Workflow-Task: Edit Pre- and Postconditions

Overwrite the Pre- and Postconditions based on the provided JSON definition

Designation

Name

mc.WorkflowTaskModifyConditions

Aliases

WorkflowModifyTaskConditions

Configuration

Optionen

Test mode (test-mode)

Activates a simulation mode

Input Mode (conditions-input-mode)

Determines whether conditions are provided via a JSON file or direct JSON text
Valid values
File (file), Text (text)

File (conditions-file)

File with the JSON definition

Text (conditions-text)

Text with the JSON definition

Task (task)

Name of the workflow task

Task number (task-no)

Running number of the workflow task

Description

This module lets you edit the preconditions and postconditions of tasks in workflows. Input is provided as a JSON file or as free text.

The JSON contains two lists:

• preconditions: checked before the task starts
• postconditions: checked after the task ends

The following applies to both lists:

Value	Effect
null	Existing entries remain unchanged
[] (empty list)	Existing entries are deleted
List with entries	Existing entries are replaced by the new ones

Text Mode Limitations

Text mode (--conditions-input-mode text) is intended for short definitions and testing and only works reliably in the graphical user interface.

When started from the command line, problems may occur, e.g. due to special characters, spaces or very long input. Use file mode there instead:

--conditions-input-mode file --conditions-file <path to JSON file>

Entry Structure

Each entry is either a condition or an action.

{
  "type": "UserDefinedCondition",
  "active": true,
  "once": false,
  "params": { "value1": "&ENV#", "operator": "=", "value2": "PROD" },
  "ifTrue": [],
  "ifFalse": []
}

Field	Description
type	Name of the condition or action (see Available Conditions and Actions)
active	true: entry is active, false: entry is deactivated
once	true: entry is executed only once
params	Settings of the entry (see Settings per Entry)
ifTrue	Entries executed if the condition is met (conditions only)
ifFalse	Entries executed if the condition is not met (conditions only)

Nesting with ifTrue and ifFalse

ifTrue and ifFalse can contain both actions and further conditions. This allows you to build if-then-else logic of any depth (see Examples).

Precondition or Postcondition

Not every condition or action is allowed in both sections. The table Available Conditions and Actions shows where each one is permitted. If an entry is used in the wrong section, the module returns an error message.

Error Handling

If a setting in params cannot be applied, the module returns an error message. It lists all settings available for this entry. Common causes:

• The setting name is misspelled. Example: valueOne instead of value1
• The value has the wrong format. Example: 1900 instead of ENDED_OK
• The value is not allowed. Example: an operator that is not in the list

Available Conditions and Actions

These names can be used as type:

Conditions	Checks …	Pre	Post
CheckActivitiesCondition	number of running activities of an object	✓	✓
CheckConnectionCondition	whether a connection is reachable	✓	✓
CheckFileCondition	whether a file exists	✓	✓
CheckHistoryCondition	whether an object ended with a given status	✓	✓
CheckProcessCondition	whether a process is running	✓	✓
CurrentQueueCondition	which queue the task is running in	✓	✓
CurrentTimeCondition	the current time	✓	✓
ReturnCodeCondition	the return code of the task	–	✓
StatusCondition	the end status of the task	–	✓
TimeSinceActivationCondition	the time since the task was started	✓	✓
UserDefinedCondition	two freely definable values, e.g. variables	✓	✓

Actions	Does …	Pre	Post
AbortAction	abort the task	–	✓
BlockAction	block the workflow	✓	✓
CancelProcessFlowAction	cancel the workflow	✓	✓
ChangeQueueAction	change the task's queue	✓	–
ClearVariableAction	delete entries of a variable object	✓	✓
ExecuteObjectAction	start another object	✓	✓
ModifyStateAction	change the task's end status	–	✓
PublishValueAction	publish a value in the workflow	✓	✓
ReEvaluateAtAction	re-evaluate at a specific time	✓	–
ReEvaluateInAction	re-evaluate after a waiting time	✓	–
RestartTaskAction	restart the task	–	✓
RollbackAction	perform a rollback	–	✓
RunTaskAction	start the task	✓	–
SetValueAction	set the value of a variable	✓	✓
SetVariableAction	write a value to a variable object	✓	✓
SkipTaskAction	skip the task	✓	–

Settings per Entry

Value Types

The tables below show which type of value each setting expects:

Value type	How to specify	Example
Text	in quotation marks	"&ENV#"
Number	integer, with or without quotation marks	0 or "0"
Boolean	true or false	true
Object name	name of the object as text	"JOBS.WIN.TEST"
Agent	name of the agent as text	"WIN01"
Alias	alias as text	"MY_ALIAS"
Time	text in the format HH:MM, HH:MM:SS or HHMM	"06:30"
Status	status value, exactly in uppercase (see Status Values)	"ENDED_OK"
Enum	one of the listed values, case-insensitive	"BEFORE"
Parameter list	name/value pairs, values as text	{ "&PARAM#": "1" }

Important:

• Always put text in quotation marks.
• Write status values exactly in uppercase. An incorrect spelling (e.g. "ended_ok") is not reported as an error but is accepted as is and then does not work as expected.
• The value null clears a setting. null is not allowed for Number and Boolean.
• Allowed comparison operators: =, <>, <, <=, >, >=

Conditions

CheckActivitiesCondition

Checks how many activities of an object have a specific status.

