Infowise Smart Action Pro User Guide€¦ · Run stored procedure – runs any stored procedure in any database. You can pass values based on the current list item values. Note that

Infowise Smart Action Pro User Guide

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Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................... 3

Installation...................................................................................................................... 3

Registration .................................................................................................................... 4

Action Settings ............................................................................................................... 4

Action Columns ......................................................................................................... 4

General Settings ......................................................................................................... 4

Advanced Settings ..................................................................................................... 5

Action Settings ........................................................................................................... 6

Conditions .................................................................................................................. 7

Action Types .................................................................................................................. 7

Update List Item ........................................................................................................ 7

Create List Item.......................................................................................................... 8

Delete List Item.......................................................................................................... 8

Copy Item/Document ................................................................................................. 9

Run Workflow ......................................................................................................... 10

Create List ................................................................................................................ 10

Create Site ................................................................................................................ 11

Manage Permissions ................................................................................................ 11

Execute DB Stored Procedure ................................................................................. 12

Call Web Service ..................................................................................................... 13

Run-time Values .......................................................................................................... 13

Value Picker ................................................................................................................. 14

Value Calculations ................................................................................................... 14

Picker Pop-up ........................................................................................................... 15

Functions .................................................................................................................. 15

Action Column ............................................................................................................. 16

Action History .............................................................................................................. 17



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Introduction Smart Action Pro allows you to define and execute custom actions every time a list

item or a document is created, updated or deleted. You can define as many actions as

you want, defining the action setting and conditions for execution. All actions are

created, executed and monitored using just the web browser, no external tools are

required.

The following action types are supported:

1. Update list item – update one or more list items in any list in the current site

collection. Set values to one or more fields using values based on the current

list item.

2. Create list item – create a list item in any list of the current site collection

using values based on the current list item.

3. Delete list item – delete one or more list items in any list of the current site

collection.

4. Copy item/document – copies current item/document to a new location

5. Create list – creates a new list in the current site.

6. Create site – create a new site under the current site.

7. Run workflow – runs any workflow assigned to one or more list items in any

list in the current site collection

8. Manage permissions – for any site, list, folder or list item of the current site

collection do one of the following:

a. Create unique permissions

b. Restore permission inheritance

c. Grant permissions to a specific user/group

d. Revoke user/group’s permissions

9. Run stored procedure – runs any stored procedure in any database. You can

pass values based on the current list item values. Note that the action does not

support return values. If your stored procedure has return values, they will be

ignored.

10. Call web service – perform any web service call using values based on the

current list item. No return values are supported by this action.

Installation You must be a server administrator to install this component.

Log on to the server and copy the installation package to a local directory. Double-

click to initiate the installation wizard. Follow the directions of the wizard to finish

the installation procedure.

The product automatically activates a site collection-scoped feature that performs the

product integration into your SharePoint environment.



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Registration If you have purchased Smart Action Pro, use the Infowise Capability Dashboard

management page accessible through the Central Administration site. Enter the

License Key under corresponding product. If no License Key is entered, the version is

time-limited to 30 days. Both full and time-limited versions contain the same

functionality.

Action Settings Actions are managed from Action Settings page accessible from the List Settings page.

You must have permissions to edit list settings.

Action Columns

Actions must be assigned to one or more action columns. You must create at least one

action column before you can create actions. The action columns provide the user

interface for action display/management to the end users and also store the execution

history of the actions for each list item or document. By create more than one action

column you can use column permissions, for example by using Infowise Smart List

Pro, to turn on/off action execution for the whole column by setting the column to be

read-only or read-write.

Optionally provide column owner e-mail address. Every time one of the actions

results in an error, an e-mail will be sent to this address.

Figure 1 - Action column

Once you create your first action column, you can start creating actions. The

following settings are common to all actions:

General Settings

You must define the general settings for any action you create.

1. Action Type – here you select the type of action you want to create.

2. Name – give a meaningful name to your action. Your users will recognize the

action by that name. Note that you can change the action name at any time

without losing any information.

