Navigating Studio

Studio (formerly Automation Studio) provides an all-in-one user interface to quickly design and build workflows for network operations and configurations. The application also allows you to view workflow visualizations and modify automations, forms, and various templates.

To access the application, select Studio in the left navbar from the Itential Platform homepage and the main page for Studio will display.

Figure 1: Itential Platform Homepage

From Studio you can access the Projects design space, and from the Quick Start card you can search for an existing workflow, as well as create a new workflow and import a workflow. On the left there are toolbar and menu controls to view a collection list of workflows, forms, templates, and transformations.

Figure 2: Studio

Applications

Studio is part of Itential Platform's orchestration capabilities and provides a cohesive set of applications for building orchestrated workflows and associated assets. It includes several specific applications such as:

• Workflows (app-workflow_builder): Used to design and manage automated workflows within the Platform.

• Projects: Serves as a structured design space where users can organize assets and collaborate on automation use cases. It also integrates with version control systems like GitLab or GitHub for asset management.

• JSON Forms (app-json_forms): Used to manually construct forms for collecting the data inputs that are necessary for initiating and executing workflows.

• Templates (app-template_builder): Templates are used to automate repetitive configuration tasks to ensure that devices are configured in a consistent manner, which is crucial for maintaining a predictable and reliable network. There are two types: Command Templates and Analytic Templates.

  • Command Templates: A command template is a type of template used to automate tasks within a system using a predefined set of CLI (Command Line Interface) commands. Command Templates are often used in automations to streamline processes by allowing users to execute complex sequences of commands with minimal input. Command Templates can include variables that allow for customization of specific settings for individual devices or groups of devices.

  • Analytic Templates: An analytic template is a type of template used to analyze network infrastructure, performance, and security. It is part of a broader category of network analysis templates that include text parsers and generators, often utilizing templating tools like Jinja2 and TextFSM. Analytic Templates are often used in conjunction with Command Templates and other automation tools to streamline data processing and analysis workflows.

• Transformations (app-jst): Used to handle complex operations specifically for data transformation.

Collection View

The Collection view in Studio displays a list of workflows, forms, templates and transformations deployed across a system. Open any accordion menu in the sidebar to display a corresponding list of items in a collection. To access the Collection card view inside Studio, click the search icon (magnifying glass) in the top toolbar and a new dialog window opens.

Figure 3: Search

Card Modal

The Collection dialog displays all of the items in a collection as cards with timestamp and user information relevant to the collection item displayed within the card.

Figure 4: Collection View

Card Options

When you click the ellipsis icon in the lower-right corner of a card, a new dialog opens that allows you to edit metadata, run an imported item, copy (clone) a selected item, remove (delete) an item, or select an item to export.