Setting	Value type	Description
name	Object name	Object whose activities are checked
operator	Text	Comparison operator
count	Number	Number to compare with
status	Status	Status of the activities

CheckConnectionCondition

Checks whether a connection is reachable.

Setting	Value type	Description
agent	Agent	Agent from which the check is made
connection	Object name	Connection object

The "own agent" option cannot be set via this module.

CheckFileCondition

Checks whether a file exists or does not exist.

Setting	Value type	Description
agent	Agent	Agent on which the file is checked
file	Text	Path and name of the file
exists	Boolean	true: file must exist, false: file must not exist
login	Object name	Login object used for access

The "own agent" and "own login" options cannot be set via this module.

CheckHistoryCondition

Checks whether an object ended with a specific status within a time period.

Setting	Value type	Description
name	Object name	Object to check
status	Status	Expected end status
dayOffset	Number	Number of days back
timeOffset	Time	Time from which the check starts

CheckProcessCondition

Checks whether a process is running on an agent.

Setting	Value type	Description
agent	Agent	Agent on which the check is made
login	Object name	Login object
processName	Text	Name of the process
status	Enum	RUNNING, NOT_RUNNING

CurrentQueueCondition

Checks whether the task is running in a specific queue.

Setting	Value type	Description
queueName	Object name	Queue

CurrentTimeCondition

Checks whether the current time is before or after a given time.

Setting	Value type	Description
when	Enum	BEFORE, AFTER
time	Time	Comparison time

ReturnCodeCondition

Checks the return code of the task. Postcondition only.

Setting	Value type	Description
operator	Text	Comparison operator
returnCode	Number	Return code to compare with

StatusCondition

Checks the end status of the task. Postcondition only.

Setting	Value type	Description
status	Status	End status

TimeSinceActivationCondition

Checks how long the task has been active.

Setting	Value type	Description
operator	Enum	MORE_THAN, LESS_THAN
time	Time	Time span, e.g. "01:30" for 1.5 hours

Note: This condition does not use a comparison operator such as >, but MORE_THAN or LESS_THAN.

UserDefinedCondition

Compares two freely definable values, e.g. variables.

Setting	Value type	Description
value1	Text	First value
operator	Text	Comparison operator
value2	Text	Second value

Actions

AbortAction

Aborts the task. Postcondition only.

Setting	Value type	Description
text	Text	Reason, max. 32 characters

BlockAction

Blocks the workflow.

Setting	Value type	Description
text	Text	Reason, max. 32 characters

CancelProcessFlowAction

Cancels a workflow.

Setting	Value type	Description
scope	Enum	OWN (own), PARENT (parent), TOP (top-level)
recursive	Boolean	true: also cancel child tasks

ChangeQueueAction

Changes the queue of the task. Precondition only.

Setting	Value type	Description
queue	Object name	New queue

ClearVariableAction

Deletes one entry or all entries of a variable object (VARA).

Setting	Value type	Description
variableName	Object name	Variable object
key	Text	Entry to delete

ExecuteObjectAction

Starts another object.

Setting	Value type	Description
name	Object name	Object to start
wait	Boolean	true: wait for the object to end
parameter	Parameter list	Parameters as key/value pairs (e.g. {"&PARAM1#": "Value"})
alias	Alias	Alias used for the start

ModifyStateAction

Changes the end status of the task. Postcondition only.

Setting	Value type	Description
retCode	Number	New return code
text	Text	Reason

PublishValueAction

Publishes a value as a variable in the workflow.

Setting	Value type	Description
value	Text	Value
publishName	Text	Name of the variable

ReEvaluateAtAction

Re-evaluates the conditions at a specific time. Precondition only.

Setting	Value type	Description
days	Number	Days in the future, 0 to 99
time	Time	Time

ReEvaluateInAction

Re-evaluates the conditions after a waiting time. Precondition only.

Setting	Value type	Description
minutes	Number	Waiting time in minutes

RestartTaskAction

Restarts the task after a waiting time. Postcondition only.

Setting	Value type	Description
minutes	Number	Waiting time in minutes

RollbackAction

Performs a rollback. Postcondition only.

