Update custom field using Powershell and API

[Paul Alexander]

HI

We're trying to update a request using the API from a Powershell script, but nothing is happening (the code runs, and there are no errors, but the request doesn't get updated).

 

The requestId is updated as a global value (we've used this script to update the timeline too, and that works fine) but I can't see why the custom field isn't being updated.

Any thoughts please?

 

thanks

[Victor]

@Paul Alexander there should be an error returned there but perhaps you're not handling the API response there. Anyway, use double quotes (") instead of the apostrophe (')

{"h_custom_a":"Test"}

 

[Paul Alexander]

Hi @Victor

 

Just tried that, and we're getting the error (below). Sorry it's a bit messy, but basically we're trying to call the 'Requests::update' function with the customFields parameters:

 

 

Error message is:

 

Add-HB-Param : Cannot process argument transformation on parameter 'ParamAllowEmpty'. Cannot convert value "System.String" to type "System.Boolean". Boolean parameters accept only Boolean values and numbers, such as $True, $False, 1 or 0. At line:120 char:32 + Add-HB-Param "customFields" "{"h_custom_a":"test"}" + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Add-HB-Param], ParameterBindingArgumentTransformationException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentTransformationError,Add-HB-Param

[Victor]

@Paul Alexander that does not look like a HB message, it looks like something the program/script developer can advise on...

[Paul Alexander]

@Victor the script developer has asked why HB seems to be asking for a 'system.boolean' value when we're trying to use the customFields parameter (Add-HB-Param "customFields" "{"h_custom_a":"test"}") when the template doesn't ask for ANY boolean values?

 

 

 

 

[Steve Giller]

You've got double-quotes within double-quotes, which doesn't work. You'll need to use PowerShell's version of escaping the quotes, which I believe is to double-up like so:

Add-HB-Param "customFields" "{""h_custom_a"":""test""}"

but please check this in the PowerShell documentation because I'm no expert on that.

[Paul Alexander]

For anyone else in this predicament, the code we finally got to work was this (lots of quotes and + signs....I have no idea what all the syntax means but it works...):

 

[BillP]

Here's a similar snippet of code, for those who find all the quotes and + signs confusing:
 

                $requestDetails = $requestOutput.Params.requestDetails | ConvertFrom-Json
                if ($requestDetails.h_custom_t -ne $TPEntity.Id) {
                    [string]$CustomT = $TPEntity.Id
                    $JsonCustomT = New-Object PSObject | Add-Member NoteProperty h_custom_t $CustomT -PassThru | ConvertTo-Json
                    Add-HB-Param -ParamName "requestId" -ParamValue $requestDetails.h_pk_reference
                    Add-HB-Param -ParamName "customFields" -ParamValue $JsonCustomT
                    $requestOutput = Invoke-HB-XMLMC "apps/com.hornbill.servicemanager/Requests" "update"
                    if ($requestOutput.Status -ne "ok") {
                        #
                        Write-Host "failed to set custom_t to $CustomT"
                    }
                }

What's going on here is that I'm using the h_custom_t field to store an external reference from Hornbill to the software development team's own SCRUM tracking system - the Hornbill Request Details are in $requestDetails and the SCRUM tracking story Id is in $TPEntity.Id

If they don't match (which they won't, because up till now there's only been a one-way link), then I copy the Id into  a new string $CustomT, and create a custom object from it, with a single, named field.  ConvertTo-Json does the heavy lifting.  Importantly, if the custom field itself contained quotes or other unusual characters, the ConvertTo-Json will take care of any necessary escape sequences or code conversions.

Barely a quote in sight!