Understanding the Automic Web Interface

The Automic Web Interface is the browser-based user interface for Automic Automation. It gives you access to all program areas and functions required for your daily work. The interface combines standard browser capabilities with Automic‑specific navigation features and is organized into perspectives. A perspective is an area that groups the functions relevant to a particular user role.

All perspectives share the same basic layout:

  • Menu bar

    Main navigation bar at the top of the screen. You move through its interactive elements horizontally.

  • Left navigation pane

    Contains expandable menus that let you open folders, objects, object definition pages and more. You navigate through these elements vertically.

  • Main content area

    Central workspace where you configure and work with objects, tasks, monitors and other items.

  • Right pane

    Displays filters, detailed views, properties and other context-sensitive information. Like the left pane, you navigate it vertically.

Tips:

Important! Visit Broadcom Software Academy for a course related to this topic. For more information, see the Education section later in this page.

This topic describes the common design pattern and the UI elements of the Automic Web Interface:

Menu Bar

The menu bar is the ribbon immediately below the browser toolbar. This screenshot shows the menu bar for a user with access to all perspectives. In your environment, only the perspectives you are entitled to are displayed:

Screenshot of the menu bar where its elements are grouped in categories based on their functions. Each category has a number that will be explained later in a list. The categories are numbered as follows: 1 customizable logo, 2 Home icon, 3 perspectives, 4 search area, 5 notification area, 6 help button, 7 session information.

The menu bar is common to all components and plugins provides access to the following areas and functions:

  1. Customizable logo

  2. Home icon.

    Opens the Dashboards perspective.

  3. Perspectives

    Links to the perspectives you can access according to your user rights and privileges.

  4. Search area

    Global search for objects, object dependencies and tasks.

  5. Requests

    Opens the Requests view. Requests are messages displayed during the task execution. They either require input from you or draw your attention to potential issues.

  6. Messages icon

    Opens the messages console, which shows messages about task execution and process status.

  7. Intelligent Assistant icon

    Opens the Intelligent Assistant panel, Automic Automation's Gen AI hub, where you can access the Automation Assistant and the Documentation Assistant.

  8. Help button

    Opens the Automic Automation Help, the inline product help and provides access to:

    • Keyboard Shortcuts: Lists and descriptions of AWI's keyboard shortcuts.

    • Getting Started: Dashboard view version-specific videos and links.

    • Learning Portal: Broadcom Software Academy, where you find courses about Automic Automation and other Broadcom solutions.

  9. Session information and user settings

    Displays the Automation Engine system, Client and User information.

    The user can be displayed in two different ways, depending on how your user is configured : If it contains your first and last names (both are optional), they are displayed here. Otherwise, your username and department are displayed.

    Click the adjacent arrow to expand a dropdown menu with options for user settings, connection information and addiitonal functions.

For more information, see:

Browser Tabs

Browser tabs identify the pages opened in a browser window. For example:

Screenshot showing two browser tabs.

In AWI browser provide standard browser functions plus additonal features:

  • Session information

    You can open any number of objects, lists, tasks and monitors in separate tabs. Hover over a tab to display a tooltip with the following information :

    Title (<connection>: client number | user/department | Automic Web Interface)

    Example:

    Screenshot of a tooltip in an AWI browser caption.

    The Title depends on the perspective and content:

    • Dashboards perspective: Name of the Dashboard selected in the left pane.

    • Process Assembly perspective: Name of the selected folder in the Explorer or names of the open object.

    • Process Monitoring perspective: Name of the grouping criterion selected in the left pane, or the task name when a monitor is open.

    • Executions lists: Type of list (Executions, Parent Task Executions, Child Task Executions).

    • Administration perspective: Name of the selected object or view in the left pane, or the open object name.

  • Unsaved changes

    An asterisk in the tab indicates unsaved changes. If you attempt to close the tab or log out, a dialog prompts you to save or discard your changes.

    Screenshot of a browser tab that contains a Schedle object whose name is JSCHDATAWAREHOUSE. An asterisk is displayed next to the name of the Schedule.

  • Connection color

    When you log in, you can assign a color to your connection. The icon in the browser tab, the web notifications, and the menu bar at the top of the screen use this color. It helps you identify which tabs and windows belong to the same connection, which is especially useful if you work with multiple Clients or systems.

For more information, see Opening a New Connection and Selecting the Connection Color.

