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Defining Symbolic URL Arguments

Symbolic URL Arguments allow you to configure Portal Agents in several ways. You use symbolic URL arguments for two purposes, to define data to be sent to an external host and to submit commands to SWE that affect the behavior of Portal Agents.

When defining arguments that send data, such as authentication requirements, the Argument Name and Argument Value are appended to the URL as an attribute-value pair. You can define symbolic URL arguments that send data as constants or that dynamically retrieve data from the Siebel database. Symbolic URLs allow you to retrieve data from the user's instantiated Siebel business component, such as Service Request or Account, or retrieve data from the Siebel Personalization business component, such as the user's ZIP Code or Language.

For information about how to determine required data for applications that use form-based authentication, see Determining the Login Requirements.

Symbolic URL arguments also allow you to implement commands which you use to define the behavior of Portal Agents. For usage descriptions of available commands, see Portal Agent Command Reference.

This task is a step in Process of Creating Portal Agents.

To define symbolic URL arguments

1. Navigate to the Administration - Integration screen, and then WI Symbolic URL List.
2. From the drop-down menu, select Symbolic URL Administration.
3. In the Symbolic URL Administration list view, select the symbolic URL that you want to configure.
4. In the Symbolic URL Arguments form, enter the arguments that need to be sent to the external host.

   Some of the fields are defined in the following table:

   Field	Description
   Name	Name of the argument. For arguments of type Constant, Field, and Personalization Attribute, this field defines the exact field name expected by the external application. It is the first part of an attribute-value pair appended to the URL. For argument types of commands, the Name can usually be anything. The only exception to this is for the EncodeURL and PreloadURL commands. For more information, see Portal Agent Command Reference.
   Required Argument	When this field is checked (default) the argument must have a value. If you are configuring an argument that does not have a value, then uncheck the Required field. If an argument has no value and the Required field is checked, then the request is not sent because there is no value to append to the URL.
   Argument Type	The Argument Type determines the source of the data to be send along in the HTTP request. Possible values are: Constant. Sends the value defined in the Argument Value field in the request. Field. Sends the value of a single-value or multi-value field from the current Siebel business component. Profile Attribute. Sends the value of a field from the Siebel Personalization business component. URL Argument. Data comes from the named argument of the current request. Language Value. The user's current language setting; for example, ENU. Command. Implements commands that allow you to affect the behavior of the symbolic URL. For a complete list of commands, see Portal Agent Command Reference.
   Argument Value	The value of the argument varies depending on the Argument Type. Descriptions of possible values for each argument type are described below. If the Argument Type is one of the following: Constant. The Argument Value is the second part of the attribute-value pair that is appended to the URL. Field. The Argument Value defines a field name from the current business component. The data from this field is the second part of an attribute-value pair that is appended to the URL. Profile Attribute. The Argument Value defines a field name on the Siebel Personalization business component. The data from this field is the second part of an attribute-value pair that is appended to the URL URL Argument. The Argument Value defines the name of the argument on the incoming SWE request. Language Value. The Argument Value is left null. Command. The Argument Value typically defines the name of the command. For more information, see Portal Agent Command Reference.
   Append as Argument	When this field is checked (default), the value is added as a URL argument on the outgoing request. If this field is not checked, then the value is substituted in the text of the outgoing URL.
   Sequence	Determines the sequence of the arguments. In some cases the target host requires arguments in a particular order.