Creating workflows

Key concepts

Workflow versions

A workflow version is a container of the logical elements, or thinklets, that make up the automation within a workflow. Each workflow is limited to one version that you can activate or deactivate as needed.

The system applies the following rules to active versions:

A workflow version must be active for the system to trigger the workflow.
Only one workflow version can be active at any one time.

Thinklets

A thinklet is the main action component within a workflow and has different configuration options depending on its type. Configure the following parameters contained in each thinklet:

Name: A unique name for the thinklet. The system uses this name to display the thinklet visually and represent the current status of the workflow while it is running.
ID: The identifier used by Nexthink to identify the thinklet in the workflow.
Description: A longer description of what the thinklet is intended to do. The system uses this to visually display the thinklet.
Timeout: How long, in seconds, the workflow waits for a response from the action that is run by the thinklet before continuing.
Type: The type of thinklet this configuration is for.
Select device: The device to be targeted.

Refer to the NEAL documentation for more information.

Designer and NEAL

Design your workflows in Designer view, to get a visual representation of the thinklets you are using, or use Nexthink Experience Automation Language (NEAL) as a scripting language that works as the underlying code behind the workflows. The code is automatically generated as you construct the logic in the designer. You can write the NEAL code directly, however, Nexthink recommends starting with the visual approach.

Refer to the Designer documentation for more information.

Creating a workflow

Create a new workflow in two ways:

Select Workflows from the main menu, and click New at the top of the navigation panel.
Select Workflows from the main menu, choose Manage workflows from the navigation panel, and click New workflow in the top-right corner of the Workflows administration page.

General

When editing an existing workflow, view the following elements at the top of the page:

Click Enable workflow or Disable workflow to enable or disable the workflow.
Click Workflow overview to see the execution details of the workflow. Refer to the Getting started with Workflows documentation for more information.
Click Delete to remove the workflow from the system.

The General tab of the workflow configuration page contains the following fields:

Name: A meaningful name for the workflow. This name appears on the administration page and in any NQL queries you run in the Nexthink web interface.
NQL ID: A unique identifier for the workflow used when referencing the workflow in NQL queries. You can initially modify the suggested NQL ID, but once you save the workflow, you cannot change the NQL ID.
Description: A short description of the purpose and behavior of the workflow.

Trigger

Select the triggering mechanisms for the workflow:

Manual: Enable the workflow for manual execution in the Nexthink user interface
- The workflow can be triggered against multiple targets at the same time: This additional setting is available to allow execution on multiple selected targets. By default, only one selection is allowed at any one time.
API: Enable the workflow for execution with the Nexthink API. Refer to the Workflows API documentation for more information.
Schedule: Enable the workflow to execute at a certain time, based on conditions defined within the NQL query
Events: Enables you to execute a real-time event workflow defined by the NQL query.

Click the Save workflow button at the bottom of the page before you continue.

Targeting

This option has an impact on the visibility of Workflows when triggering workflows manualy. Select objects that can be targeted with the given workflows:

Devices: Enable visibility of the workflow when listing Devices, including Device View and Amplify.
Users: Enable visibility of the workflow when listing Users.

Refer to the Triggering workflows documentation for more information.

Versions

Click Create new workflow version to start designing your workflow.

If you are editing an existing workflow, the page lists all the versions of the workflow in a table.

Hover over the existing version of the workflow to reveal the action menu on the right side of the table.
Click on the action menu and select:
- Activate the workflow version.
- Edit the logic of the workflow.
- Delete the version from the system.

Currently, only one workflow version can be active at any one time

Click Save workflow at the bottom of the page before you continue.

Refer to the Designer documentation for more information on how to design a workflow.

Schedule

Schedule the workflow and define workflow targets using NQL.

Click Add schedule to open the scheduling modal. Enter the following information:

Name: Enter a unique name for the schedule.
NQL: Enter an NQL query for the workflow targets.
Recurrence: Configure the timing and recurrence of the schedule.
Workflow parameters: Use parameters to schedule the workflow. Define the parameters in the designer or with a NEAL script. Refer to the Designer documentation for more information.
Click Apply or Cancel to return to the main schedule page.

Click Save workflow at the bottom of the page before you continue.