3. Description – give additional information about the action to your users.



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4. Run on Events – choose when the action is to be executed. You must select at

least one event type, such as New, Edit or Delete.

Figure 2 - General settings

Advanced Settings

Advanced settings give you additional control over the execution mode of the action.

All of the settings are optional.

1. Column Name – name of the action column the action is assigned to. Once

assigned, the action cannot be re-assigned to another column. The first action

column will be preselected by default.

2. Hidden – hidden action are not shown to the end users, but still executed in the

background. The execution result of such actions is only visible to

administrators. By default, all actions are visible.

3. Execution– choose whether or not your users will be able to control the action

execution. You can choose one of the following settings:

a. Always – the action is always executed and cannot be disabled by end

users. This is the default setting.

b. Opt-out – the action is executed by default, but can be disabled by end

users on per case basis.

c. Opt-in – the action is not executed by default, but can be enabled by

end user on per case basis. Opt-in actions are never executed in Delete

events.

d. Show as column – the action is executed when a special Execution

column is clicked in any view or in the Display form. The

corresponding column is generated automatically, with the name

identical to the name of the action. When an action is set to show as

column, it is not shown in the action column and is not executed

automatically.



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Hidden actions are always executed; this setting is disabled when you select

the Hidden checkbox. When the Execution is set to Show as column the action

is only executed when the execution column is clicked.

4. Execute every time – specify whether or not the action is executed each time

the target event occurs. This setting is only relevant for actions running on the

Edit event. If the action execution ended with error, the action will still be

executed again, until the outcome is success or warning. Note that once the

action is executed, it stops appearing in the list of actions to be performed

shown by the action column.

5. Halt on error – when checked, the subsequent actions are not executed if the

current action fails for any reason. Otherwise, the action is skipped and the

next action is executed following the preset order of actions.

6. Impersonation – by default all action run in the security context of the user

who added, updated or deleted the item. Some actions, such as Create List or

Manage Permissions, require a higher permission level than the one most users

possess. By checking the Impersonation checkbox you allow the action to be

run in the security context of an administrator with maximum permissions.

You should exercise caution when using this setting and be certain that this is

what you really want. Each action has a separate Impersonation setting,

allowing impersonation for one action does not automatically affect other

actions.

Figure 3 - Advanced Settings

Action Settings

The settings are specific to each action type. Refer to the specific action section of this

user guide.



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Conditions

Specify optional conditions for executing the action. You can compare item column

values to static values or to values of other columns. Actions that do not pass any one

of the conditions are not run.

Figure 4 - Conditions

Action Types Each action type contains settings specific to that type. These settings are editable on

the Action Settings tab of the management page.

Update List Item

This action updates one or more list items in any list in the current site collection.

1. Site – select a site from the current site collection.

2. List – select a list from the selected site.

3. Values to set – set values for one or more column of the target list, using scalar

values, column values of the current item, functions and simple arithmetic

operations. Click on icon to show a pop-up picker window for value selection.

4. Item – enter at least one filter value for selecting target list items for applying

the action. To select a single item use the ID column.



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Figure 5 - Update list item settings

Create List Item

This action creates a new list item in any list in the current site collection.



3. Values to set – set values for one or more column of the target list, using scalar

values, column values of the current item, functions and simple arithmetic

operations. Click on icon to show a pop-up picker window for value selection.

Figure 6 - Create list item settings

Delete List Item

This action deletes one or more list items in any list in the current site collection.




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Figure 7 - Delete list item settings

Copy Item/Document

This action creates a copy of the current item or document in the current or arbitrary

list.

1. Site – select a site from the current site collection. This is where the new item

is going to be created

2. List – select a list from the selected site. Depending on whether or not the

current list is a document library, you will be able to select only lists or only

document libraries

3. Folder – optionally specify a folder URL (relative to list root). You can use

functions and current item values.

