Creating a launch definition

Create a custom launch definition from the Navigator item or query-based view (including event console views) where you want to enter the command. When launched from a query-based view, the command can include attribute values from the launch point, such as IP address or process name.

1. Select the Navigator item to launch from.
2. If the launch definition will originate from a table, chart, event console view, or relational-based topology view, open the workspace containing the view.
   If the workspace is not the default, use the Workspace Gallery to select it. You can add an argument that includes attribute names in the definition that are resolved at launch time with the current attribute values.
3. Right-click one of the following items:
   • Navigator item.
   • Row in a table or event console view.
   • Data point in a chart (such as a plot chart point).
   • Topology view object.
4. Click Launch and, in the Create or Edit Launch Definitions window, click Create New.
5. In the Name text box, type a descriptive name.
6. In the Target text box, click Browse to locate and select the application to launch.
   If you leave the field empty, the default behavior is to open Windows Internet Explorer as the launch application. This is desirable when a URL is included in the definition and it will be launched from different computers. If you want a different browser used, the kjr.browser.default client parameter can be changed through Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services, as described in the Cloud Pak System Software Monitoring Server: Administrator's Guide.
7. In the Arguments text box, type any arguments to be added to start the application:
   • To launch a web page, enter the URL, such as http://ibm.com.
   • To add a file name, click Browse, select Filename, then locate and select the file.

     If any of the argument contains spaces, surround it with double quotation marks, as in "C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\db_notes.doc". If you have multiple files to specify, separate each entry with a space and enclose in double quotation marks, as in "C:temp\my_log.txt" "C:temp\your_log.txt".

   • To add an attribute or other symbolic reference that is known at this location, click Browse, select Substitutable Items, then select an attribute from the Selected Context list or a symbol from the Extended Context list. The value will be retrieved at launch time. For example, User Id (As Typed) shows as &-12002 in the argument and evaluates to sysadmin; Process Name shows as &NT_Process.Process_Name in the argument and evaluates to BigProcess.
   • To prompt for a value, type a ^ caret mark then the prompt, as in ^Name, followed by a single space or a comma. If you would like to supply a default value, but also enable the user to change it, append the prompt with an = equal sign and the value. For example, ^Name=Fred, where Name is the prompt and Fredis the default value.
   • To prompt for a hidden value, such as a password, type two ^^ caret marks then the prompt (no spaces are allowed), as in ^^Password.
   • To add data or an attribute to look up in context, precede the data with an & ampersand.
   • To include an & ampersand or ^ caret in the filename or value, precede it with a / forward slash. For example john&jane.lwp would be entered as john/&jane.lwp.
8. If you added arguments, you can give the user the option to change the values at launch time by selecting Edit arguments before execution.
9. If you need to specify the Start in location, click Browse to locate and select the folder for the program or other required files.
10. If the definition originates from a Navigator item and you want to restrict its availability to this item only or to others of the same type, click Advanced to open the Advanced Options for Launch Definition window and select one of the options.
11. Click Evaluate to see how the arguments will resolve when the application launches.
12. When you are finished with the launch definition, click Apply to save your changes and keep the window open; or click OK to save your changes and close the window.