Quick Launch

Quick launch URLs are shortcuts used to launch a website directly from within calls, requests or tasks within ASM Core.

Newer releases of ASM are fully HTML5, web based (version 9.8 and onwards). This can create problems launching links from within the browser, such as RDP. Please see the section, Browser-Based Quick Launch, for information on how to configure quick Launch for your browser-based version of ASM, specifically for RDP.

Access to any quick launch URLs is restricted by your organization’s IT group policy. As all configured quick launch URLs run outside ASM Core, they will only launch successfully if the Analyst who runs the URL has the appropriate IT permissions to do so.

Viewing Quick Launch URLs

Before you start

Quick Launch must be enabled on the System Settings window for the Quick Launch option to be enabled.

You must have System Set Up selected in the Admin tab of your General Access security role.

  1. Select the Menu button, then Admin, then select System Administration. The System Administration window appears.

  2. In the Explorer pane, expand System, then select Quick Launch to display the Quick Launch window, which contains a browse table with the following columns:

Creating a Quick Launch URL

  1. Select the Menu button, then Admin, then select System Administration. The System Administration window appears.

  2. In the Explorer pane, expand System, then select Quick Launch to display the Quick Launch window.

  3. Select the New icon. The Quick Launch Details window appears.

  4. Complete the details:

  1. Repeat to make the URL available to run from another entity (call, request or task).

  2. Select Save to save the changes. Provide the Change Reasons if prompted to do so.

  3. Select Test to test the URL.

Browser-Based Quick Launch RDP

There are 2 methods:

  1. The windows desktop web client. This only works if the administrator has already allocated the resource for remote control

  2. Install RDP Hyperlink .js

IP addresses may need to be whitelisted of you are using a VPN.

Configure a field on a CI called “IP Address” , and pass that through as a parameter to the rdp:// command.

Specifying Parameters

Specifying Call, Request or Task Parameters

You can set up parameters that are passed to an URL when launched from a call, request or task. They can include:

  • parameters not specific to ASM Core, such as a URL that is passed to a browser to load

  • parameters specific to ASM Core calls, requests or tasks

The format for the parameter is the following: [<ASM Core field name>], where <ASM Core field name> is the variable name of the field as found on the Call, Request or Task Details window.

For call, request and task fields that have both a name and a reference, both can be passed to a quick launch URL. To pass the name value on a call, request or task field, simply enter the field name between square brackets into the Parameters field – for example, specifying [PRIORITY] will return “Severity 1”, “Severity 2”, and so on.

If you want to specify the ref value on a call, request or task field, enter a ‘~’ character in front of the call, request or task field name between square brackets into the Parameters field – for example, specifying [~PRIORITY] will return “1”, “2”, and so on.

You must specify the parameters you want to pass to the quick launch URL for each entity (call, request or task) because different parameters are passed to calls, requests and tasks.

Specifying Lookup Parameters

You can set up parameters that are passed to an URL when launched from a call, request or task. They can include lookup parameters, which pass through a value associated with a CMDB entity specified on a call, request or task. For example, the computer name of the User specified on a call can be passed to a remote desktop URL.

Lookup parameters have the following format:

[$Lookup <CMDB entity field name>|<ASM Core lookup query>|<entity field name>], where:

  • <CMDB entity field name> is the field on the CMDB entity’s Details window that you want to pass to the quick launch URL

  • <ASM Core lookup query> is the defined lookup query (for example, LOOKUP_ASSET)

  • <entity field name> is the field that will be used to find the appropriate CMDB entity record.

To pass through the email ID of the User specified on the call, enter the following lookup parameter in the Parameters field:

[$Lookup EMAIL_ID|LOOKUP_CUSTOMER|USER_REF].

This lookup parameter indicates to return the email ID of the User specified on the call.

For more information on the parameters you can specify for a quick launch URL, see the section below on Standard Parameters.

