&client=0011&name=myuser&department=mydomain&logintype=AE&language=en&autologin=true&password=****

 

https://automicpre/?system=AutomicPreprod&client=0011&name=myuser&department=mydomain&logintype=AE&language=en&autologin=true

 

https://automicpre/?system=AutomicPreprod&client=0011&name=myuser&department=mydomain&logintype=AE&language=en

------------------------------
Olgun Onur Ozmen
https://www.linkedin.com/in/olgunonurozmen/
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[Michael A. Lowry]

Keep in mind that my list is of the environment variables for configuring the AWI. The options in the options files are similar but different.

[Olgun Onur Ozmen]

oww got it. setting for container based :) are the same settings that are not in the documentation valid for the normal version?

------------------------------
Olgun Onur Ozmen
https://www.linkedin.com/in/olgunonurozmen/
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[Michael A. Lowry]

Yes, but the capitalization and punctuation will differ of course.