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Extending product function
Learn how to extend the function of HCL Launch.
Plug-ins
The HCL plug-ins provide tools for creating component processes and integrations. HCL plug-ins provides plug-ins for several common deployment processes, and others are available to integrate with a wide variety of tools, such as middleware tools, databases, and servers.
Creating plug-ins
You can create your own plug-ins for use with HCL Launch. A plug-in consists of XML files and supporting script files that the plug-in requires.
Plug-in steps: The step-type element
You define plug-in steps with the step-type element; each step-type element represents a single step in the HCL Launch process editor.
Plug-in step icons
A keyword in the description determines which icon is displayed in the plug-in step.

Extending product function
Learn how to extend the function of HCL Launch.
- Plug-ins
  The HCL plug-ins provide tools for creating component processes and integrations. HCL plug-ins provides plug-ins for several common deployment processes, and others are available to integrate with a wide variety of tools, such as middleware tools, databases, and servers.
  - Creating plug-ins
    You can create your own plug-ins for use with HCL Launch. A plug-in consists of XML files and supporting script files that the plug-in requires.
    - The plugin.xml file for automation plug-ins
      An automation plug-in is defined with the plugin.xml file.
    - Creating source plug-ins
      Source-type plug-ins are defined the same way that automation-type plug-ins are defined except for some modifications to the plugin.xml file.
    - Plug-in steps: The step-type element
      You define plug-in steps with the step-type element; each step-type element represents a single step in the HCL Launch process editor.
      - Step properties: the properties element
        The properties element is a container for properties, which are defined with the property tag.
      - Plug-in step icons
        A keyword in the description determines which icon is displayed in the plug-in step.
    - The command element
      Steps are run by starting the scripting tool or interpreter that is specified by the <command> element. The <command> element's program attribute defines the location of the tool that runs the command.
    - The post-processing element
      When a plug-in step's <command> element finishes processing, the step's mandatory <post-processing> element runs.
    - Upgrading plug-ins
      This example shows how to upgrade a plug-in.
    - The info.xml file
      Use the info.xml file is required for each plug-in. It describes the plug-in and provides release notes to users for each version.
    - Automatically importing objects from plug-ins
      You can add objects to plug-ins so that they are automatically imported when the plug-in is installed or upgraded. Objects include applications, components, component templates, and processes. For example, you can add a component template that implements a standard process to a plug-in, so that the plug-in user does not have to create the component template.
  - Example plug-in
    A plug-in consists of one or more steps. A step represents a unit of functionality that can be user-configured and combined with other steps into a process. Creating a plug-in consists in defining its individual steps and then grouping them together for presentation in HCL Launch.
- Creating notification templates
  Notification templates are the basis for emails that the server sends to users after an event occurs on the server. You can create customized notification templates by modifying the default templates provided, or by creating new templates of your own.
- REST API reference
  You can use these REST interfaces to automate tasks.
- Command-line client (CLI) reference
  CLI is a command-line interface that provides access to the HCL Launch server. It can be used to find or set properties and to run numerous functions.
- Process-as-code feature
  Programmatically manage processes with PAC language.

Plug-in step icons

A keyword in the description determines which icon is displayed in the plug-in step.

In most cases, the first word in the description of the plug-in step determines the icon that is displayed. The following table shows the available icons, the keywords that are associated with the icons, and whether the keyword must be the first word in the description.

Table 1. Plug-in step icons
Step keyword	Keyword must be the first word in the description	Image name	Displayed image
Activate	Yes	start
Add	Yes	add
Allocate	Yes	allocate
AppCmd	Yes	shellArgs
Approval	No	setStatus
Assign	Yes	set
Associate	Yes	link
Batch Import	Yes	import
Cancel	Yes	stop
Change	Yes	modify
Check	Yes	check
Configure	Yes	configure
Copy	Yes	copy
Delete	Yes	delete
Deploy	No	deploy
Define	No	modify
DesiredInventoryAction	No	process
Disable	Yes	stop
Download	No	download
Each	No	runProcess
Enable	Yes	start
Execute	Yes	start
Export	Yes	export
Flip	Yes	flip
FTP	Yes	ftp
Get	Yes	read
Import	Yes	import
Install	No	install
Launch	Yes	deploy
Link	Yes	link
Modify	Yes	modify
Monitor	Yes	monitor
Move	Yes	move
Manual Task	No	manualTask
Process	Yes	runProcess
Publish	Yes	publish
Read	Yes	read
Reboot	Yes	restart
Recycle	Yes	recycle
Register	Yes	create
Receive	Yes	receive
Retrieve	Yes	receive
Restart	Yes	restart
Revert	Yes	revert
Rollback	No	revert
Run	No	runProcess
Run Groovy Script	Yes	runScript
Send	No	send
Shell	Yes	shell
Shell (with xargs)	Yes	shellArgs
Start	Yes	start
Stop	Yes	stop
Set	Yes	set
Submit	Yes	setStatus
Sync	Yes	sync
Terminate	Yes	stop
Unzip	Yes	unzip
Untar Tarball	Yes	unzip
Update	Yes	sync
Upload	Yes	upload
Upgrade	Yes	upgrade
Undeploy	Yes	undeploy
Uninstall	No	uninstall
Untar	No	unzip
Validate	Yes	setStatus
Verify	Yes	check
View	Yes	monitor
Wait	Yes	wait
WebSphere®	No	websphere