Automic Workload Automation

  • 1.  MODIFY_UC_OBJECT and its “attributes”

    Posted Apr 15, 2016 08:36 AM
    I learned some new things about the Automation Engine today.  :)

    Does anyone use the Express option in the Attribute dialog? I wanted to understand this option a bit more, so I did some experimentation with it.

    dqpmj5bxuiu2.png

    Although Express is not specifically mentioned in the documentation page for the Attribute dialog, the attribute dialog include for UNIX (ATTRDIA.UNIX in client 0) contains the following statements:
    :if &uc_setexpress = 'Y'
    :   set &uc_runnr = sys_act_me_nr()
    :   set &uc_ret# = modify_uc_object(JOBS,&uc_runnr,SET_EXPRESS,)
    :endif
    The documentation page for MODIFY_UC_OBJECT contains the following description of SET_EXPRESS:
    Starts a task that is in the status "Waiting for resource" immediately (JOBS, JOBF and JOBD).
    Allowed values: "ON" and "OFF"
    So that explains what it does. It is equivalent to the Ignore agent resources function that can be initiated via the Activities window.

    Although SET_EXPRESS is referred to here as an “attribute”, it is not documented in the list of attributes for all job types, and it cannot be read using GET_ATT. This terminology initially confused me.

    It took a few moments before I understood that the “attributes” that can be changed using MODIFY_UC_OBJECT are completely different from the attributes that can be read or changed using GET_ATT/:PUT_ATT. They are more like actions than attributes, because they directly correspond to the actions one sees in the Modify task sub-menu of the contextual pop-up menu that appears when one right-clicks on the task in the Activities window of the GUI.

    Keep in mind that MODIFY_UC_OBJECT is similar to, but different from, MODIFY_TASK. And note too that despite its name, MODIFY_UC_OBJECT does not modify objects; it only changes the behavior of an active task.


  • 2.  MODIFY_UC_OBJECT and its “attributes”

    Posted Apr 15, 2016 11:32 AM
    Michael:

    Thank you for taking the time to enter this information into the forum.

    I have not had to consider, use or modify the Express attribute.  I still don't think I will have a use for it, but at least now I won't have to muck around to figure it out if I ever do.

    I think that the AE documentation is one of the better ones of the products that I use and it is constantly improving.  Given that, I assume, it is translated from its original German it is really quite readable.  It does have occasional tortured sentences that take a couple of readings to comprehend but usually I have been able to puzzle out their actual meaning.
     
    Thanks again.

    Mark


  • 3.  MODIFY_UC_OBJECT and its “attributes”

    Posted Feb 18, 2017 01:05 PM
    Michael_Lowry Thank you so much for posting this! We've been having trouble with a small cleanup job causing all kinds of trouble with "waiting for resources" status. I searched the docs and would never have figured out how to do what I needed. Glad I thought to search the forum -- you've saved my team many headaches. :smile: