Many of us in the Maximo space are appreciative of the power of automation scripts, however, might not be entirely familiar with various scripting languages like Javascript, Python and their API.

How is Python different to Java and Script?

Python created by Guido Van Rossum, was first released in 1991 and is currently powering big players like Netflix and Instagram. Guido compares Python to languages like Java or Swift but points out a critical difference between Python and the latter two. He contends that Java and Script are great resources for software developers and programming, but Python should be utilised by those who code to handle data.

~ Netflix and Instagram are both powered by Python ~

Jython – a product of Java and Python

Jython – a value-added version of Python is a language that runs on the JVM. Jython’s pivotal strengths include scripting as well as exploring and debugging code. Jython’s interpreted nature allows users to work simultaneously with Java without a compiler and manipulating live objects on the fly. Essentially, Jython has birthed from merging Java and Python together.

~ Jython is a product of Java and Python ~

One of the key advantages of using automation script is that it allows users to utilise the power of multiple languages. A simple example would be to check if an attribute in Maximo has been set. Sometimes when we call getString(“DESCRIPTION”) we receive a NULL value back and at other times we receive a blank string. In Java we must write both checks like getString(“DESCRIPTION”)!=null and getString(“DESCRIPTION”)!=””. In Jython, this process is simplified as we can just say mbo.getString(“DESCRIPTION”) and it will handle both scenarios.

Below are a few techniques in Jython that were used in a recent Maximo integration project.

1. DateTime formatting

The ‘external’ system would send their date in the format dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm, while Maximo’s MIF would only accept dates in the format yyyy-MM-dd’T’HH:mm:ss.
After conducting some research into this issue, we found that instead of using Python’s date time conversion API, we could use the good old Java’s SDF (Simple Date Format) in the script.

duedate = erData.getCurrentData(“TARGETFINISH”)
dateFormat = “dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm”
sdfServer = SimpleDateFormat(dateFormat)
cTime = sdfServer.parse(duedate)
erData.setCurrentData(“TARGETFINISH”,cTime)

Note that once I have parsed the string into date, all I had to do was set the value. I didn’t have to explicitly format it to yyyy-MM-dd’T’HH:mm:ss. What makes it possible to do that? Contact us for the answer

2. Split a string

The requirement was to split the value from Long Description field based on the sub-string ‘NOTES:’, and it was implemented using the split function of Python.

desc = erData.getCurrentData(“DESCRIPTION_LONGDESCRIPTION”)
desc1,desc2 = desc.split(‘NOTES:’,1)

3. Truncate a string

DESCRIPTION attribute of the object only accepts 100 characters, and hence the incoming value had to be truncated as below.

propdesc = erData.getCurrentData(“DESCRIPTION”)
propdesc = propdesc[:99]
erData.setCurrentData(“DESCRIPTION”,propdesc)

Automation scripting features in Maximo 7.6.1.1

A scripting editor has been embedded in automation script application. The latest version of Maximo has the following features:

• Syntax highlighting and Line numbers for improved readability
• Collapsible code blocks
• JavaScript validations prior to save
• Auto-complete reserved words, common functions, etc for Python and JavaScript
• Supports some auto-completion of existing variables and methods
• Tab will indent the code instead of taking you to the next Maximo Field
• Supports Ctrl-z for Undo

If you’d like to learn more about automation scripting, here is an IBM link that gives you a list of web pages showcasing various other techniques. Any comments or further queries, please contact me via BPD Zenith.