readme.md

Powershell module for CA ServiceDesk Manager

This is very much a work in progress and in the current state very basic. For the time being, it handle the creation of a session ( New-Session ) and interogates the API thanks to Get-ApiObject.

There should be a module manifest, a version number, proper documentation and comments-based help, and Pester tests. There isn't for now.

About the internal names

Rather than using names like Do-CasdSomething, I chose to use Do-Something, and the module is to be imported with a prefix, the default one being Casd. It was done because it is likely that the CA ServiceDesk Manager is rebranded when installed. It is the case where I'm writing this module.

I'm still trying to find a nice nomenclature for functions names. Some names will likely change.

Example

Works is being done to create objects easy to manipulate, and the basic bricks for that are working. An example of this would be:

An API record is requested with Get-ApiObject. This object can pass through the Out-UserObject filter. This filter recognized the type of object, and dresses it thanks to pre-written hashtable containing the wanted properties, and the default set of properties.

# 'cnt' is the object type for an user, or contact.
$contact = Get-ApiObject -ObjectType cnt -WhereClause "userid='xplantefeve'"

$contact | Out-UserObject

That last line uses the following properties:

$script:DefaultDisplaySet_cnt = 'Name','UserId','email','Id'

$script:properties_cnt = @(
    @{name='userid';value = { param($o) ; $o.userid }}
    @{name='email';value = { param($o) ; $o.email_address }}
    @{name='phone';value = { param($o) ; $o.phone_number -split ' , ' }}
    @{
        membertype = 'ScriptProperty'
        name       = 'Changes'
        value      = { {
            if ( -not $this.psobject.CachedProperties.ContainsKey('changes') ) {
                $this.psobject.CachedProperties['changes'] = ( Get-ApiObject -Uri $this.psobject.ApiObject.all_chg.link.'@href' | Out-UserObject )
            }
            $this.psobject.CachedProperties['changes']
        } }
    }
)

The object has the properties userid, email, phone and changes, but this last one is not shown by default, it has to be expressely selected.

The user can then be displayed quickly. But if the changes is called, another API call will be run to populate the properties. Additionaly, the result of the call is cached and can be reused.