Title Bar

The title bar is the ribbon displayed immediately below the menu bar when you open an object, a task, a list, and so forth. It provides the information you need to identify the current item.

Example of the title bar of a Workflow:

Screenshot showing part of the title bar where the icon and the name of a Workflow are displayed.

Depending on the item, the title bar can show:

Objects

  • Name
  • Title (if defined)

Monitors

  • Name
  • Title (if defined)
  • RunID

Execution Lists

  • Type of list (Executions, Parent Executions, Child Executions, Activator Executions)
  • Name of the task
  • Number of displayed records
  • Timestamp of the latest update

Reports

  • Task name
  • RunID

Advanced Search

  • Number of objects found
  • Time of the latest index update

For more information, see:

Inline Notifications

In specific cases, AWI displays inline messages below the title bar to highlight restrictions or important information.

Examples:

  • Saved in Client 0

    Some objects, such as Login (LOGIN), Connection (CONN) and Time Zone (TZ), are stored and maintained centrally in Client 0 and available in combo boxes in all other Clients. These objects are maintained by administrators and are valid for the entire installation. Developers and object designers can select and use them, but cannot edit them.

    When such an object is opened from a non-0 Client, it is read-only and an inline notification indicates this.

  • Inactive Client

    Developers and object designers can configure objects even if the Client is inactive. However, if the Client is inactive, automatic processing is not possible. If you execute an object, it receives the status STOP - Client-wide stop of automatic processing.
    When you open an inactive Client, an inline message indicates that processing is not possible.

    Exception: You can manually start a Queue in an inactive Client and execute certain object types, for example Scripts.

  • Customized notifications

    Administrators can configure a custom notification banner by creating a variable in Client 0 and defining the banner text there. For more information, see UC_NOTIFICATION_BANNER - Defining Custom Notifications.

Toolbar

Many lists and views have a toolbar with buttons that provide quick access to the most important functions for the currently displayed object, task, list or report. For example:

Screenshot showing a toolbar where the following buttons are available: Edit, Save, Execute, Executions, Last Report and More.

Panes

Lists and views have resizable panes.

  • The left pane lets you navigate the content of the list or view.

    • Click an item to open tit in the same browser window.

    • Middle-click to open it in a new browser window.

    • Right-click to open a context menu.

    This image shows the left pane in the Process Assembly perspective; by right-clicking the DASHBOARDS folder, a context menu is displayed:

    Screenshot of the left pane in the Process Assembly perspective; the user has right-clicked on a folder and the context menu shows the corresponding AWI functions (Open, Move, Clone Folder, and so forth)

    Note: The left pane on object pages lets you navigate through the various definition pages (General, Runtime, Attributes, and so forth). When you reopen an object, it opens on the definition page you last visited. AWI stores this per Client in your user settings. For more information, see Defining Objects Manually.

  • Right pane

    When available, the right pane provides details about the selected item (object, task or execution), filter options, and additional information.

Version and Support Information

When you contact Support, you must provide information about your system and plug-in versions. You access this information from the drop-down menu at the right end of the menu bar.

  1. Open the drop-down menu.
  2. Select About. A dialog displays the relevant installation details.

This dialog also provides quick links to useful resources, such as:

  • Customer portal
  • CA Automic website

For more information, see Files to Aid Technical Support.

Variable Icon

Many input fields and combo boxes can be populated with variables and VARA objects. Whenever this is possible, AWI displays a variable icon next to the field. For example:

Screenshot of an input field with a variables button st the far right corner of the field. The veariable button is encircled in red for easier recognition.

Select the icon to open a dialog where you can choose the variable or VARA object.

Education

The Broadcom Software Academy provides a wide range of free online trainings. For information about how to navigate through the Academy and on how to register for courses, see Automic Automation Education and Training.

The following course(s) are associated with this topic:

Hands-on Simulation Labs

Beyond the product documentation and courses, Broadcom offers a range of educational materials designed to guide you through Automic Automation's features and functions. Our interactive learning center is a dedicated platform offering immersive simulation labs to help you learn by doing. They are dynamic, hands-on exercises that complement the content of our courses. They don't just tell you how to use a feature; they let you experience it directly.

Visit the Broadcom's Simulation Labs website to explore the available labs and start practicing: https://simlabs.aod.broadcom.com/simulation/automation?product=Automic.

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