Automation CLI Action Pack — install, configure & operate

The Automation CLI Action Pack is a dedicated Tricise toolkit for managing and monitoring Automic Automation systems at the command line. It bundles 40 ready-to-use actions covering object operations (create, delete, modify, import, export, replace, transport), task control, calendar and schedule management, system analysis, workflow editing, and security checks. Every routine command-line operation against Automic is wrapped as a configurable, reusable action that can be plugged into any workflow.

The Automation CLI Action Pack runs both interactively from the AWI and unattended in batch mode, making it equally suited for daily administration and automated routines.

The Automation CLI Action Pack requires Automic Automation V24 or higher. The connection uses the standard Automic Java API over a JCP endpoint with TLS-secured communication. You need a reachable JCP host and port for the target client, and a trusted certificate for the TLS connection.

The Automation CLI Action Pack runs as part of an Automic Action Pack installation, so the requirements are:

• Automic Automation V24+ with reachable JCP endpoint
• Java 11 or higher (JRE or JDK) on the executing agent
• The dependent Action Pack PCK.ITPA_SHARED installed in the same client
• An Automic user with sufficient rights for the actions you intend to run
• A valid Automation CLI Action Pack license key from Tricise

Log in to any Automic client except client 0, open Administration → Packs, optionally install PCK.ITPA_SHARED first, then click Install From File and select the Automation CLI Action Pack ZIP delivered by Tricise. The installer is the same for new installs and updates — just point it at the new ZIP. After install, the Action Pack lives inside the PACKAGES folder. Do not rename or move it.

Run the action CONFIGURATION_ADD from the installed Automation CLI Action Pack folder and fill in the required fields: configuration name (recommended pattern: SYSTEMNAME_CLIENT), Java executable path, host, port, client, user name, department, password, and the Tricise license key. Multiple connection configurations can be created in parallel — one per Automic system / client combination. Use CONFIGURATION_UPDATE to change one and CONFIGURATION_REMOVE to delete one.

The Automation CLI Action Pack ships with a dedicated ENCRYPT action that encrypts passwords using the same technique as masked password fields in Automic PromptSets. The encrypted value can then be safely stored in the connection configuration. Plain-text passwords are technically possible for quick tests but should never be used in production.

Use the OBJECTSEXPORT action to export objects from the source environment, and OBJECTSIMPORT on the target environment to import them. Both actions support input by FILE, FOLDER, OBJECT or VARA list, with include / exclude filters, recursive folder support, modify-date filtering and configurable thread counts (10–20 threads recommended for performance, but watch the load on the source Automic system).

If you need to rewrite values during the move (host renames, environment-specific paths), use EXPORTCHANGE on the exported XML files before importing — it uses the same script-file syntax as the Automic Change utility.

Yes. Every action of the Automation CLI Action Pack can be executed both interactively from the AWI and unattended as part of a workflow. For batch use, parameter values are normally provided through the action’s PromptSet, through workflow variables, or — if you already know the underlying module syntax — directly via the GENERICCOMMAND action which lets you pass a raw command line.

The recommended workflow is two-step. First run OBJECTSUSAGE against the target folder or VARA list — it analyses each object for usage status and statistics counts and writes the result into a Variable object you specify. Review the VARA contents to confirm which objects are truly safe to remove. Then feed the cleaned VARA list into OBJECTSDELETE to remove them in a controlled, repeatable batch.

Use the EXPORTCHANGE action of the Automation CLI Action Pack. It modifies exported XML objects using the same script-file syntax as the Automic Change utility — point it at the export folder and a change-file with your rules, and optionally enable recursive processing for subfolders. Perfect for host renames, path rewrites and other environment-specific transformations between DEV, TEST and PROD.

Use TASKSDEACTIVATE for bulk deactivation, filtered by task name, type, agent or queue. To change task status codes (for example to force a task into 1900 = ENDED_OK), use TASKSMODIFYSTATE — it accepts any valid Automic state code and offers an optional auto-deactivate after the state change. For listing and monitoring without modification, use TASKSMONITORING.

Run the USERAUTHORIZATIONSCHECK action of the Automation CLI Action Pack. It scans every user in the configured client and lists the ones with SUPERUSER rights. The action takes no parameters and is ideal as a scheduled security audit.

Yes. The MESSAGEHISTORY action reads system messages with rich filter options: user name, admin / security message flags, message type (ALL, ERROR, INFORMATION, FAILED, SUCCESS, WARNING), category (ALL, ACCESS TO HOST, LOGIN, MESSAGE, OBJECT_ACCESS, PRIVILEGE), from / to date (YYMMDD format) and a max results limit. The matched messages are rendered into the job report of the Automic Windows or Unix job that runs the action.

The Automation CLI Action Pack is licensed as a one-time purchase per Automic system — no recurring subscription, no expiry. The fixed price is published in the Tricise shop. The license includes Tricise product support and compatibility updates for the current Automic V24+ release line. Time-limited evaluation license keys are available on request for proof-of-concept work.