Testing a Quick Launch URL

You can use an existing call, request or task to test whether your specified parameters are being passed successfully to the quick launch URL, without affecting the call, request or task itself (for example, the history of the specified call, request or task is not updated).

  1. Select the Menu button , then Admin, then select System Administration. The System Administration window appears.

  2. In the Explorer pane, expand System, then select Quick Launch to display the Quick Launch window.

  3. Select the Quick Launch URL you want to test from the browse table.

  4. Complete the details:

Select Test to run the quick launch URL with the specified parameters. Any output received from the quick launch URL appears in the Response field.

  • If a call, request or task number is not specified but is required in a parameter, an error message appears, prompting you to enter a call, request or task number.

  • If you are using the CMDB item linked to a request or task, ASM Core uses the topmost CMDB item for the request or task in the database. This is because you cannot specify which CMDB item to use in the Test Quick Launch window. However, when an Analyst is using a quick launch URL, ASM Core uses the currently selected CMDB item on the request or task.

  1. Repeat to test the same quick launch URL for another entity.

  2. When you are finished testing, select Close to return to the Quick Launch window.

Error Messages

You may receive an error similar to the following if the parameters you are trying to pass fail to insert into the parameters property:

WARNING - Executed with errors:

Unbound 'ITEM_REF$AR_PRIMARY_ASSET.CUSTOM_STRING_7' found.

Output:

Error Message:

Unbound 'ITEM_REF$AR_PRIMARY_ASSET.CUSTOM_STRING_7' found.

Standard Parameters

There are standard parameters for calls, requests and tasks, including CMDB Item Lookup parameters. The following tables list the standard parameters used by ASM Core.

Standard Call Parameters

All standard call parameters are identified between square brackets. The following table outlines the standard ASM Core call parameters which you can pass to a quick launch URL used on calls.

Call CMDB Item Lookup Parameters

Lookup parameters can be used to retrieve information about the Configuration Item, Service or User linked to a call, from which a quick launch URL is accessed. All lookup parameters follow the format [Lookup$ <CMDB entity field>|<Lookup query>|<Call field>].

The following table outlines the standard ASM Core CMDB entity lookup parameters which you can pass to a quick launch URL used on calls.

Standard Request Parameters

When configuring a quick launch URL to be used on requests, you can pass through values on the request to the URL. The following table outlines the ASM Core request parameters that you can pass to a quick launch URL. This includes standard fields which you will find on the Request Details window, as well as fields belonging to any CMDB item linked to the Request.

All standard request parameters are identified between square brackets.

Request CMDB Item Lookup Parameters

Lookup parameters are used to retrieve information about the CMDB entity (such as the Service, Configuration, or User) linked to the Request.

All lookup parameters follow the format [Lookup$ <CMDB entity field>|<Lookup query>|<Request field>].

When an Analyst runs a quick launch URL from a Request, and it has been configured so that it uses fields from a CMDB entity, ASM Core will use the details of the CMDB entity currently selected on the Request.

The following table outlines the standard CMDB entity lookup parameters which you can pass to a quick launch URL used on requests.

Standard Task Parameters

When configuring a quick launch URL to be used on tasks, you can pass through values on the task to the URL. The following tables outline the ASM Core task parameters that you can pass to a quick launch URL. This includes standard fields which you will find on the Task Details window, as well as fields belonging to any CMDB item linked to the Task.

All standard task parameters are identified between square brackets.

Task CMDB Item Lookup Parameters

Lookup parameters are used to retrieve information about the CMDB item (Service, Service Action, Service Bundle, or Config Item) linked to the task.

All lookup parameters follow the format [Lookup$ <CMDB item field>|<Lookup query>|<Task field>].

When an Analyst runs a quick launch URL from a task, and it has been configured so that it uses fields from a CMDB item, ASM Core will use the details of the CMDB item currently selected on the task.

The following table outlines the standard CMDB item lookup parameters which you can pass to a quick launch URL used on tasks.

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