Creating Action Scripts

You can create custom actions to fix problems or address issues across your network that are not covered by the standard content. Although the process is simple to describe, there are a large range of actions and targeting techniques at your disposal. To create a custom action:

  1. Log on to the IBM BigFix Console as a Master Operator.
  2. Select Tools > Take Custom action.
  3. The Take action dialog pops up. At the top is a place to provide a Name for your custom action. This field can be sorted and filtered, so a good naming convention will help you get the most out of your reports.
  4. Under the Name field is the Preset pull-down menu that allows you pick a preset customized action, saving you time and ensuring accuracy. You can also save your current input as a preset for later use. The Preset interface includes these fields and buttons:
    1. Preset: Select a preset from the pull-down menu.
    2. Show only personal presets: Check this box to filter the list of presets to just your personal ones.
    3. Save Preset: Save the current set of action options for later use. This button isn't active until you make a change to one of the options somewhere in this dialog. When you click this button, a dialog pops up prompting you for the name of your preset. A check box below that lets you save it as a public or private preset.
    4. Delete Preset: Removes this preset from the selectable list. It brings up a confirmation dialog allowing you to cancel this command.
  5. Under the Presets, there are several tabs:
    1. Target: Select the targets from the provided list, or use properties or a specific list of computers to target the action.
    2. Execution: Specify the deployment options and constraints, including repeated application and failure recovery.
    3. Users: Determine how this action will respond to the presence or absence of users.
    4. Messages: Provide a message to precede and accompany the action.
    5. Offer: Create an action offering, allowing the user to choose whether or not to apply the action.
    6. Post-action: Describe what actions need to be done to complete the action, including restarts or shutdowns.
    7. Applicability: Allows you to override the original action relevance.
    8. Success Criteria: Create specific criteria that you can use to determine if your action was successful.
    9. Action Script: This tab allows you to create or modify an action script.
  6. Click on the Action Script tab and type in your script. This guide describes the available action commands and provides multiple examples.
  1. Click on the Applicability tab if you would like to fine-tune the targeting of your action script. For more information about the relevance language, see the IBM BigFix relevance Language Reference and the IBM BigFix Inspector Guides.
  2. Click on the Execution, Users, Messages, Offer or Post-action tabs to further customize your action.
  3. When you are ready to deploy your custom action, click OK.
  4. Your custom action will be distributed to all the computers that have been selected or targeted. The actions will be applied using whatever constraints and schedules you have specified.

You can also create actions when you Create Tasks or Create Fixlets. See the IBM BigFix Console manual for more information on these topics.