Running a robotic script

This section describes how you can run a robotic script using Take Action commands. In ITCAM for Transactions, the Take Action command performs rudimentary error checking. When you launch the Take Action command to run a script, the Take Action dialog displays a message indicating that the command was processed successfully.

Example of message displayed after running a script using a Take Action command

Note that this message indicates only that the command was syntactically correct, and was submitted. The message does not indicate whether the script started or ran correctly. To use the Take Action command to run a script manually, you need to enter the script name and file type correctly.

Determining the Script Name and Type

In the Navigator tree in the TEP console, navigate to Application Management Console -> Robotic Scripts. Examine the Robotic Scripts workspace. The scripts that have been uploaded to the Application Management Console Agent (T3) and their file types are identified here. Note that the script names end in the filename extension .zip.

Example of uploaded scripts and file types in the Robotic Scripts view of the AMC workspace

Note the name of the script to be run and whether or not it is a Rational Performance Tester (RPT) script, or some other robotic script.

Using Take Action Commands to Run Scripts Manually

Use the following procedure:
  1. Before you attempt to perform the remaining steps, first run the robotic script in a profile. If you do not do so, the Take Action command specified later in this procedure fails. See Defining profiles.
  2. Click expansion icon beside the operating system for the computer on which Robotic Response Time is located to display a list of monitored nodes.
  3. Click expansion icon beside the name of the node on which the agent is located.
  4. Click Robotic Response Time to select it. For example:
    Example of selecting the Robotic Response Time node in the Navigator tree.
  5. Right-click Robotic Response Time and select Take Action > Select.
  6. At Name: Select Action, select Run Robotic Script to display the Edit Argument Values dialog.
  7. At Robotic_Script_Type, enter one of the following values:
    Value Refers to
    not supported CLI Playback
    RPT Rational® Performance Tester
    RFT Rational Functional Tester
    LOADRUNNER Mercury LoadRunner
  8. In the Robotic Script Name field, enter the name assigned to the robotic script. Enter the script name exactly as it appears in the Robotic Scripts workspace, without the script type prefix. For example, to run the PlantsByWebSphere.zip script, you would enter the following parameters:
    Example of specifying Robotic script name and type in the Edit Argument Values dialog.

    Click OK to complete the command and return to the Take Action dialog box.

  9. In the Destination System field, select where you want the script to run. You can select multiple systems by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking.
  10. Click OK in the Take Action dialog box to submit the command.
  11. A message should be displayed indicating that the command was executed successfully.

Indications that the Take Action command was faulty

In this example, if you enter the script name as PlantsByWebSphere instead of PlantsByWebSphere.zip (the .zip filename extension is important), the following two messages are displayed in the Situation Event Console:
No playback recordings are uploaded for profile null, robotic script
 PlantsByWebSphere

Could not obtain a list of uploaded robotic scripts

Note the time on the local host system where you submitted the Take Action command.

Displaying the Situation Event Console

To display the Situation Event Console, select a Robotic Response Time node in the Navigator tree. In the following example, the two warning messages are the first two messages displayed in the Situation Event Console:

Example of the Robotic Response Time workspace showing the messages displayed in the Situation Event Console

Parent topic: Working with script files