Custom Commands

The custom command can be used for performing custom operations with requests or operations with external systems. The custom command can be run for exactly one selected request. After its displaying to the user and its execution you can define conditions checking e.g. request status or value of its property.

The command can perform a sequence of actions within the ALVAO Service Desk, e.g. open the URL in the user default browser.

Warning:

The ALVAO database can be permanently damaged by the wrong definition of the custom command, therefore always perform the creation and testing on a copy of the database in the test environment.

Tip:

Creation of a working custom command requires good knowledge of the ALVAO database and the Service Desk WebService interface.

Creating new command

In the folder with the ALVAO Service Desk WebService installed in the App_Code directory open the CustomCommands.cs file.

Into the bordered code block enter a definition of the new command by the ICommand interface implementation and set the values for id, name, and position properties in the command class constructor.

…
class Command1 : ICommand
{
    CommandDesc commandDesc;

    public CommandDesc CommandDesc
    {
        get { return commandDesc; }
        set { commandDesc = value; }
    }

    public Command1()
    {
        int id = 1;
        string name = "Calculate total estimated work";
        int position = 1;

        commandDesc = new CommandDesc(id, name, position);
    }
}
…

Defining conditions for displaying the command

In the created command class, implement the Show method from the ICommand interface. Input parameters are ticketId (request number) and personId (id of a person who should see the command).

Output is then a truth value representing whether the command should display to the user on the entered request, or not.

Tip:

By calling this method in the Run(…) method you can check before running the query, whether the conditions for its displaying changed in the period between displaying and running the query, or not.

…
class Command1: ICommand
{
    …
    public bool Show(SqlConnection Con, int ticketId, int personId)
    {
        bool show = false;

        // loading the required data about request from the database
        SqlCommand Cmd;
        Cmd = new SqlCommand(@"SELECT liHdTicketHdSectionId, sHdTicketStateNotice, liHdTicketSolverPersonId FROM tHdTicket WHERE liHdTicketSolverPersonId IS NOT NULL AND iHdTicketId = @iHdticketId", Con);
        Cmd.Parameters.Add("@iHdTicketId", SqlDbType.Int).Value = ticketId;

        SqlDataReader ticketReader = Cmd.ExecuteReader();

        int sectionId; // id of a service where the request is
        string state; // request status
        int solverId; // request solver id

        if (ticketReader.Read())
        {
            sectionId = int.Parse((ticketReader["liHdTicketHdSectionId"]).ToString());
            state = (ticketReader["sHdTicketStateNotice"]).ToString();
            solverId = int.Parse((ticketReader["liHdTicketSolverPersonId"]).ToString());
            ticketReader.Close();
        }
        else
        {
            ticketReader.Close();
            return show;
        }

        // checking, whether the request is in the requested service, in the Solution status, the solver is the user who the request should be displayed to, or not
        if (sectionId == 1 && state == "Solution" && solverId == personId)
            show = true;

        return show;
    }

    // only copy this part of the code
    public List<Tuple<int, bool>> Show(SqlConnection Con, List<int> ticketsIds, int personId)
    {
        throw new NotImplementedException();
    }
…
}
…

Defining actions performed by the command

In the created command class, implement the Run method from the ICommand interface. Input parameters are ticketId (request number) and personId (id of a person who is running the command).

Output is a truth value of the performance success, a text which can be displayed in the message for user and URL to open in a browser.

…
class Command1: ICommand
{
…
    public Tuple<bool, string, string> Run(SqlConnection Con, int ticketId, int personId)
    {
        bool complete = false;
        string message = "";
        string url = "";

        // Check, whether the conditions for running/displaying the command changed in the period between displaying and running it, or not (can be performed anywhere in this Run method).

        if (!Show(Con, ticketId, personId))
        {
            message = "Command can not be performed as the conditions for its displaying has not been met.";
            complete = false;
            return Tuple.Create(complete, message, url);
        }

        complete = true;
        SqlTransaction transaction = Con.BeginTransaction();
        try
        {
            HelpdeskWebService sdws = new HelpdeskWebService();

            // loading values from the “SW costs” and “HW costs” custom items
            string strCostSW = sdws.ReadColumn(ticketId, "tHdTicketCust", "costSW");
            int costSW = string.IsNullOrEmpty(strCostSW) ? 0 : int.Parse(strCostSW);
            string strCostHW = sdws.ReadColumn(ticketId, "tHdTicketCust", "costHW");
            int costHW = string.IsNullOrEmpty(strCostHW) ? 0 : int.Parse(strCostHW);
            int costTotal = costSW + costHW;

            // writing the sum of costSW and costHW into the Total costs custom item
            sdws.WriteColumn(ticketId, "tHdTicketCust", "costTotal", costTotal.ToString());

            transaction.Commit();

            return Tuple.Create(complete, message, url);
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            message = "Error when writing the value.";
            complete = false;
            url = "";
            transaction.Rollback();
            return Tuple.Create(complete, message, url);
        }
    }
…
}
…