Symantec® ServiceDesk Customization Guide 7.0
16
Development Considerations When Publishing to the Same
Virtual Directory
An updated URL application property should not break an “in progress” process that
uses the old URL. Breaks to processes in this state are more likely caused by changes in
the process itself that causes incompatibility, such as a piece of missing data.
The way to mitigate incompatibility is to properly build the new version. For instance,
say you have a process with two Dialog Workflow components. In the first one, you
collect “Name” and “City of Birth” from the user. Then in the second Dialog Workflow
component you display this information to a manager.
Now you want to update the process because of a new regulation. Therefore, in the first
Dialog Workflow component, you also start collecting “Age.” In the second Dialog
Workflow component, you add a rule that shows the manager a warning form if the user
is 13 or younger. If you simply add this rule, then all submissions that were made before
“Age” was collected will be broken. The manager will open his/her task and get an error
saying “object reference not set to the instance of an object,” because “Age” doesn't
exist.
So, to write the new version correctly, you need to add a Variable Exists rule to make
sure “Age” exists before hitting the rule that evaluates age compared to 13. If you
wrote the second version properly, there should be no risk, since all the instances that
were already submitted without age would not break, and all the new instances that
were submitted with age would work.
Basic Steps for Versioning
To publish & version a ServiceDesk process in Symantec Workflow
(simple versioning method)
1. Create the new version of the project by either copying an existing project, or
unpacking the original and renaming it as desired. For example, append a version
number to the name, such as “SD.RoutingRules_2_0.” Leave the Generate New
Service ID checkbox cleared, otherwise the link between the process and
ServiceDesk is broken.
2. Modify the project as needed. Make note of the type of the project. Also, decide
whether the process will be published to the same virtual directory as the current
process. The type of project determines if you need to build in rules to handle new
data. The same applies to publishing to the same virtual directory.
3. If it is the first time a project is being deployed, it is necessary to select the Process
Manager publishing method, either “Publish to Process Manager Forms” or “Publish
to Process Manager Services.”
If using a new virtual directory, enter the desired directory in the Virtual
Directory field. For example, if the old process is in a virtual directory called
“SD.RoutingRules,” call the new virtual directory “SD.RoutingRules.2.0.”
The rest of the default settings are acceptable.
Select the server where you would like to publish your changes and click OK.
4. From the Application Properties Editor screen, note the new Base URL to Project.
Copy this link.
5. Click on Save and complete the publishing process. If prompted, answer the
following:
