4.1

You created a function that calculates a time and date relative to the current time and date and generates a
Date object. A User Interaction element can receive this Date object as an input parameter to set the timeout
period until which it waits for input from the user. When the workflow arrives at the User Interaction element,
it suspends its run and waits either until the user provides the required information, or for 24 hours before it
times out.
What to do next
You must bind the Date object to the User Interaction element's timeout.date parameter. See “Set the
timeout.date Attribute to a Relative Date,” on page 46.
(Optional) Set the timeout.date Attribute to a Relative Date
You can set the timeout.date attribute of a User Interaction element to a relative time and date by binding it
to a Date object. You define the object in a scripted function.
If you create a relative Date object in a scripted function, you can bind the timeout.date attribute of a user
interaction to this Date object. For example, if you bind the timeout.date attribute to a Date object that adds 24
hours to the current time, the user interaction times out after waiting for 24 hours.
Prerequisites
n
Add a user interaction element to the workflow schema.
n
Set the security.group attribute for the user interaction.
n
Create a scripted function that calculates a relative time and date and encapsulates it in a Date object in
the workflow. See “Calculate a Relative Timeout for User Interactions,” on page 45.
Procedure
1 Click the User Interaction element in the workflow schema.
2 Click the Attributes tab for the user interaction.
3 Click Not set for the timeout.date source parameter to set the timeout parameter value.
4 Select the Date object that encapsulates a relative time and date that you defined in a scripted function and
click Select.
You set the timeout.date attribute to a relative date and time that a scripted function calculates.
What to do next
Define the external input parameters that the user interaction requires from the user. See “Define the External
Inputs for a User Interaction,” on page 46.
(Optional) Define the External Inputs for a User Interaction
You specify the information that users must provide during a workflow run as the input parameters of a user
interaction.
When a workflow reaches a user interaction element, it waits until a user provides the information that the
user interaction requires as its input parameters.
Prerequisites
n
Add a user interaction element to the workflow schema.
n
Set the security.group attribute for the user interaction.
n
Set the timer.date attribute for the user interaction
vCenter Orchestrator Developer's Guide
46 VMware, Inc.