Automic Web Interface

The Automic Web Interface has seen many useful new features and enhancements in this release:

Modern Platform

Our developers have invested much effort in upgrading the AWI to a modern, more flexible platform. These are some of the benefits derived from the new platform:

  • Improved visibility through better color contrast

  • Keyboard handling for advanced users

  • Correct scaling of page components when using the browser zoom

  • Better user experience through increased component consistency

  • Responsive toolbars and menus

  • Important security fixes

Straightforward AWI Installation

The Automic Web Interface package that you download from our download center has changed. It contains one bundled Jetty application server and the structure of the folders and files that it contains has slightly changed.

Installing the Automic Web Interface using the bundled Jetty launcher is simple and straightforward. You have two options:

  • Simply enter a single command in the command line

  • Add an entry to the Service Manager and copy a command

You do not have to install and configure a web server anymore, the Jetty bundle does it for you.

If you do not want to take advantage of the Jetty launcher, the Automic Web Interface package still contains the awi.war file for a traditional installation.

For more information, see Installing the Automic Web Interface.

Visual Changes

The Automic Web Interface version 21 introduces a few visual changes:

Menu Bar

The menu bar at the top of your screen has been slightly redesigned to provide a better navigation experience:

  • New icons and better color contrast for visually impaired users

  • In 12.3 you could show/hide the perspective buttons that you had access to. You could also change their order in the bar.

    In version 21 the perspectives that you have access to are always displayed and you cannot move them.

  • The global search field has moved to the left

  • The labels in the Requests and Messages buttons have been replaced by icons

This is what the menu bar looked like in 12.3:

This is what it looks like now:

Left Navigation Panes

Left navigation panes contain the list of views that you can access in each perspective. We have redesigned them to provide a better overview. Rather than in tabs (as in 12.3), the content of these panes is organized in tree views now.

This table compares what the navigation panes looked like in 12.3 with the new version:

Perspective In 12.3 In 21
Home (Dashboards) view Screenshot of the Dashboards view in 12.3 Screenshot of the Dashboards view in 21
Process Assembly Screenshot of the Process Assembly perspective in 12.3 Screenshot of the Process Assembly perspective in 21
Process Monitoring Screenshot of the Process Monitoring perspective in 12.3 Screenshot of the Process Monitoring perspective in 21
Administration perspective Screenshot of the Administration perspective in 12.3 Screenshot of the Administration perspective in 21
My Catalog

Back Button

With the new navigation paradigm introduced with version 12.3, the Automic Web Interface provided two possibilities to go back to the previously visited view. One option was the browser native function, the other one was the built-in AWI back button.

To avoid potential confusion and provide a more intuitive navigation experience, we have removed the built-in AWI back button in version 21.

Back button In version 12.3 In version 21
(Click image to expand it)

Screenshot of AWI version 12.3 where the two back buttons are highlighted

Screenshot of AWI version 12.3 where the only back button (browser native) is highlighted

Default Welcome Dashboard Always Accessible

The Welcome dashboard is the default dashboard when you log into the Automic Web Interface for the first time. It contains two videos on the highlights of Automic Automation version 21 and some useful links.

System administrators can replace this default Welcome dashboard with a different one. However, as of this version you can still access it anytime. It is available as link on the Public Dashboards pane in the Dashboards perspective. For more information, see Welcome Dashboard.

Stored User Settings

Navigating back and forth in the Automic Web Interface is more comfortable as it now stores the following user settings:

List Layout

Whenever you change the layout of your lists, the Automic Web Interface stores the new settings. If you navigate back and forth from the view, log out and back in, or if you share your lists with other users, the list layout is kept as you defined it. The Automic Web Interface stores the table setting in your user settings.

List of Tasks in Schedules

If you change the task sort order, column width or column order, leave this view and come back later, your table is laid out just as you left it. For more information, see Defining Schedule Objects.

List of Tasks in the Process Monitoring Perspective

Hierarchical View/List View

When you open the list of tasks for the first time, the list view is displayed by default. If you change it to hierarchical view, leave the view and come back later, the list is laid out just as you left it. If you share this list with other users, the list opens to the view that you have selected. This configuration is stored in your user settings.

Filter Pane and Filtered List

When you enter search criteria and perform a search, or when you select a predefined filter, your system stores these settings. If you leave this view and come back later, the view is displayed as you left it. The view configuration is stored in your user settings and it is also reflected in the URL. This means that you can share a pre-filtered list of tasks with other users by simply sending them the URL.

