You can run workflows to generate actions based on a PowerShell script or a PowerShell cmdlet. You can use the generated actions as building blocks for custom workflows.

Generate an action from a PowerShell script

You can run a workflow to generate an action from a PowerShell script that you provide. You can optionally generate a sample workflow that can run the generated action.

You can customize the script of the action that you generate by using placeholders. For each placeholder, the workflow creates a corresponding action parameter of type string in the generated action. When you run the action, you can provide an actual value as the action parameter to replace the placeholder.

Prerequisites

  • Verify that you are logged in to the Automation Orchestrator Client as an administrator.
  • Verify that you have a connection to a PowerShell host from the Inventory view.

Procedure

  1. In the Automation Orchestrator Client, navigate to Library > Workflows and enter the powershell and generate tags in the workflow search box.
  2. Locate the Generate an action from a PowerShell script workflow and click Run.
  3. On the Script tab, in the Script text box, type or paste the PowerShell script from which to generate the action.
    Note: You can use {#ParamName#} as a placeholder for user input. If the placeholder is of type string, you must use double quotes to pass the value of the placeholder to the action.
    The following script is an example of how to link the generated action parameter to a script parameter. 
    param($name={#ParamName#})
echo $name;
  4. On the Action tab, in the Name text box, enter a name for the action that you want to generate, and select an existing module in which to generate the action.
  5. On the Workflow tab, select whether to generate a workflow.
    Option Description
    Yes Generates a sample workflow that can run the generated action. You must select a folder in which to generate the workflow.
    Note: The name of the generated workflow consists of the predefined string Invoke Script and the name of the generated action.
    No A sample workflow is not generated.
  6. Click Submit to run the workflow.

What to do next

You can integrate the generated action in custom workflows.

Generate an action for a PowerShell Cmdlet

You can run a workflow to generate an action for a PowerShell cmdlet and parameter set that you provide. With this action, you can use PowerShell functionality in Automation Orchestrator. You can optionally generate a sample workflow that runs the generated action.

You can use a large set of data types with the PowerShell script engine. The data types that you can use include primitive types such as Integer, Boolean, Char, any type available from the .NET assembly, or user-defined types. When generating actions based on PowerShell cmdlet definitions, the input and output cmdlet parameters are represented by types that the Automation Orchestrator platform supports. The PowerShell plug-in defines the type mappings. In general, primitive types are mapped to the corresponding Automation Orchestrator types, and complex types are represented by the PowerShellRemotePSObject object.

Prerequisites

  • Verify that you are logged in to the Automation Orchestrator Client as an administrator.
  • Verify that you have a connection to a PowerShell host from the Inventory view.

Procedure

  1. In the Automation Orchestrator Client, navigate to Library > Workflows and enter the powershell and generate tags in the workflow search box.
  2. Locate the Generate an action for a PowerShell cmdlet workflow and click Run.
  3. On the Cmdlet tab, select a PowerShell cmdlet to run when using the action that you generate.
  4. Select a parameter set for the cmdlet.
    The parameter set definition values appear in the Parameter set definition text box.
    Note: You cannot modify the parameter set definition values by editing the string in the Parameter set definition text box. You can review the string for information about the parameters that the parameter set contains.
  5. On the Action tab, in the Name text box, enter a name for the action that you want to generate, and select an existing module in which to generate the action.
  6. On the Workflow tab, select whether to generate a workflow.
    Option Description
    Yes Generates a sample workflow that can run the generated action. You must select a folder in which to generate the workflow.
    Note: The name of the generated workflow consists of the predefined string Execute Cmdlet and the name of the generated action.
    No A sample workflow is not generated.
  7. Click Run.

What to do next

You can integrate the generated action in custom workflows.

Passing Invocation Results Between Actions

The PowerShell plug-in supports passing of results as parameters from one PowerShell script invocation to another. To pass results correctly, both invocations must happen in the same session.