Skip to main content
Version: 7.8

Version Control

Introduction​

The following document describes the Version Control feature part of Resolve Actions Pro. Maintaining and managing versions in Actions Pro is applied to Action tasks and Runbooks. It provides visual indication to track the progress of the development work and history of the applied changes to the Runbook or Action task. Using the Automation Designer and the Action Task Builder development tools now gives the ability to view, rollback, purge, compare and update any existing version of that Runbook or Action Task. Searching for a specific version is made quick and easy using the Content Browser version history list.

Terminology​

The following terminology is used within the document:

  • Runbook – (Actions Pro - specific term) - an orchestrated set of tasks composed to achieve a unit of work(fully), the runbook is implemented using Automation Model
  • Automation - (Actions Pro - specific term) - Actions Pro is a collaborative process automation platform which core concept is the Runbook. A Runbook is Actions Pro automation, so they seem to be used very often interchangeably. It includes guided procedures and interactive automations that enable IT operations staff, system administrators, developers or process experts to streamline incident/repair, configuration, and provision processes.
  • ActionTask - (Actions Pro - specific term) - components that are performing various steps pr parts of the overall work, they are executable components such as program or script. An Actions Pro Automation unit that encapsulates a defined set of commands used on a local system or RSremote
  • Draft Version – (Actions Pro - specific term) - a current state of a Runbook (automation) or an Action task. Used to preserve the work in progress on а regular basis and allow the developers to go back to it and continue from whichever saved draft version is preferred.
  • Committed Version   – (Actions Pro - specific term) - a current state of a Runbook (automation) or an Action task. Used to save the final development work which is already tested and verified safe. Purpose of having differentiation between committed and draft versions is to add the ability to indicate a version as stable and to be able to share the latest commit to the rest of the Actions Pro nodes, if Git synchronization feature is enabled.

Reference to Other Documentation​

For detailed information about how to create runbooks, see Automation Designer Overview and ActionTask Development.

For detailed information about how to use Git to keep Action task and Runbook versions synchronized across Actions Pro nodes which do not share the same data base, see Git Synchronization.

Getting Started​

Overview​

You can use Version Control to:

  • Facilitate concurrent development by reducing the risk for developers mixing over each other's work.
  • Encourage sharing of content between teams in order to speed up the development.
  • Ensure that a package's integrity is unchanged from environment to environment.
  • Reduce the deployment risk to override existing automations, so you can easily restore and maintain dependencies.
  • Select a version to run, or rollback to a previous version to run, to reduce the risk.
  • Select two versions and compare them in order to make an informed decision on which to be committed or reused in other environments.
  • Easily create new version, manage existing versions, and permanently delete versions that are no longer relevant or used.

Without Version Control, you can face obstacles when developing and deploying automations.  Even for a small development team, the risk of overriding each other's change is significant. To avoid that each developer clones all dependencies, which leads to creation of duplicate and divergent content that is hard to maintain. In addition, due to the environmental differences, automation may not work, once deployed to the production environment, even if they work in the dev/QA environment.

Without Version Control, the deployment to production environment is risky, since it is difficult to roll back to a previous version. This challenge is increased in the companies in which the development and the deployment are handled by separate teams. All these challenges slow down the automation development and deployment.

How to Use the Version Control Feature - How To Find Your Automation​

Prerequisite​

You have created your own automation (runbook) using the Automation Designer tool, meaning that you have created either a Page, an Automation or a Decision tree. Each newly saved runbook is automatically assigned draft version #1.

You have created your own action task using the ActionTask Builder tool. Each newly saved Action task is automatically assigned draft version #1. 

Procedure​

In order to find your existing automation, follow the procedure below:

  1. Go to the Actions Pro Search field and type your automation name, for example Test.
  2. Once you find it, double-click on the automation. It opens in its Main Model in the Automation Designer tool.
  3. You can review your automation Params, Main Model, Abort Model (if any).
  4. You can also review your automation (runbook) elements:
    • Page
    • Automation
    • Decision Tree

How to Edit Your Automation​

Prerequisite​

You have created your own automation (runbook) using the Automation Designer tool, meaning that you have created either a Page, an Automation or a Decision tree.