Custom Filter Button

If you select one of the options available in the Custom Filters dropdown button, this selection is also stored in your user settings now. If you navigate away from the view and come back later, the list opens to the selected filter. This information is also reflected in the URL.

Since the filter and custom filter configuration is now reflected in the URL, i f you copy the URL and send it to another user, by clicking the link the user will open the list with the layout that you have configured.

For more information, see

Workflow Monitor

The Workflow monitor stores your user preferences now. When you configure the view, leave the monitor and then navigate back later using the browser back button, the Workflow monitor layout is displayed as you configured it.

Selected View

When you open the Workflow monitor for the first time, it is displayed in the graphical view. When you switch the view to either hierarchical or to critical path view, the monitor stores this configuration. If you leave the Workflow monitor and navigate back to it, the view you selected is displayed.

The information about the last view that you have opened is stored and reflected in the URL.

Selected Task

When you select a task in the Workflow, leave the Workflow monitor, and navigate back later using the browser back button, the task is still selected and it is displayed in the center of the monitor. The Workflow monitor URL contains the name of the selected task. If you copy the URL and send it to another user, by clicking the link the user will open the Workflow monitor to that task.

Properties Tab and Scroll Position

When you open one of the tabs in the Properties pane, the Automic Web Interface stores this information. If you close the pane, select a different task in the Workflow or interact with the monitor and then come back to the properties of the first task, the Properties pane opens to the tab that you last visited. The same applies to the scroll position within a tab. If you scroll down to view, enter or select data in any of the sections of a tab, this information is also stored. If you leave the tab and come back later, it opens to that position.

For more information, see Workflow Monitor Overview.

Workflow Editor

The following user preferences are now stored in the Workflow editor:

Selected Task

When you select a task in the Workflow, leave the Workflow editor and navigate back later using the browser back button, the task is still selected and it is displayed in the center of the editor. The Workflow editor URL now contains the name of the selected task. If you copy the URL and send it to another user, by clicking the link, the user will open the Workflow to that task.

Properties Tab and Scroll Position

When you open one of the tabs in the Properties pane, the Automic Web Interface system stores this information. If you close the pane, select a different task in the Workflow or interact with the Workflow in any way, and then come back to the properties of that task, the Properties pane opens to the tab that you last visited.

The same applies to the scroll position within a tab. If you scroll down to enter or select data in any of the sections of a tab, this information is also stored. If you leave the tab and come back later, it opens to that position.

For more information, see Designing Workflows in the Editor.

Schedule Monitor

The following user preferences are now stored in the Schedule editor:

Selected Task

When you select a task in the Schedule monitor, leave the monitor and navigate back later using the browser back button, the task is still selected. The Schedule monitor URL now contains the name of the selected task. If you copy the URL and send it to another user, by clicking the link the user will open the Schedule to that task.

Properties Tab and Scroll Position

When you open one of the tabs in the Properties pane, the Automic Web Interface system stores this information. If you close the pane, select a different task in the Schedule, and then come back to the properties of that task, the Properties pane opens to the tab that you last visited. The same applies to the scroll position within a tab. If you scroll down to enter or select data in any of the sections of a tab, this information is also stored. If you leave the tab and come back later, it opens to that position.

For more information, see Monitoring Schedules.

Drag and Drop to Add Tasks to Schedules

We have also extended the drag and drop functionality. Now you can drag objects from the Explorer list, Global Search dropdown list or Advanced Search view and drop them into the Schedule object.

You have two options:

  • Open one of the lists and the Schedule in two different browser windows and arrange them side by side. Then select an object in the list, drag it and drop it into the list of tasks in the Schedule.

  • Open the list and the Schedule in two different browser tabs within the same browser window. In the object list, drag the object and drop it onto the Schedule browser tab

For more information, see Bulk Operations and Drag & Drop.

VARA Object Enhancements

Version 21 provides important enhancements for VARA objects.

Copy Content of STATIC VARA Objects

Now you can copy the content of a STATIC VARA object to another STATIC VARA or to a third party tool. Simply select as many rows as you need and select Copy, the lines are copied to your clipboard.

Copying to Another STATIC VARA Object

You can paste the copied lines to a different STATIC VARA object either on your same Client or on a different Client in your system. You can also copy them to a STATIC VARA object in a different Automation Engine system.

Copying to a Third Party Tool

You can also paste them to a third party tool, such as Google Sheets or Excel, provided https is used on the Automic Web Interface.

