viewData

Task Purpose

The viewData task presents the user with a form that contains job data, which provides the user with a decision path regarding the next (preplanned) step.

Properties

Input and output parameters are listed below.

How to Configure

In this configuration example, the addition of a getTime task will help illustrate how the viewData task is utilized. For more information on the getTime task, refer to the related Task Reference guide in the documentation.

Figure 1: Job Canvas

For the ViewData task:

• The input for Summary is set to "The Current Time". Setting this field is an optional step, but used here to illustrate how this example aligns with the complete automation that is shown above.
• The header Reference variable is set to (without quotes) "The Current Time is...".
• The message Reference variable is set to (without quotes) "When this Automation was executed, the time was:".
• The body Reference task is set to reference the getTime task, while the Reference variable is set to "time" (the default output for the getTime task).
• The btn_success Reference variable is set to (without quotes) "I am done."
• The btn_failure Reference variable is set to (without quotes) "Do it again."

Figure 2: Input Header and Message

Figure 3: Input Body and Variables

Figure 4: Input Success and Failure Labels

Once the automation run is complete, a Work Task link (Start Auto-Work) displays on the ViewData task of the active Job in Jobs (Operations Manager). Clicking the link opens the task form that was prepared earlier.

Figure 5: Operations Manager

With the design of this automation, if the user selects the I AM DONE button, the job will end. In contrast, if the user selects the DO IT AGAIN button, the revert transition will return the job to the getTime task and obtain a new current timestamp. The user will then have the option to run the Work Task again, and once more be presented with the ViewData form. This loop continues until the user selects the I AM DONE or the CANCEL option in the task.

If the user selects the CANCEL option on the ViewData form, the modal window will close, but the Job will continue running until it is worked by a user, or cancelled entirely.

Figure 6: Task Auto-Work

Example

The ViewData variable field allows you to provide JSON properties (strings) that can be used in the body of the viewData task. To do this, you have to use IAP-specific syntax in the body "<! !>" (without the quotation marks).

In reference to the configuration example above (Figure 3), instead of rendering the JSON values in the body property, you can use the getTime response as the input variables. In this example, we updated the viewData task body to something such as The current time is <!time!> to extract the string property, and we updated the input variables to be the getTime task.

Figure 7: Using GetTime as the Input Variables

Once the automation run is complete, a Work Task link (Start Auto-Work) displays on the ViewData task of the active Job in Jobs (Operations Manager). Clicking the link will open the task form that was prepared earlier.

Figure 8: Operations Manager

Potential Use Case

Let's say you want to construct an automation for an educational testing service that evaluates the progress of online users. You have constructed an automation that asks the user "true or false" questions using the viewData task. Depending on the answer, the automation will either send an email to the test proctor that the user is performing poorly, or will add a point to a database record that indicates the user is performing successfully.

References

For related information on the viewData task, see the ViewData API reference.