Procedure​

In order to edit your existing automation, follow the procedure below:

  1. Find you automation (runbook) following the procedure above.
  2. Go to File and click Edit.
  3. You can edit the following tabs of your runbook:
    • Parameters
    • Main Model
    • Abort model
  4. You can also edit your automation (runbook) elements:
    • Page
    • Automation
    • Decision Tree

For more information, see the Automation Development Introduction.

How to Save Your Runbook​

There are three options to save your runbook:

  • Option 1 - Save button in edit mode of Automation Designer tool- Save creates a new draft version by increasing the number incrementally, without overriding the content of the currently loaded version. Each version remains unchanged after new Save action.
  • Option 2 - Save option in File drop-down menu in edit mode of Automation Designer tool - Save creates a new draft version by increasing the number incrementally, without overriding the content of the currently loaded version. Each version remains unchanged after new Save action.
  • Option 3 - Use short cut key Ctrl + S.
  • Option 4 - Button Save As – Creates a runbook copy out of the automation version you have opened. The copied runbook starts with draft version #1. The Save As option allows you to move the runbook object by providing a new namespace, rename it by changing the name or both.

Procedure – Options 1,  2 and 3​

In order to simply save your existing runbook, follow the procedure below:

  1. Find you automation (runbook) following the procedure above.
  2. Enter edit mode of Automation Designer tool.
  3. Do some edits of your runbook.
  4. Go to File drop-down menu and click Save or find the Save button in upper right corner of the development tool. Or press Ctrl+S.
    It is good practice to keep track of the applied changes in the Runbook, especially in case multiple developers are working concurrently on the same content. To keep a well organized list of changes it is highly recommended to leave comments for each draft version that is saved. Commenting prior each "Save" operation happens in a "Save Document" dialog pop-up. Enabling the dialog is managed by the Admin through System Properties page >  system property disable.save.comment.  By default the property value is set to "true", which means the pop-up is disabled for everyone on this Actions Pro instance. To enabled it, set the system property value to "false".
    The property does not affect the "Commit Document" dialog pop-up (see "How to Commit Your Runbook" section below), which means commenting the changes prior committing a new Runbook version is mandatory.
  5. (Optional) Provide comment in the Save Document dialog prompt. The comment input field allows maximum 2000 characters of free text.
  6. Click Save button in the dialog.

Your runbook is saved, and the version number is increased with one number higher.

note

The changes applied to each runbook version, do not affect the rest of the saved runbook versions. If a comment text is provided it is saved and later presented in te Version List details dialog for this specific version.

If the comment is omitted or the "Save Document" dialog is disabled by default the version is saved with default comment "Saved Draft".

Procedure – Option 4​

In order to use the Save As option for your existing runbook, follow the procedure below:

  1. Find you automation (runbook) following the procedure above.
  2. Enter edit mode of Automation Designer tool. Do some edits of your runbook.
  3. Go to File drop-down menu and click Save As.
  4. The system provides you options to enter:
    • Namespace for your runbook. You can use the same namespace as long as the runbook name is changed and vice-versa. You can create a copy of a runbook version in the same namespace, then the system saves it as a new runbook, version #1.
    • Name for your runbook. The system forces you to provide a new name for your runbook, then the system saves it as a new runbook, version #1.
    • Overwrite option. You can use this option if you want to save a copy of your runbook version as a separate runbook, and if there is an existing runbook with that name and namespace already, it overwrites it with draft version #1.

Example:

  • test.RunbookA
  • test.RunbookB

If you try to save a copy of RunbookB version 6# and you want to save it with name RunbookB which already exists. You can select the Overwrite option which overwrites the already existing test.RunbookB and all its versions.

