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Variables passed back to workflow from external task?

SEO

Win2000 / TS 5.5.2
===============

I'm ammending a bunch of workflows to automatically retry deployment if the deployment fails... I want the workflow to try to publish 3 times... If the deployment STILL fails after 3 attempts, then the workflow continues to the FAILURE tasks...

So...

I have a variable in my workflow:

my $Deploy_Retry = 0

I pass this variable to an external task:

<externaltask name="Notify_Failure_Admin"
owner="__TAG__('iw_areaowner');"
description='Publication Failed'>
<areavpath v="__TAG__('iw_workarea');"/>
<successors>
<successorset description="Deploying to Production">
<succ v='Deploy_to_Prod'/>
</successorset>
<successorset description="Publication Failed">
<succ v='Notify_Failure'/>
</successorset>
</successors>
__INSERT__("<command v='fail_log.ipl'/>");
<variables>
<variable key="contributor" value="__TAG__('iw_user');"/>
__INSERT__("<variable key='Deploy_Retry' value='$Deploy_Retry'/>");
__INSERT__("<variable key='source_area' value='$iwmount$branch_path/STAGING'/>");
<variable key="type" value="filelist"/>
</variables>
</externaltask>

Inside the External Task, I output the failure details to a log file and increment the variable $Deploy_Retry by 1, then do the CallBack based on the value:

$Deploy_Retry = $Deploy_Retry + 1
if ($Deploy_Retry > 2) {
$this_task->CallBack(1, "Deployment Failed.");
}
else {
$this_task->CallBack(0, "Retry Deployment [$Deploy_Retry]");
}

What I want to know is how do I pass BACK into the Workflow the new value of the variable $Deploy_Retry ??? so that if the deployment fails a second or third time, the external task (Notify_Failure_Admin) will pass the updated variable to the PERL script ???

I was thinking of using the comment in the callback - that is simply having it return:

$this_task->CallBack(0, "$Deploy_Retry");

But then that comment of "0", "1" and "2" will be entered in the job comments... Which won't make much sense to the user... And how the heck do I access that comment and insert it into the $Deploy_Retry variable back in the workflow...

And is it even possible to dynamically change the value of a variable once the workflow is instantiated???

What am I missing here?

Should I be looking at the GetVariable(), SetVariable(), CreateVariable() stuff?

Any help would be greatly appreciated...

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Comments

jed

You are going to want to check/set the current value of the variable using the "iwtaskvariable" CLT. I think there is also a perl routine in the WFtask module to set/get task variables.

Migrateduser

GetVariable() and SetVariable() are the methods you seek.

kshitiz

I have implemented the same thing in my workflows. I've used a job variable to store the number of retries. This is initialised to 0 at the start of job. In the external task if deployment fails the job variable is incremented. In this way the value of variable remains kinda global and can be accessed everytime the external task is being called.

My code looks something like:

 
my($wfid, $taskid, $workarea) = (shift, shift, shift);
my $task;
# Create a task object from the work flow taskid.
$task = new TeamSite::WFtask($taskid);
# Create a workflow object from the workflow id
my $wf = new TeamSite::WFworkflow($wfid);
$workarea =~ m!(/default/main/.*)/(WORKAREA|STAGING|EDITION)!;
my $branch = $1;
# Get task files
my @files = $task->GetFiles(); 
# Get the retry_count from job variable
my $retry_count = $wf->GetVariable('retry_count');
# Get the task variables
my $max_retries = $task->GetVariable('max_retries');
# If number of retries reached max limit
if ($retry_count == $max_retries) {
$task->CallBack(0,"Retries are Over");
}
# If the retry is less than max limit
$retry_count++;
$wf->SetVariable('retry_count',$retry_count);
$task->CallBack(1,"Retry OD Again");

rodigz

hi how to read the set variable? Let say I want it pass to back to .wft and value will be pass to next task .ipl file.
In wft file i have . Getting nul value.
....

use TeamSite::WFworkflow;
my($job) = new TeamSite::WFworkflow($ARGV[0]);
my($lk1) = $job->GetVariable('retry_count');

...........
]]>

owner="__TAG__('iw_user');"
creator="__TAG__('iw_user');"
description="__TAG__('iw_desc');">

....................

__INSERT__("");

.........................

thanks.

stringInCrosstab.txt

TestReport.rptdesign

Adam Stoller

PLEASE Learn to enclode code in [html]...[/html] blocks

hi how to read the set variable? Let say I want it pass to back to .wft and value will be pass to next task .ipl file.
In wft file i have . Getting nul value.
[html]
...
use TeamSite::WFworkflow;
my($job) = new TeamSite::WFworkflow($ARGV[0]);
my($lk1) = $job->GetVariable('retry_count');
...
]]>

The above will not work within the WFT since there is no $ARGV[0] there to reference - that is externaltask script code not WFT code. You cannot reference the job's id from within the WFT because it does not exist until after the workflow has been instantiated.

[html]
owner="__TAG__('iw_user');"
creator="__TAG__('iw_user');"
description="__TAG__('iw_desc');">
...
__INSERT__("");
...
[/html]
thanks.

The perl script, logfile.ipl, can access the job id as one of the parameters that it is passed - and then you can utilize it as you see fit.

rodigz

thanks. I will.

JenStrand

So if you change a workflow variable in an external task using the
setvariable() function how do you use that changed variable in the workflow template?

nipper

So if you change a workflow variable in an external task using the
setvariable() function how do you use that changed variable in the workflow template?

You don't.

The workflow template runs before the workflow runs. Variables changed by external tasks can only be used by external tasks.

JenStrand

thanks for the help.

new_report_1.rptdesign

Adam Stoller

You don't.

The workflow template runs before the workflow runs. Variables changed by external tasks can only be used by external tasks.

Or cgitasks, or iwat scripts ...