Create and Test a Sample Runbook

Article
05/10/2023

Important

This version of Orchestrator has reached the end of support. We recommend you to upgrade to Orchestrator 2022.

The following article describes how to create and test a sample runbook. The purpose of this runbook is to detect when a text file is added to a particular folder, copy that file to another folder, read the contents of the file, append a line from the copied file to another file, and then delete the original file.

The runbook starts with a Monitor File activity to wait for the text file to be created. It then uses the Copy File, Read Line, Append Line, and Delete File activities to perform the other functions. A Junction activity is used to coordinate the activities so that the Copy File and Append Line activities are both completed before the source file is deleted.

Create the runbook

Use the following procedures to create the runbook by using the required activities.

Select Start, point to All Programs, select Microsoft System Center 2016, select Orchestrator, and then select Runbook Designer.
In the Connections pane, right-click Runbooks to select New, and then select Runbook.

A New Runbook tab appears at the top of the Runbook Designer Design workspace with the name New Runbook.
Right-click the New Runbook tab to select Rename.

In the Confirm Check out dialog, select Yes.
Enter Append and Copy Workflow in the Input box, and then press Enter.

You've created a new runbook and are ready to begin adding and configuring activities.

Add and configure a Monitor File activity

Follow these steps to add and configure a Monitor File activity:

With the newly created Append and Copy Workflow runbook open, in the Activities pane, expand the File Management category.
Select and drag the Monitor File activity to the Runbook Designer Design workspace.
Double-click the Monitor File activity to open its Properties dialog.
In the In folder box, enter C:\Drop.
In the Filters section, select the Add button.
In the Filter Settings dialog, in the Name list, select File Name.
In the Relation list, select Matches Pattern.
In the Value box, enter *.txt.
Select OK.
Select the Triggers tab.
In the Trigger if one of the files was section, select the Created check box, and then select Finish.

The Monitor File activity is created and configured to watch for any new text files that are created in the C:\Drop folder.

Add additional activities to the runbook

Follow these steps to add additional activities to the runbook:

In the Activities pane, expand the File Management category.
Select and drag the Copy File activity to the Runbook Designer Design workspace.
Expand the Text File Management category.
Select and drag the Read Line activity to the Runbook Designer Design workspace.
To create a link between the Monitor File activity and the Copy File activity, select and drag the right arrow of the Monitor File activity to the Copy File activity.
To create a link between the Monitor File activity and the Read Line activity, select and drag the right arrow of the Monitor File activity to the Read Line activity.

By adding both the Read Line activity and the Copy File activity, you've created a workflow.

Configure the Copy File activity

Follow these steps to configure the Copy File activity:

In the Append and Copy Workflow runbook, right-click the Copy File activity to select Properties.
On the Details tab, right-click the File box to select Subscribe, and then select Published Data to open the Published Data dialog.

The Monitor File activity is listed at the top of the Published Data dialog because this is the activity just before the selected activity.
In the Name column, select Name and path of the file, and then select OK. This populates the File property of the Copy File activity with the name of and path to the file from the Monitor File activity.
In the destination Folder box, enter C:\Copy.
Select Finish.

The Copy File activity is now configured to copy files from the source folder to the destination folder.

Configure the Read Line activity

Follow these steps to configure the Read Line activity:

In the Append and Copy Workflow runbook, right-click the Read Line activity to select Properties.
On the Details tab, right-click the File box to select Subscribe, and then select Published Data to open the Published Data dialog.
In the Activities list, select Monitor File.
In the Name column, select Name and path of the file, and then select OK.
Select the ellipsis button (...) to the right of the File encoding box, and then select auto.
In the Line numbers box, enter 1-END, and then select OK.
Select Finish.

The Read Line activity is now configured.

Add an Append Line activity

Follow these steps to add an Append Line activity:

In the Activities pane, expand the Text File Management category.
Select and drag the Append Line activity to the Runbook Designer Design workspace to the right of the Read Line activity.
To create a link from the Read Line activity to the Append Line activity, select and drag the right arrow of the Read Line activity to the Append Line activity.
Right-click the Append Line activity to select Properties.
On the Details tab in the File box, enter C:\Copy\Masterlog.txt.
Select the ellipsis button (...) to the right of the File encoding box, and then select auto.
Right-click the Text box to select Subscribe, and then select Published Data to open the Published Data dialog.
In the Name column for the Read Line activity, select Line text, and then select OK.
Select Finish.

The Append File activity is now configured to append files to the Masterlog.txt file.

Synchronize branches of a runbook

Follow these steps to synchronize the branches of a runbook:

In the Activities pane, expand the Runbook Control category.
Select and drag the Junction icon to the Runbook Designer Design workspace.
To create a link from the Append Line activity to the Junction activity, select and drag the right arrow of the Append Line activity to the Junction activity.
To create a link from the Copy File activity to the Junction activity, select and drag the right arrow of the Copy File activity to the Junction activity.
Right-click the Junction activity to select Properties.
Select the ellipsis button (...) next to the Return data from box, and then select Copy File. Select OK. This action configures the activity to return the same Published Data as the Copy File activity.
Select Finish.

The Junction activity is configured to coordinate the workflow so that no further activities run until both the Copy File activity and Append Line activity finish.

Add and configure the Delete File activity

Follow these steps to add and configure the Delete File activity

In the Activities pane, expand the File Management category.
Select and drag the Delete File icon to the Runbook Designer Design workspace.
To create a link from the Junction activity to the Delete File activity, select and drag the right arrow of the Junction activity to the Delete File activity.
Right-click the Delete File activity to select Properties.
Right-click the Path box to select Subscribe, and then select Published Data to open the Published Data dialog.

In the Activity list, select Copy File.
In the Name column, select Name and path of the original file, and then select OK.
Select Finish.

The Append and Copy Workflow runbook is now completed. It should look similar to the following illustration.

Screenshot of sample Runbook 1.

Test the runbook

You can test the runbook by using the Runbook Tester. This tool lets you run the entire runbook and inspect the completion status and output of each activity. The Runbook Tester runs the activities, so you must first create the folders specified for the runbook.

Follow these steps to test the runbook:

Create a folder on the runbook server called C:\Drop.
Create a folder on the runbook server called C:\Copy.
With the Append and Copy Workflow runbook selected in the Runbook Designer, on the toolbar, select Runbook Tester.
Select Run To Breakpoint. The Monitor File activity is loaded and waits for a text file to be created in the C:\Drop folder.
Open Notepad and enter a few lines of text. Save the file as C:\Drop\File1.txt.
Wait a few moments for the other activities to run. Ensure that each of the activities is completed successfully.
To view the Published Data and other details of an activity, select Show Details for the activity.
Open the C:\Drop folder and ensure that the file has been removed.
Open the C:\Copy folder and ensure that the file has been copied. Also verify that the MasterLog.txt file has the contents of the original file.

Next steps

See the Example Runbook: Monitor a folder with a runbook.