How to Commit Your Runbook​

It is accepted that you commit a version of the runbook which is no error prone and it is stable. You can verify the models of your Runbook by entering edit mode of the Automation Designer tool and following the instructions on using the "Invalid model" button provided in "Automation Designer Work Area" section of "Runbook Automation Designer" guidelines. In order to commit your existing runbook, follow the procedure below:

  1. Find you automation (runbook) following the procedure above.
  2. Enter edit mode of Automation Designer tool. 
  3. (Optional) Do some edits to your runbook.
    note

    It is not mandatory to do changes in the runbook in order to commit. As long as the latest version is not a committed one, the developer can select Commit and create a new stable version. The only time the Commit drop-down option is disabled is if the loaded model is a committed version. In such case applying a change to the runbook is required in order to enable the Commit option. Committing a change without it first being executed and tested for errors is not recommended, especially if Git synchronization feature is enabled as the committed change will be distributed across all configured nodes.

  4. Go to File and click Commit.
  5. Enter the comments you want for the commit action and click Commit. Providing comment is mandatory when committing a change. The Commit button in the dialog remains inactive and grayed out until comment is provided. The comment input field allows maximum 2000 characters of free text.
  6. Review the Version List of your edited runbook that the last version is with flag Committed and the comment is present.

Your runbook is committed, and the version number is increased with one number higher.

How to Edit Your ActionTask​

Prerequisite​

You have created your own action task using the ActionTask Builder tool. Each newly saved Action task is automatically assigned draft version #1. 

Procedure​

In order to edit your existing action task, follow the procedure below:

  1. Find your action task through Content Browser or All ActionTasks library.
  2. Go to File and click Edit.
  3. You can edit the following tabs of your action task:
    • General
    • Reference
    • Parameters
    • Preprocessor
    • Content
    • Assess
    • Assignments
    • Severities & Conditions
    • Summary & Details
    • Mock
    • Tags

For more information, see the ActionTask Development.

How to Save Your Action task​

There are three options to save your runbook:

  • Option 1 - Save button in edit mode of ActionTask Builder tool- Save creates a new draft version by increasing the number incrementally, without overriding the content of the currently loaded version. Each version remains unchanged after new Save action.
  • Option 2 - Save option in File drop-down menu in edit mode of ActionTask Builder tool - Save creates a new draft version by increasing the number incrementally, without overriding the content of the currently loaded version. Each version remains unchanged after new Save action.
  • Option 3 - Use short cut key Ctrl + S.
  • Option 4 - button Save As – Creates an action task copy out of the automation version you have opened. The copied action task starts with draft version #1. The Save As option allows you to move the action task object by providing a new namespace, rename it by changing the name or both.

Procedure – Options 1, 2 and 3​

In order to simply save your existing action task, follow the procedure below:

  1. Find you action task through Content Browser or All ActionTasks library.
  2. Enter edit mode of ActionTask Builder tool.
  3. Do some edits of your action task.
  4. Go to File drop-down menu and click Save or find the Save button in upper right corner of the development tool. It is good practice to keep track of the applied changes in the ActionTask, especially in case multiple developers are working concurrently on the same content. To keep a well organized list of changes it is highly recommended to leave comments for each draft version that is saved. Commenting prior each "Save" operation happens in a "Save ActionTask" dialog pop-up. Enabling the dialog is managed by the Admin through System Properties page >  system property disable.save.comment.  By default the property value is set to "true", which means the pop-up is disabled for everyone on this Actions Pro instance. To enabled it, set the system property value to "false".
    The property does not affect the "Commit ActionTask" dialog pop-up (see "How to Commit Your ActionTask" section below), which means commenting the changes prior committing a new ActionTask version is mandatory.
  5. (Optional) Provide comment in the Save ActionTask dialog prompt. The comment input field allows maximum 2000 characters of free text. 
  6. Click Save button in the dialog.

Your action task is saved, and the version number is increased with one number higher.

note

The changes applied to each action task version, do not affect the rest of the saved action task versions. If a comment text is provided it is saved and later presented in the Version List details dialog for this specific version. 
If the comment is omitted or the "Save Document" dialog is disabled by default the version is saved with default comment "Saved Draft".

Procedure – Option 4​

In order to use the Save As option for your existing action task, follow the procedure below:

  1. Find your action task through Content Browser or All ActionTasks library.
  2. Enter edit mode of ActionTask Builder tool. Do some edits of your action task.
  3. Go to File drop-down menu and click Save As.
  4. The system provides you options to enter:
    • Namespace for your action task. You can use the same namespace as long as the action task name is changed and vice-versa. You can create a copy of an action task version in the same namespace, then the system saves it as a new action task, version #1.
    • Name for your action task. The system forces you to provide a new name for your action task, then the system saves it as a new action task, version #1.
  5. Click on Save As New ActionTask button to save a new action task copy from the currently loaded version in ActionTask Builder tool. The copied version is saved as draft version #1.

How to Commit Your Action Task​

It is accepted that you commit a version of the action task which is no error prone and it is stable. In order to commit your existing action task, follow the procedure below:

  1. Find your action task through Content Browser or All ActionTasks library.
  2. Enter edit mode of ActionTask Builder tool. 
  3. (Optional) Do some edits of your action task.
    note

    It is not mandatory to do changes in the action task in order to commit. As long as the latest version is not a committed one, the developer can select Commit and create a new stable version. The only time the Commit drop-down option is disabled is if the loaded task is a committed version. In such case applying a change to the action task is required in order to enable the Commit option. Committing a change without it first being executed and tested for errors is not recommended, especially if Git synchronization feature is enabled as the committed change will be distributed across all configured nodes.

  4. Go to File and click Commit.
  5. Enter the comments you want for the commit action and click Commit. Providing comment is mandatory when committing a change. The Commit button in the dialog remains inactive and grayed out until comment is provided. The comment input field allows maximum 2000 characters of free text.
  6. Review the Version List of your edited action task that the last version is with flag Committed and the comment is present.

Your action task is committed, and the version number is increased with one number higher.

How to Review the Versions of Your Automation​

Prerequisite​

You have created your own automation (runbook) using the Automation Designer tool. Also, you have made several changes in the runbook elements and have saved or committed the versions.

Procedure​

In order to review your existing automation versions from Automation Designer tool, follow the procedure below:

  1. In edit mode of the Automation Designer Tool, click File drop-down menu, then click View Version List option.
  2. You can review the existing versions of the runbook. Version List table default sort order is from newest to oldest version from top to bottom.
  3. Version List supports pagination which is accessed through First Page, Previous Page, Next Page and Last Page buttons at the bottom of the modal dialog.
  4. You can review the following columns in the Version List window:
    • Document Name – the name of your runbook. The sort order of the column cannot be changed.
    • Version – the version number of your runbook. The sort order of the column can be changed from first to last by version ID and vise-versa.
    • Committed – sets a check-tick if a developer has marked the version as stable. The check indication is not selectable. The sort order of the column can be changed in order to group all versions flagged as committed.
    • Comment – comment left by the developer or by the Actions Pro system. Saved Draft, Committed Version, Rollback from Version #, Imported from module: are Actions Pro system comments used in different use cases described in details further in this guideline. The sort order of the column cannot be changed.
    • Created by - the user who saved that version. The sort order of the column can be changed in order to group all versions created by specific user or by system.
    • Created on - the date and timestamp on which the version was created. The sort order of the column can be changed from oldest to newest per time stamp and vise-versa.

Reviewing Your Automation from Content Browser​

In order to review your existing automation versions from Content Browser, follow the procedure below:

  1. Go to Content Browser page then find the required runbook.
  2. Click View Version List button.
  3. You can review the existing versions of the runbook. Version List table default sort order is from newest to oldest version from top to bottom. All versions are listed in the All tab by default.
  4. Version List supports pagination which is accessed through Previous Page, Next Page buttons at the bottom of the modal dialog.
  5. The same version details in the same column order are presented as described above. 

Content Browser allows further filtering per user for quick and easy access to the versions created by the current user. 

  1. To filter by user click on My Work tab in Version List dialog to list all versions created by the currently logged in user. The versions' sort order is from latest to oldest from top to bottom.
  2. To open a specific version, in Automation Designer tool directly, click on the runbook name or version number in the Version list. The selected version is loaded in a new browser tab.