For more information, see STATIC VARA Objects.

Export VARA Object Preview Results

When you configure VARA objects, you can run the statements that you define in the VARA object and preview its results. As of this version, you can export those results to a CSV file and further process them as you need. All rows and columns are exported.

This function is available for the following types of VARA objects:

  • VARA BACKEND

  • VARA SQLI

  • VARA.SEC_SQLI

  • VARA.EXEC

  • VARA.MULTI

  • VARA.FILELIST

  • VARA.SQL

  • VARA.SEC_SQL

For more information, see User-Defined VARA Objects.

Copy VARA Preview Results

The Preview table has a Copy button in the toolbar now. Select one or more rows in the table and click Copy. The selected rows are copied to the clipboard and you can paste them to a third party tool, such as Google Sheets, Excel, or a text editor.

This function is available for the following types of VARA objects, provided https is used on the Automic Web Interface:

  • VARA BACKEND

  • VARA SQLI

  • VARA.SEC_SQLI

  • VARA.EXEC

  • VARA.MULTI

  • VARA.FILELIST

  • VARA.SQL

  • VARA.SEC_SQL

Interactive Traffic Lights for Tasks in Process Monitoring

The traffic lights in the status bar of the Process Monitoring perspective do not only indicate how many tasks are in each of the five statuses. Now you can click a traffic light to select it and filter the list of tasks by that status. Click more than one traffic light to filter the list by various statuses. If all traffic lights are selected and you then click one of them again, the system interprets that you want to filter the list by that particular status and deselects all other traffic lights.

The traffic lights are synchronized with both the quick filter on the left pane (Show: Status) and with the task filter on the right pane (Status section). Activating one or more traffic lights sets both filters accordingly. Defining a status filter in either of the panes also activates the corresponding traffic lights.

For more information, see Interactive Traffic Lights.

Bulk Operations

This version extends the possibility to perform bulk operations.

Process Monitoring - Task List

You can now select multiple tasks in the list of tasks (Process Monitoring perspective), Schedule monitor and Workflow monitor, right-click and select one of these options:

  • Go

  • Go (recursive)

  • Suspend

  • Suspend (recursive)

The Unblock option is also available for bulk operations from the Workflow monitor.

In addition, you can determine whether a confirmation dialog should be displayed before actually performing either of these operations in bulk. The Confirmation Dialogs section on the Settings dialog has been enhanced with these options.

For more information, see:

Opening and Deleting Packs

You can now select multiple items in the list of Packs (Process Assembly perspective), right-click and select Open or Delete.

Task Tooltips in Workflows

The tooltips that pop up when you hover over the tasks both in the Workflow editor and in the monitor have been substantially improved. They display much more information about the task, its details and its properties.

In the Workflow Editor

This is an example of the new tooltips in the Workflow editor:

The tooltip is divided in three sections:

  1. Object name, title or alias

  2. Object details

    Name and type of object and task number (position of the object in the Workflow)

  3. Object properties that contain configurations

    If any of the object properties contains configurations, they are displayed here. For example: Breakpoint set, Rollback enabled, Requires user input, Execution Settings set, Contains Variables, and so forth.

In the Workflow Monitor

This is an example of the new tooltips in the Workflow monitor:

The tooltip is divided in the following sections:

  1. Name, title or alias

  2. Task status

  3. Task details, such as type, runID, task number (position of the task in the Workflow), Agent on which it runs, and so on

  4. Properties that contain configurations

    If any of the task properties contains configurations, they are displayed here. For example: Breakpoint set, Rollback enabled, Requires user input, Execution Settings set, Contains Variables, and so forth.

Log Level Configuration Through the Automic Web Interface

So far, if administrators had to change the AWI log level for error analysis purposes, the only possibility was to access the logback.xml file, configure the log level there, and then stop and restart the application server.

As of this version, you can configure the lowest severity level of messages that you want to have tracked directly through the user interface. A new page called AWI Management > Logging in the Administration perspective lets you define the log level you need. An entry in the logback.xml file registers that a log level change has happened. With this new option, you no longer have to stop and restart the application server for this change to take effect. This new page is available on Client 0 only.

Important! Although the logback.xml registers that a change to the log level has happened, the actual level change is not stored. This means that, as soon as you restart the server, the changes are lost and the previous values in logback.xml are effective again.

For more information, see AWI Management: Logging.

New JWP Roles Page in Administration Perspective

For more information about this new functionality, see New Server Roles for the Java Work Process .