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Group Email from WFM

Ashwini_More

Hello,

We have read in the forums about using the perl script to send mails to multiple users/group.

We would like to know the exact steps for doing this and also how to call the ipl file from the WFM as an external task.

Any help would be appreciated.

TS.- 6.7.2 SP2
OS-Linux
WFM - 1.0.1.1

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Adam Stoller

Hello,

We have read in the forums about using the perl script to send mails to multiple users/group.

We would like to know the exact steps for doing this and also how to call the ipl file from the WFM as an external task.

Any help would be appreciated.

TS.- 6.7.2 SP2
OS-Linux
WFM - 1.0.1.1

Ashwini_More

Thanks for your response.

I have never used wft before.
We are starting with 6.7.2 SP2 version. So, can you tell us where we can get info about PT header.

Also, what is the full name of the CLT manual.

Migrateduser

Go to the Support site and download ALL the manuals and start reading. Take some training. Make an effort...

Ashwini_More

Thank you very much Smitty for your reply!!!

srosewall

Ashwini_More: Smitty, like the rest of us, appreciates those who make the effort to use the resources provided by the vendor... and when they have been exhausted, post questions so we can all exercise our minds to fill in the gaps.

The more interesting answer to you question for me is, why Perl?
Why not Java?
It's the modern way you know! Smiley Happy

Just create a class that uses CSSDK to enumerate a group and extract the email addresses.

Once you've got a working class, pop it into yout TeamSite toolkit, build it, and substitute your class for the OOTB one in your workflow. You can reuse the existing email templates, or create your own.

The process to acheive this is fully documented in the Workflow Modeler User's Guide. There's even some sample code mentioned in the manuals that you can grab a hold of and bend to your requirements - take a look at "Creating a Custom Email Task" for hints...

Ashwini_More

Thanks srosewall for your response. I am checking on the new class to enumerate the group.

I went through that Workflow Modeler User's Guide and went through the sample java class.

There is no method from where I can get the group members of existing group in teamsite/OS.

I have checked in other threads that they have mentioned about the
getSharedByGroups() and getSharedByUsers() methods which I did not find in my version TS 6.7.2 SP2

How can we get the email ids of members of the group?

Os - Linux

Migrateduser

If you know the name of the group, you can turn that name into a CSGroup object using the CSClient object. Once you have a CSGroup, you can get the members (CSUsers). Once you have the CSUsers, you have their email addresses.

srosewall

To be able to get the list of users associated with a group (and thus their email addresses), you'll need to know all about CSSDK.

Java docs are available - see cssdk_java.jar in the iw-home/cssdk/docs folder on your TeamSite server. If you're not too hot on CSSDK then take a look at the Content Services for TeamSite Release Notes for an overview/introduction.

And know that it is possible to do on TS 6.7.2 without any SPs, so keep on trying - you'll get there eventually.

Note: by providing that extra detail of your efforts so far, you've already gone up in everyone's estimations. The next "right thing to do" is to post the working code snippet you develop... Smiley Happy

mart2001

One reason to use Perl over Java is you don't have to take down the TeamSite UI when building your workflow. Another would be there are vast amounts of Perl modules that were created for using TeamSite and OpenDeploy. The Java libraries are limited, and there are many desired methods not available OOTB, but you can always create your own.

Ashwini_More: Smitty, like the rest of us, appreciates those who make the effort to use the resources provided by the vendor... and when they have been exhausted, post questions so we can all exercise our minds to fill in the gaps.

The more interesting answer to you question for me is, why Perl?
Why not Java?
It's the modern way you know!

Just create a class that uses CSSDK to enumerate a group and extract the email addresses.

Once you've got a working class, pop it into yout TeamSite toolkit, build it, and substitute your class for the OOTB one in your workflow. You can reuse the existing email templates, or create your own.

The process to acheive this is fully documented in the Workflow Modeler User's Guide. There's even some sample code mentioned in the manuals that you can grab a hold of and bend to your requirements - take a look at "Creating a Custom Email Task" for hints...

ISCBorisB

One reason to use Perl over Java is you don't have to take down the TeamSite UI when building your workflow. Another would be there are vast amounts of Perl modules that were created for using TeamSite and OpenDeploy. The Java libraries are limited, and there are many desired methods not available OOTB, but you can always create your own.

Yet another reason is that with Perl and couple CLTs it'll take me perhaps 5 minutes and ~10 lines
of code (if that) to generate an Array or comma-delimited String with Group mails.

It'll take at least 30 - 40 lines and non-linearily more time (to me anyway) to do that in Java - and
all this time for coding/debugging/maintenance adds up pretty fast

Adam Stoller

The more interesting answer to you question for me is, why Perl?
Why not Java?
It's the modern way you know!

Just create a class that uses CSSDK to enumerate a group and extract the email addresses.

