Overview of actions
Types of actions
Depending on where the actions are run, actions are categorized into the following types:
Action type | Description |
|---|---|
Provider action | Provider actions are run in BMC Helix ITSM and in the Mid Tier server. The event is triggered in BMC Helix ITSM, and the processing is done at the backend. BMC Helix ITSM sends the events to the Mid Tier server for the necessary processing in the Mid Tier workflow. For information about configuring provider actions, see Configuring-provider-actions. |
Client-side URL/URI action | Client-side URL/URI actions are run in the client's browser window. At run time, the value in the accelerator is taken from the ticket (for example, [desc] for the Incident description) and displayed in the URL. For more information about configuring client-side URL/URI actions, see Configuring client-side URL actions. |
Asset action | Asset actions are specific only to the Asset view and are run in BMC Helix ITSM. Asset actions are useful when users perform a specific task repeatedly against assets, which results in updates to several data attributes and asset relationships. Based on the user inputs selected when configuring asset actions, the selected type and subtypes of assets are updated or a relation is created between an asset and another asset or person. For information about asset actions, see Configuring asset actions. |
When you configure a Client-side URL/URI action for the Asset view, out-of-the-box and generic customized fields are displayed in the accelerator list. The type-specific customized fields are not displayed in the accelerator list because the Client-side URL/URI action is a generic action, and not specific to any asset type or asset class.
If the URL consists of %20, then for security reasons, the system replaces it with +. For example,
http://<Mid tier server name>:<port number>/arsys/forms/<ITSM server name>/SHR%3ALandingConsole/Default%20Administrator%20View
is encoded and placed as:
http://<Mid tier server name>:<port number>/arsys/forms/<ITSM server name>/SHR:LandingConsole/Default+Administrator+View
URLs with + as first character in the form name are not supported in Mid Tier, and therefore, they are not loaded. However, forms that have + within the URL, are properly loaded. When adding URLs, you must validate the URL to avoid security flaws. It is recommended that you follow OWASP Enterprise Security API (ESAPI) standards to validate URLs.
Supported platforms and classic Smart IT views
Classic Smart IT is supported on the Universal Client (UC), and Google Android and Apple iOS mobile platforms. The following table compares the options available for the UC and mobile platforms.
Classic Smart IT options | UC | Mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|
Google Android | Apple iOS | ||
Create, edit or delete actions | ✅️ | ❌️ | ❌️ |
Run actions | ✅️ | ✅️ | ✅️ |
Common options when configuring actions
When configuring actions, there are common options that you must specify as shown in the following graphic:
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Alphabetical order/custom order | By default, actions are displayed in alphabetical order in the More list. You can change the order by using the Custom Order option. |
Action type | Depending on the action you want to configure, select an action type. Client-side URL is selected by default. |
Supported platforms | You can run actions on both the desktop and mobile platforms. |
URL/URI | If you select Client-side URL, enter a URL/URl and select the relevant accelerators. If you select Provider Action, enter an Action ID. |
Open behavior | You can configure BMC Helix ITSM to open the action in a new browser window or the same browser window. The New Browser Window option is selected by default. |
Default label | You must provide a default label for the action. The label that you specify is displayed on the More list for the action you configured. |
Localization label | When you configure actions, you can localize the Action labels in the languages supported by BMC Helix ITSM. If the locale language configured in the service desk agent's OS or browser does not match with the localized label, the action is displayed in the default language. For example, you configure an action and specify the label text with English as the default label and French as the localized label. If the locale language configured in the service desk agent's OS or browser is French, the action label is displayed in French. If the locale language configured in the service desk agent's OS or browser is not French, then the action label is displayed in the default English language. |
Apply to asset types | Select the asset type and subtype from the Apply to Asset Types list. |
Edit or delete an action | At any time, you can edit or delete actions from the UC platform.
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To configure client-side URL actions
Watch this short video about configuring Client-side URL actions for easy access from the classic Smart IT interface:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=D9Jn9IbPOXo