What are Commands & Scripts?

Supported Scripts

1. Bash
2. Batch
3. PowerShell
4. Python
5. VBScript

Local execution vs Remote execution

1. Local Execution: Commands and script files are executed on your local machine. When triggered in a workflow, the On-Prem Agent accesses the script/command from the local machine and runs it. This functionality is perfect for tasks within the local environment.
   
2. Remote Execution: Here, commands and script files are executed on a remote machine connected to a private network. Upon trigger, the On-Prem Agent executes the command or script on the specified remote machines. This is beneficial for centralized control and management in an organization.

Common use-cases

1. Data processing operations, such as file conversions, data transformations, and quality checks.
2. File and directory operations, such as automating backup processes, FTP file sharing, renaming, moving, or deleting files and directories in bulk.
3. Sending notifications and alerts to remote machines based on triggers or events.
4. Network operations such as mapping network drives, querying network status or configuration.

Automating command and script executions

1. Install the On-Prem Agent
2. Add your commands or scripts to the agent's dedicated file
3. Create a Commands & Scripts app connection
4. Configure your action
5. Switch on the flow

1. Install the On-Prem Agent

2. Add your commands or scripts to the dedicated file

1. Navigate to the agent's directory and locate the scripts.properties file (...../FlowAgent/user/script/script.properties)
2. Add your commands/scripts using the following parameters:
   
   name: The display name of the command to be shown when configuring the action
   
   working_directory: The full path of the folder where the command or script should be executed
   
   arguments: The input arguments that you want to pass to the command or script from your workflow. These parameters will appear as fields when you configure your action. Arguments must be separated by commas. Append 'mandatory' before an argument value. Example: mandatory:source, destination
   
   command: The command you want to execute. The command should be reframed with a $ prefix for the arguments. For example, cp /home/sourcefile /home/destination must be written as cp $source $destination
   
   or, if you are configuring a script,
   
   script: The absolute path of the script file's location
   
   timeout_in_seconds: The duration for the command or script to finish executing, after which the process will be terminated. Maximum timeout = 120 seconds.
   
   output_required: Whether you want the output to be recorded and displayed in the flow's history. If set to false, only the status of the execution will be shown.
   
   output_local_save: If set to true, a log file will be created under user/script/output and the output will be added to the log file. If an output exceeds the limit of 10000 characters, a truncated output will be displayed in the flow's history. Full output can be viewed in the log file if this option is set to true.

An example of how a command is added:

1.name=List 

1.working_directory=/Users/Zylker-08/ 

1.arguments=mandatory:directory 

1.command=ls -l $directory 

1.output_required=true

An example of how a script is added:

12.name=HTML 

12.working_directory=/Users/Zylker-08/script/ 

12.arguments=mandatory:content 

12.script=/Users/Zylker-08/script/html.vbs

Important notes: 

1. You need to add a number and a period as a prefix to all parameters of a command/script to map them together using unique identifiers. Do not use the same prefix for different commands/scripts. However, the prefix need not be in any particular order.
2. Once you've used a command/script in a flow, do not change the prefix of that particular command/script's parameters.
3. The maximum timeout you can set for a script execution is 120 seconds, over which the execution will be terminated automatically.
4. You need to provide all the necessary permissions to execute your scripts in your machine.
   

1. Add host=1.2.2.2 for the command to be listed when configuring actions for the host 1.2.2.2 alone.
   
2. Add host=*, for the command to be listed for all remote hosts.
3. Add host=*/1.2.2.2, for the command to be listed when configuring actions for all host machines except 1.2.2.2.

An example of how a command is added for remote execution:

1.name=List 

1.working_directory=/Users/Zylker-12/script 

1.arguments=mandatory:source,mandatory:destination 

1.command=cp$source$destination

1.host=1.1.1.1 

1.output_required=true

An example of how a script can be added:

12.name=CreateFolder 

12.working_directory=/Users/Zylker-12/script/batch 

12.arguments=mandatory:FolderName

12.script=/Users/Zylker-12/script/batch/CreateFolder.bat 

12.host=1.1.1.1

Important notes: 

1. You need to add a number and a period as a prefix to all parameters of a command/script to map them together using unique identifiers. Do not use the same prefix for different commands/scripts. However, the prefix need not be in any particular order.
2. Once you've used a command/script in a flow, do not change the prefix of that particular command/script's parameters.
3. The maximum timeout you can set for a script execution is 120 seconds, over which the execution will be terminated automatically.
4. You need to provide all the necessary permissions to execute your scripts in your machine.
   

3. Restart the agent

4. Create a Commands & Scripts connection 

1. Drag and drop the required action to your flow.
2. If there are no other Commands & Scripts connections in your account, click Connect. Otherwise, click +New.
   Alternatively, you can create a new connection by navigating to Settings, then clicking Connections. Click Create connection and choose Commands & Scripts.
3. Choose an on-prem agent that you've already created.
4. Enter a connection name.
5. In the case of Commands & Scripts (Remote), you'll also need to configure the following fields:
   Host: The name of the machine where you want the commands/scripts to be executed.
   Username: The username of the target system where you intend to execute commands or scripts.
   Password: The password of the target system where you intend to execute commands or scripts. Ensure you have appropriate permissions to access and execute commands on this machine.
   Port: The port through which your primary machine accesses the remote machine. Usually, the port is 22.
6. Click Authorize.

5. Configure the action

1. Create a new flow.
2. Navigate to Logic on the left panel.
3. Drag and drop a Commands & Scripts action based on your particular requirement such as the script language, and whether you want to run it in your local machine or want to run it remotely.
4. While configuring the action, choose the connection that you created in the earlier step from the connection dropdown.
5. Choose the command or script that you want to execute from the Commands/Scripts dropdown.
   Note: For remote execution actions, only the commands and scripts allow-listed for the respective hosts will be displayed.
6. Once you choose the command or script, the arguments configured in the scripts.properties file associated with the selected command or script will be displayed as separate fields. Map them with the relevant variables from the previous steps or manually type in the values.
7. Click Done.
8. Test the flow once, and switch it on.

Actions available in Zoho Flow

Actions (both local and remote executions)

Common Problems