How to Review the Versions of Your ActionTask​

Prerequisite​

You have created your own action task using the ActionTask Builder tool. Also, you have made several changes in the action task elements and have saved or committed the versions.

Procedure​

In order to review your existing action task versions, follow the procedure below:

  1. In edit mode of the ActionTask Builder Tool, click File drop-down menu, then click View Version List option.
  2. You can review the existing versions of the action task. Version List table default sort order is from newest to oldest version from top to bottom.
  3. Version List supports pagination which is accessed through First Page, Previous Page, Next Page and Last Page buttons at the bottom of the modal dialog.
  4. You can review the following columns in the Version List window:
    • ActionTask Name – the name of your action task. The sort order of the column cannot be changed.
    • Version – the version number of your runbook. The sort order of the column can be changed from first to last by version ID and vise-versa.
    • Committed – sets a check-tick if a developer has marked the version as stable. The check indication is not selectable. The sort order of the column can be changed in order to group all versions flagged as committed.
    • Comment – comment left by the developer or by the Actions Pro system. Saved Draft, Committed Version, **Rollback from Version #, Imported from module: are Actions Pro system comments used in different use cases described in details further in this guideline. The sort order of the column cannot be changed.
    • Created by - the user who saved that version. The sort order of the column can be changed in order to group all versions created by specific user or by system.
    • Created on - the date and timestamp on which the version was created. The sort order of the column can be changed from oldest to newest per time stamp and vise-versa.

Reviewing Your ActionTask from Content Browser​

In order to review your existing action task versions from Content Browser, follow the procedure below:

  1.  Go to Content Browser page then find the required action task.
  2.  Click View Version List button
  3. You can review the existing versions of the action task. Version List table default sort order is from newest to oldest version from top to bottom. All versions are listed in the All tab by default.

Version List supports pagination which is accessed through Previous Page, Next Page buttons at the bottom of the modal dialog.

Content Browser allows further filtering per user for quick and easy access to the versions created by the current user. 

  1. To filter by user click on My Work tab in Version List dialog to list all versions created by the currently logged in user. The versions' sort order is from latest to oldest from top to bottom.
  2. To open a specific version, in ActionTask Builder tool directly, click on the action task name or version number in Version List modal. The selected version is loaded in a new browser tab.

Using the Main Functionalities of the Version List Feature for Runbooks​

The main functionalities of the Version Control feature are the following:

  • View Selected Version – used to load a previous version from the version history list. Using this option does not create new version. Any user can open any version in the list and apply further changes to it.
  • Preview – used to load detailed view of the selected version in a preview mode, which lists the runbook details into tabs (display/source/main model/abort model).
  • Compare – using this feature you can compare existing versions of your runbook. In order to enable that option, you need to multi-select two versions from the Version List. If one or more than two versions are selected the Compare button and functionality is disabled. Comparing versions from different pages of the Version List modal dialog is available.
  • Rollback – using this feature you can rollback to previous versions of your runbook. Rolling back to a specifically selected version always creates a draft version, regardless if the version which is being reverted is marked committed or is draft. If more than one version is selected the Rollback button and functionality is disabled.
  • Purge – using this feature you can perform permanently deletion of the selected version. Purged version cannot be restored. Can be applied for a single or for multiple versions. Versions marked as Committed can be purged only if the user has admin permissions. The currently loaded version cannot be purged.

Using the Main Functionalities of the Version List Feature for Action tasks​

The main functionalities of the Version Control feature are the following:

  • View Selected Version – used to load a previous version from the version history list. Using this option does not create new version. Any user can open any version in the list and apply further changes to it.
  • Compare – using this feature you can compare existing versions of your action task. In order to enable that option, you need to multi-select two versions from the Version List. If one or more than two versions are selected the Compare button and functionality is disabled. Comparing versions from different pages of the Version List modal dialog is available.
  • Rollback – using this feature you can rollback to previous versions of your action task. Rolling back to a specifically selected version always creates a draft version, regardless if the version which is being reverted is marked committed or is draft. If more than one version is selected the Rollback button and functionality is disabled.
  • Purge – using this feature you can perform permanently deletion of the selected version. Purged version cannot be restored. Can be applied for a single or for multiple versions. Versions marked as Committed can be purged only if the user has admin permissions. The currently loaded version cannot be purged.