Setting	Value type	Description
task	Enum	THIS (this task), PARENT (parent), TOP (top-level)

Note: Always specify the value exactly in uppercase. Other spellings may be accepted as is and then not work.

RunTaskAction

Starts the task. Precondition only. Has no settings; omit params.

SetValueAction

Sets the value of a script variable.

Setting	Value type	Description
name	Text	Name of the variable. A leading & is removed. Must not be empty and must not start with $
value	Text	Value
scope	Enum	TASK (task), PROCESS_FLOW (workflow), PARENT_PROCESS_FLOW (parent workflow)

SetVariableAction

Writes a value to a variable object (VARA).

Setting	Value type	Description
variableName	Object name	Variable object
key	Text	Entry
valueColumn	Number	Value column, 1 to 5
value	Text	Value

SkipTaskAction

Skips the task. Precondition only.

Setting	Value type	Description
text	Text	Reason

Status Values

Allowed values for all settings of value type "Status":

Group	Values
ANY_*	ANY_ABEND, ANY_ABEND_EXCEPT_FAULT, ANY_ACTIVE, ANY_BLOCKED, ANY_BLOCKED_OR_STOPPED, ANY_EXCEPT_FAULT, ANY_OK, ANY_OK_OR_UNBLOCKED, ANY_SKIPPED, ANY_STOPPED, ANY_WAITING
ENDED_*	ENDED_CANCEL, ENDED_EMPTY, ENDED_ESCALATED, ENDED_INACTIVE, ENDED_INACTIVE_MANUAL, ENDED_NOT_OK, ENDED_NOT_OK_SYNC, ENDED_OK, ENDED_OK_OR_EMPTY, ENDED_OK_OR_INACTIVE, ENDED_OK_OR_UNBLOCKED, ENDED_SKIPPED, ENDED_SKIPPED_CONDITIONS, ENDED_SKIPPED_SYNC, ENDED_TIMEOUT, ENDED_TRUNCATE, ENDED_UNDEFINED, ENDED_VANISHED
FAULT_*	FAULT_ALREADY_RUNNING, FAULT_NO_HOST, FAULT_OTHER
USER_*	USER_100_200, USER_147, USER_201_299, USER_300, USER_510, USER_690
WAITING_*	WAITING_AGENT, WAITING_AGENT_OR_AGENTGROUP, WAITING_AGENTGROUP, WAITING_EXTERNAL, WAITING_GROUP, WAITING_QUEUE, WAITING_SYNC

Examples

Precondition: Check a File

If the file exists, the task is started. Otherwise, the check is repeated after 10 minutes.

{
  "preconditions": [
    {
      "type": "CheckFileCondition",
      "params": { "agent": "WIN01", "file": "C:\\data\\import.csv", "exists": true },
      "ifTrue": [
        { "type": "RunTaskAction" }
      ],
      "ifFalse": [
        { "type": "ReEvaluateInAction", "params": { "minutes": 10 } }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "postconditions": null
}

Postcondition: Evaluate Return Code and Status

If the return code is 0, an entry is written to a variable object. Otherwise, the task is restarted after 5 minutes if the status is ENDED_NOT_OK, and aborted for any other status.

{
  "preconditions": null,
  "postconditions": [
    {
      "type": "ReturnCodeCondition",
      "params": { "operator": "=", "returnCode": 0 },
      "ifTrue": [
        {
          "type": "SetVariableAction",
          "params": { "variableName": "VARA.STATUS", "key": "LAST_RUN", "valueColumn": 1, "value": "OK" }
        }
      ],
      "ifFalse": [
        {
          "type": "StatusCondition",
          "once": true,
          "params": { "status": "ENDED_NOT_OK" },
          "ifTrue": [
            { "type": "RestartTaskAction", "params": { "minutes": 5 } }
          ],
          "ifFalse": [
            { "type": "AbortAction", "params": { "text": "Unexpected status" } }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Combined Preconditions and Postconditions

Before the start, the module checks whether the object is already running. After a successful end, a follow-up object is started with parameters.

{
  "preconditions": [
    {
      "type": "CheckActivitiesCondition",
      "params": { "name": "JOBS.WIN.IMPORT", "operator": ">", "count": 0, "status": "ANY_ACTIVE" },
      "ifTrue": [
        { "type": "ReEvaluateInAction", "params": { "minutes": 5 } }
      ],
      "ifFalse": [
        { "type": "RunTaskAction" }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "postconditions": [
    {
      "type": "StatusCondition",
      "params": { "status": "ENDED_OK" },
      "ifTrue": [
        {
          "type": "ExecuteObjectAction",
          "params": {
            "name": "JOBS.WIN.REPORT",
            "wait": false,
            "parameter": { "&DATE#": "&$DATE_YYYYMMDD#" }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}