Action parameter query and the use of parameter for inserting number into a file

Content Authoring
1

I am creating a action using appendfile with actions to collect different content. I would like to use the action parameter query so a operator is required to insert a change management ticket number which is written into the file using a defined parameter for the value of the change management number so that this is dynamically created so another process can read this line where the parameter: “change management ticket” = number. . so far I have written

action parameter query “Change Management Ticket” with description “Please enter the Change Management Ticket Number you would like to add::” With Default “”

so the file would show something like this

parameter: “change management ticket” = number.

which would then add
appendfile CM:: {change management ticket number }

2

appendfile {parameter “change management ticket” of action}

…but I haven’t checked whether a parameter name can contain spaces.

3

Jason thanks as made change to Change Management Ticket to CM and tested. worked great. Is there a way to force formatting such as length and or number of characters for the ticket number and blocks you from running action if you put nothing?

4

Regarding the format above how could I take a new action and an update existing file on endpoint with the new ticket number

5

If you know how to find the start and end position of the ticket number or some other token in your file you could use createfile and then use preceding text of first <substring> and following text of first <substring> and concatenate in your new ticket number.

Q: preceding text of first "." of " log . text" & "123" & following text of first "." of "log . text"
A:  log 123 text
6

gearoid,

Thanks for the response so that I understand I have added the file name and the location of the number I want to change. Can you modify you relevance to reflect below?

File name is “deltafile.yesterday.txt”
lines in the file. The CM:5555 is the change management record number i want to change. So CM: 5555 where i would want the new number to go. CM is the key field
CM: 5555
TimeStamp: 20160202 14:49:04
UID: ITEMSERVER
OS: Windows
Baseline: NEW
Title: CIP-010-R1-1 Windows Baseline.ITEMSERVER.02022016
Standard: CIP-010
Requirement: R1.1
Test Group:AD
Destination: EMS
CIP-010-R1-1.1.1 Operating System: Win2008 - 6.0.6002

7

Gearoid,

What I would like to do is take a action with the action parameter query below

action parameter query “Change Management Ticket” with description
"Please enter the Change Management Ticket Number you would like to
add::" With Default “”

and replace the existing CM: 5555 with the new number similar to below’s example when it was a new file

appendfile {parameter “change management ticket” of action}

8

createfile until EOF
CM:{parameter “CMnumber” of action}
{concatenation “%0d%0a” of line whose (it does nit start with “CM” of file “c:\cm_file_path.txt”)}
EOF

9

Jason

Thanks for reply

I tried the above and got error message in log file

Command succeeded action parameter query “CM” with description “Please enter the Change Management Record Ticket Number you would like to add:” With default “” (action:3882)

" Command failed (Substitution failed while writing file) createfile until EOF (action:3882)"

Action file lines:

action parameter query “CM” with description “Please enter the Change Management Record Ticket Number you would like to add:” With default “”

createfile until EOF
CM:{parameter “CMnumber” of action}
{concatenation “%0d%0a” of line whose (it does not start with “CM” of file “c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt”)}
EOF

. So the

10

One last item. createfile is 0kb and is blank. I changed CM: 1234 without parameter statement and that will write to createfile but still same error message.

11

I made a bit of headway as I realized that the parameter needed to changed from CMnumber to CM is my action. That does write to the createfile. So the error is writing to the existing file.

12

Right, I’m typing on my phone so I did’t care to recreate a long var name.

You have to remove the file before overwriting it.

13

Does that remove the other content of the file as I am just modifying the first line to the existing file with the new number? Do you mean

delete "c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt"
createfile until EOF
CM:{parameter “CM” of action}
{concatenation “%0d%0a” of line whose (it does not start with “CM” of file “c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt”)}
EOF

14

I am not certain where to remove the file as I know that above does not work.

15

You have to build the complete new file first, before removing the old one. So something like

// start a new __createfile
// Begin the new __createfile with the new  CM parameter
// Conclude the new __createfile with every line from the original file that does *not* start with CM:
createfile until EOF
CM:{parameter "CM" of action}
{concatenation "%0d%0a" of line whose (it does not start with "CM:" of file "c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt")}
EOF

// Now delete the original file 
delete "c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt"
// Replace the original file with the new file
move __createfile "c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt"
16

Jason

I understand , however I am still failing with same error " Command failed (Substitution failed while writing file) createfile until EOF (action:3893)" on line

Failed
{concatenation “%0d%0a” of line whose (it does not start with “CM:” of
file “c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt”)}

EOF

17

Ah, try using the plural “lines”

// start a new __createfile
// Begin the new __createfile with the new  CM parameter
// Conclude the new __createfile with every line from the original file that does *not* start with CM:
createfile until EOF
CM:{parameter "CM" of action}
{concatenation "%0d%0a" of lines whose (it does not start with "CM:" of file "c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt")}
EOF

// Now delete the original file 
delete "c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt"
// Replace the original file with the new file
move __createfile "c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt"

Try it in the Fixlet Debugger, that may point to the particular line that’s giving an error.

18

Here is the response I get while running in action fixlet debugger with the error message in Quotes below in line 4. which highligts createfile until EOF. However I know it creates the file and it inputs the CM number so I think the failure is reading in the existing file into the createfile .

// start a new __createfile
// Begin the new __createfile with the new CM parameter
// Conclude the new __createfile with every line from the original file that does not start with CM:
createfile until EOF == // start a new __createfile
// Begin the new __createfile with the new CM parameter
// Conclude the new __createfile with every line from the original file that does not start with CM:
createfile until EOF “Error Message runtime error substitution failed while writing file Line 4”
CM:{parameter “CM” of action}
{concatenation “%0d%0a” of lines whose (it does not start with “CM:” of file “c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt”)}
EOF

// Now delete the original file
delete “c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt”
// Replace the original file with the new file
move __createfile “c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt”
CM:{parameter “CM” of action}
{concatenation “%0d%0a” of lines whose (it does not start with “CM:” of file “c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt”)}
EOF

// Now delete the original file
delete “c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt”
// Replace the original file with the new file
move __createfile “c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt”

19

I think I closed the parentheses in the wrong place on the “whose” clause:

// start a new __createfile
// Begin the new __createfile with the new CM parameter
// Conclude the new __createfile with every line from the original file that does not start with CM:
createfile until EOF
CM:{parameter "CM" of action}
{concatenation "%0d%0a" of lines whose (it does not start with "CM:") of file "c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt"}
EOF

// Now delete the original file 
delete "c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt"
// Replace the original file with the new file
move __createfile "c:\deltafile.yesterday.txt"
20

Jason , I am making progress and will let you know. You are on the right track for sure.