Viewing a Selected Version of a Runbook or Action Task​

  1. Go to the Version List of your Runbook or Action task (described in How to Review the Versions of Your Automation and How to Review the Versions of Your ActionTask).
  2. Select a desired version from the list, for example runbook Version #3.
  3. Click the View Selected button.
  4. The selected version is loaded in Automation Designer tool and ready to be edited further. Review your runbook version #3.
  5. The selected version is loaded in ActionTask Builder tool and ready to be edited further.
  6. The ID of the loaded version is always presented right next to the runbook full name as a visual reminder.
  7. The ID of the loaded version is always presented right next to the action task full name as a visual reminder.
  8. When older runbook or action task version is loaded in the development tool it cannot be executed. Execution is available only if the loaded version is the latest.

Viewing the Preview Tab of a Runbook​

  1. Go to the Version List of your Runbook (described in How to Review the Versions of Your Automation).
  2. Select a desired version from the list, for example Version #3.
  3. Click the Preview tab. The system displays the following screen tabs:
    • Display – displays the page content of the runbook.
    • Source – displays the source code of the runbook.
    • Main Model – displays the XML graph of the Main Model of the runbook.
    • Abort Model - displays the XML graph of the Abort Model of the runbook.

Comparing Two Selected Versions of a Runbook​

  1. Go to the Version List of your Runbook (described in How to Review the Versions of Your Automation and How to Review the Versions of Your ActionTask).
  2. Select desired runbook versions from the list that you want to compare, using the Control key, for example Version #3 and Version #5.
  3. Click the Compare button. The side by side comparison view marks differences in color. Removed elements or code that is no longer present in the following version is marked in red. Additions to the XML or to the code are marked in green. Differences in the same line of code or XML are marked in darker highlights over the particular change. Missing rows or blocks of code are marked as shaded rows. You can review (compare) the following runbook elements:
    • Content of the runbook - compares the differences between the the two versions of the runbook page
    • Main Models of the runbook - compares the differences between the the two versions of the XML Main model graph
    • Abort Models of the runbook (if any) - compares the differences between the the two versions of the XML Abort model graph
    • Decision Trees of the runbook (if any) - compares the differences between the the two versions of the XML Decision tree graph
  4. Once you review the necessary data you can click Close in the Compare Versions dialog. The Version List dialog is still presented below allowing further actions.

You can compare runbook versions through Content Browser too:

  1. Go to Content Browser page then find the required runbook.
  2. Click View Version List button.
  3. Click on the checkboxes to select the runbook versions to be compared.
    caution

    You cannot select more than two versions. You need exactly two versions to be able to compare them.

Comparing Two Selected Versions of an Action Task​

  1. Go to the Version List of your Action task (described in How to Review the Versions of Your ActionTask).
  2. Select desired action task versions from the list that you want to compare, using the Control key, for example Version #22 and Version #19.
  3. Click the Compare button. The side by side comparison view marks differences in color. Removed code that is no longer present in the following version is marked in red. Additions to the code are marked in green. Differences in the same line of code are marked in darker highlights over the particular change. Missing rows or blocks of code are marked as shaded rows. You can review (compare) the following action task elements:
    • Content of the action task - this tab is always present in Version List modal and displays side by side differences even if the action task type is later changed to ASSESS.
    • Preprocessor of the action task 
    • Parser of the action task 
    • Assessor of the action task
  4. Once you review the necessary data you can click Close in the Compare Versions dialog. The Version List dialog is still presented below allowing further actions.
  5. Click the Compare button in Version List modal dialog. The side by side comparison view marks differences in color the same way as described above.

