Execute Business Logic through Automation

Automation operations, chains and scripts can all be called with the Nuxeo JavaScript client.

About Automation

When You Should Use Automation

Whenever you want to execute some business logic and leverage Nuxeo Platform functionalities.

Why You Should Use Automation Chains or Scripts

Every call to the REST API is a single transaction:

By using automation chains or scripts, you can execute several unitary operations in a single call.
Automation chains and scripts are executed as a single transaction: Either the whole chain or script is executed and the transaction is committed, or it is rolled back entirely.
Therefore, you should use them whenever you need to execute logic that would require several calls as a single transaction.

How to Make Chains or Scripts Available through the REST API

As soon as you create one of them in Nuxeo Studio and deploy your configuration in Nuxeo Platform, the feature is available and can be called using the REST API. That's all!

How To Call Automation Operations, Chains, or Scripts

Using the JS client's Operation object.

Call a Chain or Script

nuxeo.operation('MyChainOrScriptId')
// Input docId, path or Document object
  .input('docId')
  .params({
    'parameterName': 'parameterValue'
  })
  .context({
    'variableName': 'variableValue',
  })
  .execute()
  .then(function(result) {
    // Do something with the result
  })
  .catch(function(error) {
    throw error);
  });

Note that automation scripts are prefixed by javascript. So if your automation script is called myScript in Nuxeo Studio, you should call javascript.myScript.

Practice - Executing Business Logic

Automation Script Definition

Download addToCollection.js or open in another tab to copy the code.
In Nuxeo Studio, create a new automation script called addToCollection and paste the code from the file addToCollection.js.
Check if the collectionName context variable is set, otherwise set it.
Retrieve the user's workspace and set as the userWorkspace variable.
If the collection variable is null, create a collection with the context variable's collectionName value and place it in the collection variable. The collection should be created in the user workspace.
Add the document to the collection.
Save the addToCollection automation script.
Deploy your Studio project on your Nuxeo Platform instance or perform a Hot Reload from the Dev Tool extension.

addToCollection Automation Script - Solution


            function run(input, params) {
            
            // Check if the collectionName context variable is set, otherwise set it
              if(!ctx.collectionName) {
                ctx.collectionName = "My Collection";
              }
            
            // Retrieve the user's workspace and set as the userWorkspace variable
              var userWorkspace = User.GetUserWorkspace(
                input, {
              });
            
              var collection = getCollectionInUserWorkspace(input, ctx.collectionName);
            // If the collection variable is null, create a collection with the context variable's collectionName value and place it in the collection variable. The collection should be created in the user workspace.
              if(!collection) {
                collection = Collection.Create(
                  userWorkspace, {
                    'name': ctx.collectionName,
                    'description': ""
                  }
                );
              }
            
            // Add the document to the collection
              Document.AddToCollection(
                input, {
                  'collection': collection
                }
              );
            
                return input;
            }
            
            
            
            /******
            DO NOT EDIT BELOW THIS LINE
            ******/
            
            // Return the collection (or null if it doesn't exist)
            function getCollectionInUserWorkspace(input, collectionName) {
              var userWorkspace = User.GetUserWorkspace(
                input, {
                }
              );
              var userWorkspacePath = userWorkspace.path;
              var queryResults = Repository.Query(
                input, {
                  'query': "SELECT * FROM Collection WHERE dc:title = '"+ collectionName  +"' AND ecm:path STARTSWITH '"+ userWorkspacePath +"'",
                }
              );
              if(queryResults.length === 0) {
                return;
              }
              return queryResults[0];
            }

Node.js Script Definition

Download businessLogic.js or open in another tab to copy the code.
Replace NUXEO_SERVER with your Nuxeo Server URL.
Retrieve an existing document using its ID or path.
Call the addToCollection automation script and pass the document as its input.
Add a collectionName as a context variable.
Pass the result to the assertResult method.
When your code is ready, run it with the following command:
```
 $ node businessLogic.js
```

Executing Business Logic - Solution


            const Nuxeo = require('nuxeo');
            
            var nuxeo = new Nuxeo({
              // Replace with your Nuxeo Server URL
              baseURL: 'http://NUXEO_SERVER/nuxeo',
              auth: {
                method: 'basic',
                username: 'Administrator',
                password: 'Administrator'
              },
            });
            
            nuxeo.schemas("*");
            
            nuxeo.repository()
            // Retrieve a document using its ID or path
            // (Replace with existing document UID or path)
              .fetch('9e7b87b6-affe-44eb-ac05-9fe057e52ee3')
            // Call the automation script passing the document as input
              .then(function(document) {
                nuxeo.operation('javascript.addToCollection')
                .input(document)
                .context({
            // Add a collectionName as a context variable
                  'collectionName':'My Collection'
                })
                .execute()
                .then(function(result) {
            // Pass the result to the collection below
                  assertResult(result);
                })
                .catch(function(error) {
                  throw error;
                })
              });
            
            /************
            DO NOT EDIT BELOW THIS LINE
            ************/
            
            function assertResult(result) {
              console.log(result);
              if (result['entity-type'] === 'string') {
                console.log("Pass the document variable as an input for your operation.");
                return false;
              }
            
              if (!result.facets.includes("CollectionMember")) {
                console.log("The document has not been added to a collection.");
                return false;
              }
            
              console.log('Congratulations, you have successfully completed this exercise.');
            }

Restricting Automation Calls - Defining Security Measures

Sometimes you might need to create automation operations or chains that shouldn't be accessible to everybody. Nuxeo Studio allows you to apply restrictions to them.

In the Configuration menu, choose Advanced Settings > Web Services Filtering and create a new filter. You can then choose to restrict or disable operations and chains.