4. Copy Permissions – if the current item contains unique permissions, these

permissions are copied to the copied item

5. Copy Attachments – if current list item contains attachments, they will be

copied to the new item. This setting is disabled for document libraries.

6. Overwrite – overwrite an existing document in the target document library if it

has the same name. This setting is disabled for lists.



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Figure 8 - Copy item/document settings

Run Workflow

This action initiates the specified workflow for one or more list items in any list in the

current site collection.





4. Workflow – name of the workflow to run.

Figure 9 - Run workflow settings

Create List

This action creates a new list in the current site.

1. Site –name or run-time URL for the site where the list is to be created

2. Template - select one of the installed list/library templates.

3. Name – enter an expression evaluated to the list name.

4. Description – enter optional description for the list.



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Figure 10 - Create list settings

Create Site

This action creates a new site under the current site.

1. Site – name or run-time URL value of the parent site for the site to be created

2. Title – enter an expression evaluated to the site title.

3. Description – enter optional description for the site.

4. URL – enter an expression evaluated to the parent-relative URL.

5. Language – select a language for the site.

6. Template Name – select one of the installed site templates.

7. Permissions Levels – select whether or not to inherit permissions from the

current site.

Figure 11 - Create site settings

Manage Permissions

This action manages permissions of site, list, folder or list items.



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1. Apply to – select Site, List, Folder or Item.

2. Site – select site from the current site collection.

3. List – available only when Apply to value is not Site. Select list to apply

permissions to (or to its content).

4. Folder – availably only when Apply to is Folder. Enter relevant path to folder

to apply permissions to.

5. Item - enter at least one filter value for selecting target list items for applying


6. Action Type – select one of the following:

a. Stop permission inheritance – create unique permissions

b. Inherit Permissions – restores permission inheritance

c. Add User – gives specific permissions to the specified user/group. This

action causes creation of unique permissions.

d. Remove User – removes permissions of the specified user/group. This

action causes creation of unique permissions.

7. Copy permissions – when breaking inheritance (either directly or by adding a

new user), copy the existing inherited permissions.

8. User or group name – select user or group to grant/revoke permissions.

9. Permission Level – specify the permission level to grant to user.

NOTE: not all settings are available in all cases. If not relevant, a setting is hidden.

Figure 12 - Manage permissions settings

Execute DB Stored Procedure

This action executes a stored procedure in a database.

1. Provider type – type of database to connect to, select from MS SQL, Oracle,

OLE DB and ODBC.

2. Connection string – specify a connection string in a suitable format.

3. Procedure name – select one of the stored procedure that exist in the database.



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4. Parameter values – set value for the stored procedure parameters.

Figure 13 - Execute DB stored procedure settings

Call Web Service

This action performs a web service call using specified parameters.

1. URL – URL of the web service to call.

2. Operation name – select operation to perform.

3. Parameter values – set values to the parameters of the operation.

Figure 14 - Call web service settings

Run-time Values When you configure actions that require selection of site (and list), you have the

convenience of selecting from a list of existing sites and lists. Selecting a site will

show a list of lists that exist in the site and selecting a list will populate the list of

columns for filtering or setting values.



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But what if the actual site or list does not exist when the action is created or it must be

determined dynamically based on the column value of the list item the action runs

from? This is where the run-time values come to help.

Run-time values for site URL or list name are calculated just prior to action

execution. When creating an action, you specify a template for the value, using text,

functions and column values. You can use the picker we provide to make the process

easier. For instance, http://myserver/[Title] is translated in http://myserver/marketing

if the current item title is Marketing. The same goes for list names.

You must still select an existing site and list to be used as a template for column

selection, but once the run-time values are filled, they are always used instead of the

selected values whenever the action is actually run.

