Manage Deployment Plan Activities

Filter using Grid Column Filter

The grid column filter is the set of search fields and menus at the top of the columns, under the column headers.

If the grid column filter is a:

• Search field: Type a search term.
• Drop-down menu: Click to select a list item.
• Combo box: Click to select one or more checkboxes.
• Date field: Select a date and click .

Press the Enter key on your keyboard to run the filter.

You can show or hide these columns using the grid column selector. Hover your mouse cursor over the column header to see .

Click the button and select Columns. The list of columns available on the grid will be displayed. Select or deselect the checkboxes to show or hide columns.

Sort Activities

To sort the Activities:

1. Hover your mouse cursor over the sort column.  appears.
2. Drag and drop the Activities as you require to reorganize. You can drag and drop Activities in and out of Groups.

Gantt Chart Layout and Navigation

Activities information is listed in the left-hand column. View the start and end dates by hovering your mouse cursor over the Activity.

If the Deployment Plan is a Master Deployment Plan with children, the Activities from both the Master and children will appear in the left-hand column.

Hover your mouse cursor over an Activity name in the left-hand column to show the whole name.

Click an Activity to open the edit panel and edit all the information. See Add/Edit Activities.

Activities are displayed in groups, click  or  to expand/collapse the Activity Groups.

Activities appear in the timeline as bars and Milestone Activities as diamonds . The blue bars are Activity Group titles. View the timeline along the top, which can be zoomed in and out by holding down the Ctrl key on your keyboard while scrolling the mouse wheel.

Zoom in and out on a particular activity by hovering your mouse cursor over that activity, holding down the Ctrl key, and scrolling your mouse wheel. Activities appear grouped under their Activity Group label, which cannot be dragged or dropped.

Activity Group labels will appear as vertical lines if the group does not occupy much time. For example, if only Milestone Activities are present in the group. Hover your mouse cursor over the Activity Group to view its full title. After updating Activities, refresh the location and size of the Gantt chart’s Activity Group labels by toggling between the Grid and the Timeline views.

Activity Details

Additional Information

Fill in or edit the Additional Information fields These Additional Information fields can be added or edited by administrators using the Deployment Plan Activities Custom Fields Customization and they will vary between each Plutora installation. Consult your administrator for the procedure for filling in these fields.

If you lack permission to see a custom field tab’s fields, that tab will be hidden. (The permission is set in Deployment Plan Activities Custom Fields Customization.)

Set Target Builds:

Once a System and an Environment selection have been saved, you can set the Target Build configuration for the selected System and multiple Subsystems for that Environment.

1. Click  in the Builds section
2. Select the Build from the drop-down menu.
3. Update the Note field
4. Click .

If you want to configurate multiple versions of a single Subsystem running on a Environment you can add multiple Build and Notes. 

To add additional Build and Notes click  icon

To remove an existing Build and Note, click the  icon next to the relevant Build and Note

Comments

• View comments: Click the number that appears next to . The existing comments display with user, date, and timestamp details.
• Add a comment: Click  and enter your comment in Your comment field. Then click .
• Reply to a comment: Click Reply below a comment. Enter your reply and click .
• Edit a comment: You can only edit your own comments. Click Edit below a comment. Edit your comment and click .

Attachments

You can attach URLs and/or Files. To add a new attachment:

1. Click .
2. Click .
3. Select Add URL or Add File.
4. In the case of a URL, the ‘Add URL’ pop-up displays. Enter the URL in the field and click . In the case of a File, select an attachment file and click Open.

• To view an attachment, click  next to the attachment.
• To delete an attachment, click X next to the attachment.
• To download a file attachment, click  next to the attachment.

Click  to close the pop-up.

To edit an existing Activity, search and click the Activity to open the pop-up and update the fields as required.

Automated Activity

Automated Deployment Plan Activities display .

• If automated jobs have been loaded (see Orchestration Using Automated Jobs): Click Run Automated Jobs. The Automated Jobs will run. If the Activity has an automated Build (see Manage Builds), the Build will be automatically deployed to the selected Environment.
• If a Custom Script has been loaded: Click Run Script to run. (This button only becomes active once a script has been uploaded and the Activity saved.) The maximum script duration is 30 minutes. Other users viewing the Deployment Plan Activity will see the script running. Insert the following line into your script to post a progress update into the UI where the Upload New File button appears:

notifier.progress('Completing... 4/5');

• See ‘Script Syntax’ in Integration Hub for other tips for creating your script.
• Running scripts can be stopped by clicking the stop button.

View the run message beside the play button. The run message shows the status of the last time the script was run:

• Not Run.
• Running.
• Passed.
• Failed.

Click View History to open a pop-up showing the script execution history.

Click View to open a log file. Scripts that have had the stop button clicked will have Job process was terminated in their log file and the job will be marked as Failed. 

The script should update the following:

• Activity Status.
• Actual Start Time.
• Actual Finish Time.

Manual Activity

1. Click an Activity Name in the grid. The right panel slides open.
2. Click to select a status from the Status. The statuses have the following circular icons:
   • Not Started. 
   • In Progress: Sets Actual Start Time. 
   • Issue. 
   • Failed. 
   • Completed: Sets Actual End Time: . If the Activity has a selected Build, once the Activity’s status is set to Completed the selected Build will be deployed to the selected Environment.
   • N/A:  . This is available only for Optional Activities. Activities that are N/A are treated as completed in completion bars and are removed from any time remaining.

Manage Dependency in Grid View

If you are adding a Deployment Plan, click  before adding a dependency.

