4.2
Table Of Contents
- Developing with VMware vCenter Orchestrator
- Contents
- Developing with VMware vCenter Orchestrator
- Updated Information
- Developing Workflows
- Principal Phases in the Workflow Development Process
- Accessing the Orchestrator Client
- Testing Workflows During Development
- Workflow Editor
- Provide General Workflow Information
- Defining Attributes and Parameters
- Workflow Schema
- Obtaining Input Parameters from Users When a Workflow Starts
- Requesting User Interactions While a Workflow Runs
- Add a User Interaction to a Workflow
- Set the User Interaction security.group Attribute
- Set the timeout.date Attribute to an Absolute Date
- Calculate a Relative Timeout for User Interactions
- Set the timeout.date Attribute to a Relative Date
- Define the External Inputs for a User Interaction
- Define User Interaction Exception Behavior
- Create the Input Parameters Dialog Box for the User Interaction
- Respond to a Request for a User Interaction
- Calling Workflows Within Workflows
- Running a Workflow on a Selection of Objects
- Developing Long-Running Workflows
- Configuration Elements
- Workflow User Permissions
- Validating Workflows
- Running Workflows
- Develop a Simple Example Workflow
- Create the Simple Workflow Example
- Define the Simple Workflow Example Parameters
- Create the Simple Workflow Example Schema
- Link the Simple Workflow Example Elements
- Create Workflow Zones
- Define the Simple Workflow Example Decision Bindings
- Bind the Simple Workflow Example Action Elements
- Bind the Simple Workflow Example Scripted Task Elements
- Define the Simple Example Workflow Exception Bindings
- Set the Simple Workflow Example Attribute Read-Write Properties
- Set the Simple Workflow Example Parameter Properties
- Set the Layout of the Simple Workflow Example Input Parameters Dialog Box
- Validate and Run the Simple Workflow Example
- Develop a Complex Workflow
- Create the Complex Workflow
- Define the Complex Workflow Example Input Parameters
- Create a Custom Action For the Complex Workflow Example
- Create the Complex Workflow Example Schema
- Link the Complex Workflow Example Schema Elements
- Create the Complex Workflow Example Zones
- Define the Complex Workflow Example Bindings
- Set the Complex Workflow Example Attribute Properties
- Create the Layout of the Complex Workflow Example Input Parameters
- Validate and Run the Complex Workflow Example
- Scripting
- Orchestrator Elements that Require Scripting
- Limitations of the Mozilla Rhino Implementation in Orchestrator
- Using the Orchestrator API
- Access the Scripting Engine from the Workflow Editor
- Access the Scripting Engine from the Action or Policy Editor
- Access the Orchestrator API Explorer
- Use the Orchestrator API Explorer to Find Objects
- Writing Scripts
- Add Parameters to Scripts
- Accessing the Orchestrator Server File System from JavaScript and Workflows
- Accessing Java Classes from JavaScript
- Accessing Operating System Commands from JavaScript
- Exception Handling Guidelines
- Orchestrator JavaScript Examples
- Developing Actions
- Creating Resource Elements
- Creating Packages
- Index
You implement the Start workflows in a series and Start workflows in parallel workflows in the same way.
The Start workflows in a series workflow runs the workflow on each object sequentially. The Start workflows
in parallel workflow runs the workflow on all the objects simultaneously.
Prerequisites
Open a workflow for editing in the workflow editor.
Procedure
1 In the workflow schema, add a scriptable task element or an action to obtain a list of objects on which to
run the workflow.
For example, to run a workflow on all the virtual machines in a virtual machine folder, you can add the
getAllVirtualMachinesByFolder action to the workflow.
2 Link the scripted element or action and bind the input and output of the scripted element or action to
workflow inputs or attributes.
For example, you can bind the vmFolder input of the getAllVirtualMachinesByFolder action to a workflow
input parameter and the actionResult output to a workflow attribute in the calling workflow.
3 Add a scriptable task element to cast the list of objects into a properties array.
For example, if the objects on which to run the workflow are an array of virtual machines, allVMs, returned
by the actionResult output of the getAllVirtualMachinesByFolder action, you can write the following
script to cast the objects into a properties array.
propsArray = new Array();
for each (var vm in allVMs) {
var prop = new Properties();
prop.put("vm", vm);
propsArray.push(prop);
}
4 Link the scriptable task element and bind its inputs and outputs to workflow attributes.
In the example scriptable task element in Step 3, you bind the input to the allVMs array of virtual machines
and you create the propsArray output attribute as an array of Properties objects.
5 Add a workflow element to the workflow schema.
6 Select either of the Start workflows in a series or Start workflows in parallel workflows and link the
workflow element to the other elements.
7 Bind the wf input of the Start workflows in a series or Start workflows in parallel workflow to the workflow
to run on the objects.
For example, to remove any snapshots of all the virtual machines returned by the
getAllVirtualMachinesByFolder action, select the Remove all snapshots workflow.
8 Bind the parameters input of the Start workflows in a series or Start workflows in parallel workflow to
the array of Properties objects that contains the objects on which to run the workflow.
For example, bind the parameters input to the propsArray attribute defined in Step 4.
9 (Optional) Bind the workflowTokens output of the Start workflows in a series or Start workflows in parallel
workflow to an attribute in the workflow.
10 Add and link an end element to the workflow, or continue adding more elements that use the results of
running the Start workflows in a series or Start workflows in parallel workflow.
You created a workflow that uses either of the Start workflows in a series or Start workflows in parallel
workflows to run a workflow on a selection of objects.
Chapter 1 Developing Workflows
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