VRO: Using Attachments

Description:

This post will cover how to use Resource Elements in vRealize Orchestrator. Resource Elements are essentially attachments that VRO holds that you can read/write to for workflows. I like to write JSON objects to a text file in one workflow and then have another workflow parse the file and update it in order to have different workflows pass information to each other.

To Resolve

1. First, create a text file on your computer at c:\scripts\ called json.txt with the value {}. Then upload this to VRO on the Resource elements tab.

   • Then attach it as a variable to a workflow. I called mine rscTasks or something like that with a data type of ResourceElement

   • Then, bind it to a scripting element and put your code like:

   var tasksJson = rscTask
   var tasksJsonText = tasksJson.getContentAsMimeAttachment()
   rscObject = JSON.parse(tasksJsonText.content);
   

2. Now that it is imported as a JSON object, you can do all sorts of stuff and write it back

   • See here to add a value, delete a value, test for a value, or modify a value.

   • To create a nested value do something like:

   var reqNestedHash2 = {
      "User_Email": ["blah@domain.com"],
      "User_EmplID": someVar,
      "User_GroupsRequested": someArray,
      "SN_RequestNumber": strRequestNumber,
      "SN_Reason": strReason,
      "SN_SysID": sys_ID,
      "Software_RequestNumberArray": arrRequestIDs,
      "LastUpdatedDate": strDate,
      "LastUpdatedTime": strTime,
   }
   
   
   rscObject["REQ002"] = [reqNestedHash2]
   

3. Either way, when you are done, write it back to VRO

   payload = JSON.stringify(rscObject);
   tasksJsonText.content = payload
   tasksJson.setContentFromMimeAttachment(tasksJsonText)
   

4. I usually start the second flow where it will import the resource element and then loop through each request and close the request if all items are completed:

   var tasksJson = rscTask
   var tasksJsonText = tasksJson.getContentAsMimeAttachment()
   var rscObject = JSON.parse(tasksJsonText.content);
   
   for (var key in rscObject) {
      var reqKey = key
      var reqValue = rscObject[key]
      //var strValue = JSON.stringify(reqValue);
      System.log("Key: " + reqKey)
      //System.log("Value (doesnt work): " + reqValue)
      //System.log("Value (does work - stringified): " + strValue)
   
      // value is an array with one element
      for (var singleHash in reqValue) {
   
         var singleValue = reqValue[singleHash]
         //System.log("single value (just returns [object object] because its a hashtable): " + singleValue)
   
         // strings
   
         var strSNRequestNumber = singleValue["SN_RequestNumber"]
         ....
   
         // if request_number.item == completed { // do nothing } else { // do something }
   
      }  // End loop for each request value in resource file
   
      // If all items in request_number are completed, delete the Request from the resource element so that it will not run on next run
   } // End loop for each request key in resource file