You can compare action task versions through Content Browser too:

  1. Go to Content Browser page then find the required action task.
  2. Click View Version List button.
  3. Click on the check boxes to select the action task versions to be compared.
  4. Only two selected versions can be compared at a time. A warning message pops up if more are selected.
  5. Click the Compare button in Version List modal dialog. The side by side comparison view marks differences in color the same way as described above.

Rolling Back to an Older Versions of a Runbook or Action Task​

  1. Go to the Version List of your Runbook or Action task (described in How to Review the Versions of Your Automation and How to Review the Versions of Your ActionTask).
  2. Select desired runbook or action task versions from the list that you want to rollback to, for example runbook Version #2.
  3. Click the Rollback tab. The system displays a confirmation message: Rollback reverts the version you have selected. Do you want to rollback?
  4. Rollback action automatically creates new draft version which becomes the latest. Only the latest version of a runbook or action task can be executed. The Rollback functionality is applied when a previous version has to be reverted in order to become latest and be executed or updated.
  5. You can review the Main Model of version #3 of your runbook, as the system opens it directly or execute the model of version #3 as it is the latest now.
note

Rolled back versions are assigned an automatic comment by the system – Rollback from Version #N where N is the version to which is rolled back.

Purging a Selected Version of a Runbook or Action Task​

In order to prevent from too many versions stored in the system, you are able to permanently delete or limit their count. You can delete draft action task/runbook versions by using the Purge button.

  1. Go to the Version List of your Runbook or Action task (described in How to Review the Versions of Your Automation and How to Review the Versions of Your ActionTask).
  2. Select desired runbook or action task versions from the list that you want to purge, for example action task Version #19.
  3. Click Purge.
  4. Users who do not have admin permissions are allowed to purge only draft versions. The Purge button in Version List modal dialog remains disabled on selecting a committed version/s form the list.
  5. In the Purge dialog window a warning message is presented to remind that purged versions cannot be restored. Click Purge in the dialog to proceed.
    Depending on the versions being purged and Git synchronization functionality status, the warning message varies:
    • purge draft versions purge committed versions and Git synchronization functionality is disabled (for more details how to enable/disable Git content synchronization, see Git Synchronization Documentation)
    • purge committed versions and Git synchronization functionality is enabled (for more details how to enable/disable Git content synchronization, see Git Synchronization Documentation)
  6. Users who have admin permissions are allowed to purge any version except for the one that is currently loaded in the development tool. A reminder warning message is presented.
note

The ability to select Purge button from All Automations, My Automations, All ActionTasks and My ActionTasks pages remain available. Selecting Purge from there permanently deletes the whole runbook or action task with all its versions.

Automatic Deletion of Runbook or Action Task Draft Versions​

In order to prevent from too many runbook and action task draft versions stored in the system, it permanently deletes all draft versions that exceed the maximum count set by the admin, by default 50. The property is applied per runbook and per action task, meaning the default maximum draft versions allowed per runbook and per action task is 50. This functionality is controlled by global.draft.version.count system property in System Properties page. The number can be reduced or increased at any time and takes effect immediately. The system automatically deletes the oldest draft version per time stamp each time a new draft version that exceeds the count is saved.  Setting the global.draft.version.count value to empty or 0 allows keeping an unlimited number of runbook and action task draft versions. global.draft.version.count system property does not delete committed versions even if the count threshold is exceeded. Committed versions remain unharmed and can be purged only manually by a user with admin permissions.

Import/Export with Version Control​

Runbooks and action tasks are part of the export package. The version to be exported is the latest version created so far regardless if it is a draft or a committed version.

Pre-existing runbooks and action tasks in the data base are assigned a version. Runbooks and action tasks coming from an import are automatically assigned committed version #1.

The imported versions are always assigned a system comment : Imported from module: "import module name"., where "import module name" is the name of the imported package.

If there are more than one instance of one and the same runbook or action task to be imported, the versioning takes into account the creation timestamp and imports the latest version.

If the action task or runbook already exists in Actions Pro and the developer imports a newer version of it, the existing content is not overwritten. The new version from the import follows the incremental version logic and adds a new version on top of the latest existing one. 