Add Dependency

To add a dependency:

1. Search and click the Activity to open the ‘Activity’ panel.
2. Scroll down and click  on the Dependency field.
3. The Dependency pop-up displays. All the associated Deployment Plans (Child or Master) will appear in the Dependencies pop-up.
4. Select the Deployment Plan.
   • If a Master Deployment Plan is selected, all the child Deployment Plans will appear in the left-hand panel, so that dependencies between Deployment Plans can be added.
   • If an independent Deployment Plan is selected, only dependencies within that Deployment Plan can be added.
5. Drag and drop Activities to the right panel of the Dependencies pop-up. There is no limit to how many Dependencies can be added.
6. Select a Dependency Type (mandatory).
7. Click .

Dependency Types

• Finish-to-Start (F-S): (default Dependency Type)
  • Ensures the previous (upstream) activity is finished before the current (downstream) can be started
  • Constraint: The Upstream Planned End Time must be less than the Downstream Planned Start Time
• Start-to-Start (S-S):
  • Ensures the previous (upstream) activity is started before the current (downstream) can be started
  • Constraint: The Upstream Planned Start Time must be less than the Downstream Planned Start Time
• Finish-to-Finish (F-F):
  • Ensures the previous (upstream) activity is finished before the current (downstream) can be finished
  • Constraint: The Upstream Planned End Time must be less than the Downstream Planned End Time
• Start to Finish (S-F):
  • Ensures the previous (upstream) activity is started before the current (downstream) can be finished
  • Constraint: The Upstream Planned Start Time must be less than the Downstream Planned End Time

Activities locked by Finish to Start (F-S) or Start to Start (S-S) dependencies display  over their status.

Remove Dependency

Remove a Dependency by:

• Dragging it from the right-hand column to the left-hand column in the Dependency pop-up.
• Or by clicking the X next to the Dependency once the Dependency pop-up is closed.

Manage Dependency in Timeline View

Add Dependency

On the Timeline view:

1. Click the Activity to create dependency.
2. Click and drag between the circular handles that appear when you hover your mouse cursor over Activities.
3. A dotted line appears between the Activities.

If the dependency cannot be created, the circle will turn red:

• An Activity from the selected Deployment Plan is being linked to an Activity in an external Deployment Plan. Creating a dependency in the reverse direction will work.
• A circular reference is being created.

The default dependency created is Finish-to-Start, which can be edited later by clicking on the Activity. You can create multiple dependencies. Hover over dependencies to make the line thicker and easier to see.

Remove Dependency

1. Click the dependency line.
2. Click  on the confirmation prompt.

Activity Dependency Notifications

If your Deployment Plan includes a complex set of activities with dependencies, any updates to the planned start or end dates of an activity, or the addition of a new dependency, will trigger dependency rules validation. You will then be prompted to choose from the available actions.

Adding a new dependency

Update Confirmation: You have added a new dependency. Do you want to collapse a time lag between your new upstream Activity and your current Activity? (Yes/No)

Updating activity planned dates causing upstream dependency rules violation

Error: [Activity Name] cannot be rescheduled due to the dependent Activities.

Updating activity planned dates causing downstream dependency rules violation

Update Confirmation: You have modified the Planned Time. According to violated dependency rules, the Planned Time of impacted dependent Activities will have to change too. Do you want to continue? (Ok/Cancel)

Updating activity planned dates not causing downstream dependency rules violation

Update Confirmation: You have modified the Planned Time. You can preserve the time intervals between dependent Activities. Do you want to shift the Planned Time of all dependent Activities too (optional)? (Yes/No)

Custom Scripts:

1. Run a NodeJS script that performs deployments by connecting to external applications using APIs and updates fields such as the Activity Status.
2. To upload your script: (Mandatory field), click Upload.
3. Select the script. Only .js files can be used.
4. Click Open.
   • There is currently no way to edit a script. You must upload a new script instead.
   • Scripts can only be run in Execution mode. See Update Activity Status for running scripts.
5. Download the script by clicking . 
6. Upload a new script by clicking .
7. Click Run Script to make the script run.
8. Click View History to see a list of job run logs.
9. Delete the script by clicking X.
10. Manage Parameters: Parameters allow easy configuration via the UI. Parameters can also be masked for security. See Script Syntax in Integration Hub for how to reference parameters in a script.
11. Click Set Parameters. (This button only becomes active once a script has been uploaded and the Activity saved.)

Edit Activity Group

Hover your mouse cursor over the Activity Group and click .

Free Form edit:

1. Click the Free Form radio button.
2. Select the text color from the Text Color drop-down menu or type a hex color.
3. Select the fill color from the Fill Color drop-down menu or type a hex color.
4. Select the border color from the Border Color drop-down menu or type a hex color.
5. Click .

Use a pre-defined name and colors:

Administrators can use Group Name Customization to create group names and colors. The Pre-defined Forms radio button will be grayed out if the Group Name Customization is not enabled.

1. Click the Pre-defined Forms radio button.
2. Select a Group Name from the drop-down menu. All the other fields, such as Text Color will populate.
3. Click .

Delete an Activity Group

1. Hover your mouse cursor over the Activity Group.
2. Click X. The Activities within the group will become ungrouped.

Other Options

• Select all the Activities in an Activity Group by clicking to select the Activity Group checkbox.
• Ungroup Activities by clicking to select a Group and clicking Group/Ungroup Activities.
• Click Collapse All Groups to close Groups.
• Click Expand All Groups to open Groups.