Once you've got a working class, pop it into yout TeamSite toolkit, build it, and substitute your class for the OOTB one in your workflow. You can reuse the existing email templates, or create your own.

Unfortunately, as I believe I've stated before, the OOTB classes for sending email are not at the same level of generalization as the iw_solution_email.ipl script and associated PT headers - specifically: the OOTB mail classes do not allow you to adjust the mail headers - they're done completely within the code and not using an XSL template (unlike the Perl script which provides for PTs for both body and header information).

Also, if I recall correctly, the 6.7.2 (vanilla) version of the CSSDK did not correctly handle grouptasks - I believe you need at least 6.7.2 SP2 in order to have a fully functional version of the CSSDK for grouptasks (getting sharedby members, etc.)

Also - as has been noted several times (and this is generic to both Perl and Java - as it is a WF engine issue) - the ownership of grouptasks tends to persist even if you do not have retainowner="t" set. If you know all your grouptasks do / don't have that set, you can write the code fairly simply to always use / ignore the owner value of a grouptask when determining the addresses to which to send the notification.

That being said, if you take the time to write a good mail notification class, you can then use it fairly easily from that point onwards. I did so at one of my past projects where I utilized task-level variables for things like Subject, etc.

srosewall

Also, if I recall correctly, the 6.7.2 (vanilla) version of the CSSDK did not correctly handle grouptasks - I believe you need at least 6.7.2 SP2 in order to have a fully functional version of the CSSDK for grouptasks (getting sharedby members, etc.)

FYI - plain vanilla works just fine (in my experience at least: Win2K3/TS6.7.2)

See Ashwini_More, you just need to find the right angle for your posting to entice the big guns out. Perl vs Java's always going to get the keyboards rattlin'...

Ashwini_More

Posting the snippet of code that we tried -

String testComp = "compliance"; //name of group in OS
CSGroup testGroup = client.getGroup(testComp,true);

CSIterator testusers = testGroup.getUsers(false);

String testEmail = null ;
String temp;

while (testusers.hasNext())
{

//giving error on the below line
temp = ((CSUser) testusers).getEmailAddress();
testEmail = testEmail + "," + temp;
temp = null;

}

testusers are in form of CSIterator. But to get the email address we need to pass string. How can we get it ?

Migrateduser

Posting the snippet of code that we tried -

String testComp = "compliance"; //name of group in OS
CSGroup testGroup = client.getGroup(testComp,true);

CSIterator testusers = testGroup.getUsers(false);

String testEmail = null ;
String temp;

while (testusers.hasNext())
{

CSUser testuser = (CSUser) testusers.next();
//giving error on the below line
temp = testuser.getEmailAddress();
testEmail = testEmail + "," + temp;
temp = null;

}

testusers are in form of CSIterator. But to get the email address we need to pass string. How can we get it ?

You missed the line in red above. That should do it.

Ashwini_More

Thanks Smitty. The red line did work.

One more thing is we are trying to pass mutiple email address in a string to the function -
for eg: abc@yahoo.com,xyz@yahoo.com

by concating the email address by a (,) and passing it in the form of String.

But it didn't work.

So,do we have only one option to send mail all users individually by calling mail function recursively. Or any other approach is possible. Please give your inputs.

I got the user list of the group ,
Now do we need to call "CreateMailConfig" for each user in a group?

Thanks

Thnaks

Migrateduser

This depends on what mail function you're using. You should Google what you're looking for. You should find Java examples.

Adam Stoller

Thanks Smitty. The red line did work.

One more thing is we are trying to pass mutiple email address in a string to the function -
for eg: abc@yahoo.com,xyz@yahoo.com

by concating the email address by a (,) and passing it in the form of String.

But it didn't work.

I'm not positive, but I think if you pass an array of Strings it might work -- as Smitty said, you have to look at the [non-CSSDK] javadocs for the mail class that is being used.

Ashwini_More

I am not able to make it group email through java class. In java class its giving me error while creating contentXMLTemplate. because in XMLTemplate its taking Targettask owner as a CSUser but in actual case it is a CSGroup.
Group Email issue need to get resolve ASAP for me. if it is possible through perl scripting then please help.

Thanks
Ashwini

Adam Stoller

I am not able to make it group email through java class. In java class its giving me error while creating contentXMLTemplate. because in XMLTemplate its taking Targettask owner as a CSUser but in actual case it is a CSGroup.
Group Email issue need to get resolve ASAP for me. if it is possible through perl scripting then please help.

Thanks
Ashwini

If you're providing a CSGroup object - that's where your problem lies - you need to decompose it into a list of CSUser objects.

If you cannot figure out how to do that - then you can fall back on using Perl and PTs instead with the iw_solution_email.ipl script.

If you cannot figure out how to do that, then you probably need to hire someone who knows how to do these things - because you are unlikely to get anyone here to just write the code for you for free.