Configuring Text User Inputs
Theme: Configure
Who Is It For? System Administrator, Automation Engineer
What Is It?
When configured, the Text User Input displays to users as a text box with validation rules when they run the Service Request.
To configure the user input, complete the following steps:
- Select the specific User Input in the User Inputs list on the Service Request definition page, or select the blue Edit button next to the desired user input
- The Configure User Input page displays
- Enter the User Input Caption to display when users run the Service Request. By default, the Variable name is used
- Toggle the Required Variable switch to require the user to input a value for this field
- Select Text in the User Input Type list
- Select OK to confirm, or Cancel to discard changes and return to the Service Request definition page
Specify validation rules using the following options:
- Secret: Marks this field as a password/secret, masking the user's entry. Use this when injecting a password into OpCon Events (e.g., a job instance property)
- Minimum Characters: Specifies a minimum character length restriction
- Maximum Characters: Specifies a maximum character length restriction
- Invalid Characters: Identifies any invalid [restricted] characters
- Regular Expression: Defines the following options:
- Regular Expression Pattern: Builds a regex matcher pattern to validate the user's entry before injection
- Custom Error Message: Defines an error message displayed when a regex validation exception occurs. For example: "Please enter a 10-digit phone number with hyphens (e.g., 281-446-5000)."
Specify output formatting options for the value injected into the OpCon Event:
- Characters to Strip: Specifies which character(s) to remove from the User Input after validation
- Padding: Specifies the padding direction (left/right), padding length, and padding character
Configuration Options
| Setting | What It Does | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secret | Marks this field as a password/secret, masking the user's entry. | — | — |
| Minimum Characters | Specifies a minimum character length restriction | — | — |
| Maximum Characters | Specifies a maximum character length restriction | — | — |
| Invalid Characters | Identifies any invalid [restricted] characters | — | — |
| Regular Expression | Defines the following options: | — | — |
| Characters to Strip | Specifies which character(s) to remove from the User Input after validation | — | — |
| Padding | Specifies the padding direction (left/right), padding length, and padding character | — | — |
FAQs
Q: What does configuring text user inputs control?
Configuring text user inputs defines the settings that determine how OpCon behaves for this feature. Review the available options and set values appropriate for your environment.
Q: How many steps are required to configure text user inputs?
The configuration procedure involves 6 steps. Complete all steps in order and select Save to apply the changes.
Glossary
OpCon Event: A command sent to OpCon that triggers an automated action, such as adding a job to a schedule, updating a property value, sending a notification, or changing a job or schedule status.
Service Request: A Solution Manager feature that lets operators trigger predefined automation workflows using a simple form. Service Requests encapsulate schedule builds, job submissions, or events without requiring direct access to schedule definitions.
Resource: A numeric variable in OpCon representing a finite pool. Jobs can be configured to require a set number of resource units to run, limiting concurrent executions and preventing resource contention.
Job: The fundamental unit of work in OpCon. A job defines what to run, on which machine, when to start, and what conditions must be met. Job results are tracked and can trigger events and notifications.
OpCon: Continuous' workflow automation platform. The OpCon server includes the database, SAM and Supporting Services (SAM-SS), and graphical user interfaces. agents installed on target platforms run jobs and report results.