5.5

Setting Action Parameters in a URL
You pass input parameters to the action by setting the actionParameters property in the URL. Depending
on the action, you might need to declare the input parameters for the action as Web view attributes. If the
action parameters are Web view attributes, you must prefix the Web view attribute name of the parameter
with attribute:, as the following example shows.
https://orchestrator_server:8280/vco/vmo/web_view_url_folder/system/execute/action/action.html?
action=action_attribute_name&actionParameters=attribute:parameter_attribute_name&actionParameters
=parameter_value
Writing Action Results to a File
You can use a URL to run an action that returns its results as a MimeAttachment file. You provide the name
and type of the file to which to write the results in the URL. You must define the action to run as a Web view
attribute.
Web views access actions that you have defined as Web view attributes and obtain their results as
MimeAttachment files at the following URL:
https://orchestrator_server:8280/vco/vmo/web_view_url_folder/system/execute/action/
action_attribute_name/filename.file_extension?actionParameters=parameter_value&mimetype=mime_type
The filename.file_extension file you specify for the output file can be any type of file. If you set the
optional mimeType property, the file type must be a valid MimeAttachment file, for example an EML or PDF
file.
To avoid hard-coding the orchestrator_server address into the URL, you can provide relative paths to the
action that start from the directory below the Web view URL folder, as the following path shows:
<a href="./system/execute/action/generateReport/annualReport.pdf?actionParameters="Annual
Report"&mimetype=application/pdf"></a>
The preceding example URL performs the following tasks:
n
Runs an action that you have declared as the Web view attribute generateReport, which returns a
MimeAttachment object.
n
Creates a PDF file called annualReport.pdf
n
Returns the PDF file
Run an Action from a URL
You can add URLs to Web view pages to run actions in the Orchestrator server. Running actions by using
direct URLs rather than by using Web view components allows you to specify the parameters with which to
run the action in the URL, and allows you to provide your own formatting to the action results.
Prerequisites
You have created a Web view in the Orchestrator client and have Web view page in which to insert a URL to
run an action.
Procedure
1 From the drop-down menu in the Orchestrator client, select Administer.
2 In the Web views view, right-click the Web view to which to add the URL and select Edit.
You must unpublish a running Web view to edit it.
3 Right-click in the Attributes tab of the Web view editor and select Add attribute.
Developing Web Views for VMware vCenter Orchestrator
44 VMware, Inc.