Value Picker Use the value picker for selecting values for conditions and/or parameters. The value

picker looks like a regular text box with an adjacent picker icon:

Figure 15 - Value Picker

Depending on the value type of the column/parameter for which the value is being

entered, the picker will check your input or disallow invalid entry. The picker allows

one of the following data types:

1. Text – any input is allowed.

2. Number – the entered value must be a number or the calculation result must

produce a number

3. Date – the entered value must be a valid date or the calculation result must

produce a date

4. Boolean – the entered value must be a Boolean (yes/no)

Value Calculations

You can enter scalar values, such as “Title” or “1”, column values in the form of

column name surrounded by square brackets (such as “[Title]”), functions (such as

“$Month([Created])”) or arithmetic operators (“+”, “-“,”*” or “/”).

When entering a text value, all the different parts of the value are concatenated into

one string, such as “[Title] 1” may produce “My title 1”.

When entering a number, each part is evaluated as a number and the arithmetic

operations are performed on those numbers. For example, “[Amount]/[Count]” can

produce “6/2”, which results in “3”. Note that only simple calculations are performed;

you should not use any parentheses or advanced mathematical symbols.



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When entering a date, the first part is evaluated as a date. Additionally, you can

include additional parts, evaluating as a number and either “+” or “-“ between them.

When calculating, the specified number of days is subtracted or added to the date. For

example, “[Due Date]-[Warning Period]” may result in “12/12/2011 – 7”, which will

produce “12/5/2011”.

When entering a Boolean, you must either enter “True” or “False” or select a yes/no

column. No arithmetic operations are supported.

Picker Pop-up

You may want to click on the picker icon to bring up a picker pop-up window. The

window presents a selection of available columns and functions for building the value

expression.

Figure 16 - Picker pop-up

Functions

You use functions to either enter values that are not column value or to perform

operations on column values

Year – takes date/time as parameter and produces number from the Year part

of that date, e.g. “$Year([Created])” “$Year(12/12/2010)” “2010”.

Month – takes date/time as parameter and produces number from the Month

part of that date, e.g. “$Month([Created])” “$Month(12/12/2010)” “12”.



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Day – takes date/time as parameter and produces number from the Day part of

that date, e.g. “$Day([Created])” “$Day(12/12/2010)” “12”.

Hour – takes date/time as parameter and produces number from the Hour part

of that date/time, e.g. “$Hour([Created])” “$Hour(12/12/2010 12:00 PM)”

“12”.

Minute – takes date/time as parameter and produces number from the Minute

part of that date/time, e.g. “$Minute([Created])” “$Minute(12/12/2010

12:00 PM)” “0”.

Today – [Today], returns date/time of when the action is performed. You can

also use this function as input for the above functions.

Current User – [Me] or [Current User], returns the display name of the user

performing the action.

Lookup – for any lookup column returns the column value of an additional

column given the selected lookup value for the list item. For example, suppose

your column lookups a list of states and shows the state name abbreviation,

such as IL or NY. Additionally, the Title column in the States list contains the

full name of that state, Illinois or New York. By adding the following function

$Lookup([State]|[Title]) – you can return the full name (from the column

Title) for the value selected in the column State of the current item.

List Title –[List Title], returns the title of the current list

Site Title – [Site Title], returns the title of the current site.

Action Column Visible actions are shown to the end user when creating/editing items. If the execution

mode of the action is not set to Always, users can also enable/disable action execution

for the current item saving event only.

You can have as many action columns in the list as you like. Note that for the actions

to be executed, the action column must in read/write mode during the update of the

list item. Using column permission tools, such as Infowise Smart List Pro, you can

manage the column mode and thus enable or disable the actions assigned to that

column.



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Figure 17 - Action column

Action History Action history shows the execution history of all the actions in a specific column for a

specific list item or document. Click on Action History in any view containing the

action column or within the action column on Edit/Display form of the item to show

the pop-up window listing all the actions performed on the item. The actions are

grouped by name and show when each action was executed, by whom and with what

outcome.



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Figure 18 - Action history

Documents

Infowise Smart Action Pro User Guide€¦ · Run stored procedure – runs any stored procedure in any database. You can pass values based on the current list item values. Note that