Export from Package Manager​

  1. Go to Package Manager page.
  2. Click on Package button in upper right corner and then New drop-down button to define a new package.
  3. Select all necessary components that need to be exported in a single package by selecting the check box. The following are supported by version control:
    • Page
    • Decision Tree
    • Automation
    • Action Task
      note

      Having an action task assigned to a runbook is also imported and its version number is also updated with comment Imported from module: "import module name"
      Example: Runbook1 contains action task 1. Adding Runbook 1 incrementally adds action task 1 to the package. It is not needed to add the task as a separate component.

  4. Click on Continue button in Select Components modal dialog.
  5. The mandatory information to be provided are the Name of the package and Description.
  6. Click on Create Package button.
  7. Wait for theImport Export Status in lower right corner to be completed.
  8. Look for the new package in the Package Manager list and select its check box.
  9. Click on Package button in upper right corner and then Download drop-down button to download the package .zip on your machine.

Import from Package Manager​

Use the downloaded .zip from last step above to import it to the target node or environment.

  1. From the target node, navigate to Package Manager page.
  2. Click on Actions button in upper right corner and then Upload drop-down button to upload the .zip
  3. Drag and drop the downloaded .zip.
  4. Wait for the Import Export Status to be completed.
  5. Look for the new package in the Package Manager list and select its check box.
  6. Click on Actions button in upper right corner and then Install drop-down button to import the package .zip on the target node.
  7. A tree list with all components is presented. If any of the components is un-selected from the package it is not imported.
  8. Click on Install button to complete the import.
  9. Search for the imported runbook and action tasks. 
  10. Open and load the runbook or action task. 
  11. Enter edit mode of the Automation Designer tool or ActionTask Builder tool.
  12. Click on File and select View Version List option. 

If that runbook or action task existed previously on this node, the version number is increased by 1. Versions coming from an import action are always committed versions and assigned system comment Imported from module: "import module name".

Alternatively, the Import/Export Module can be used.

Export from Import/Export Module page:​

  1. Go to Import/Export Module page.
  2. Click on New button to define the new package and content to be exported.
  3. The mandatory information to be provided here is the Name of the package.
  4. Click on Add button to view the list of content and select the components.
  5. Each time a component is selected click on the Add button in the modal dialog to include it in the package.
  6. When ready close the Add Components dialog.
  7. Import/Export definition can be further refined per component. you can explicitly set export rules per component. Click on Edit button next to the component.
  8. By default having an action task assigned to a runbook is also imported and its version number is also updated with comment Imported from module: "import module name".
    This and a few more options can be enabled disabled through the Set Component Options dialog.
    note

    Excluding ActionTasks from the runbook disables the export of the nested action task latest version. The action task which is part of the runbook will not be imported which introduces risk to the runbook and its integrity.

  9. When ready with export component selection and setting export options click on Save button in Import/Export Definition page.
  10. Select the package row and click on Export button.
  11. Click on Export button in the Export dialog window to finalize the export operation.
  12. When the export is ready click on Download button in the Export dialog to download the .zip file on your local machine.

Import from Import/Export Module page​

Use the downloaded .zip from last step above to import it to the target node or environment.

  1. From the target node, go to Import/Export Module page.
  2. Click on Upload button.
  3. Drag and drop the downloaded .zip.
  4. Wait for the upload to be completed.
  5. Look for the new package in the package list and select it.
  6. Click on Import button and then Close in the Import dialog window to finalize the operation.
  7. Search for the imported runbook and action tasks. 
  8. Open and load the runbook or action task. 
  9. Enter edit mode of the Automation Designer tool or ActionTask Builder tool.
  10. Click on File and select View Version List option. 
    If that runbook or action task existed previously on this node, the version number is increased by 1.
    Versions coming from an import action are always committed versions and assigned system comment Imported from module: "import module name".

Troubleshooting​

Post Validation​

If there is a problem with the feature functionality, you can check the following log file - rsview.log
Also you can check - global.draft.version.limit.count – this property keeps the maximum version drafts and when it is passed, the systems deletes to oldest version.