Turning strings into objects

In this recipe, we will take a quick look at how to turn a string into an Orchestrator object (such as VC:VirtualMachine). This technique is rather important when you use REST to start workflows.

Getting ready

We only need the Orchestrator Client with the right to create a workflow.

How to do it...

In this example, we turn a string into VC:VirtualMachine:

1. Create a workflow with a string input (vmString) and a VC:VirtualMachine output (vmObject).

2. Add a scriptable task and connect the in- and output parameter.

3. In the script, enter the following code:

         query = "xpath:name='" + vmString + "'"; 
         vms=Server.findAllForType("VC:VirtualMachine", query); 
         vmObject=vms[0]; 
   

4. Run the workflow and enter a Virtual Machine name.

5. Check the output and logs.

How it works...

The find function looks for all elements of a given type and can be limited using a search function. It's very important to write the correct type and the search string.

The next important...