Pass comments from UI page to sysapproval_approver record

[Matthew Glenn]

hey all,

I have a UI page that I recenty built to accommodate mobile approvals for a custom table and I need to pass text captured from a JavaScript prompt to the comment/journal field on the sysapproval_approver record.

Below is the relevant code I have right now:

HTML/Button

<input type="button" name="comment" value="Send Back" onclick="sendback()" style="background-color:yellow"></input>

Client Script

function sendback() {
   var comments = prompt("Please specify what needs to change on this specific Invoice", "");

   //if comments are entered in the box
   if (comments != ""){
   alert('This Invoice has been sent back so that these adjustments can be made.')
   var approval = new GlideRecord('sysapproval_approver');     
   approval.addQuery('sys_id','=','$[jvar_approval_sysid]');
   approval.addQuery('status','=','requested');
   approval.query();
   while(approval.next()) { 
           approval.state = 'adjustment'; //set approval to 'adjustment'
   //approval.comments.setJournalEntry();         //set approval comments to note section. will be logged and emailed out to submitter
   //approval.setJournalEntry(comments);
   //approval.comments = gel('comment').value;
           approval.update();                                                                             //update approval 
                   var record = new GlideRecord('u_invoices');
                   record.addQuery('sys_id','=',approval.document_id);   //find invoice record with same sysid as approval.document_id
                   record.query();
                   while(record.next()){
                           record.update();                                                                 //update record
                   }
           }
   }
   //otherwise
   else 
   {
   alert("We need to provide a reason when we send this Invoice back to the original submitter. \n\nPlease click on the 'Send Back' button again and specify what needs to be changed.");
   }
         location.reload();
}

Everything works in the above code, with the exception of me not being able to grab the text entered in the 'prompt' and send that to the comment/journal field on the related approval.

As you can see in lines 13-15 I have a few meger attempts at passing the value back, but I just can't seem to write back to the journal.

Can anyone help?

[Matthew Glenn]

The reference to the Jelly variable works quite well, actually. I'm having no issues with there.

I understand what you mean by passing the comments to the processing script. I'll give that a shot next. Thanks!

[Matthew Glenn]

Yep. So I am absolutely stuck here.

Recap: I'm pulling information to a stand alone UI Page from a custom table. I'm then plugging some of that info into the Client Script section (one of a few functions in the Client Script section - note that the code below is updated from the original post):

function backinv(aprSysID) {

   //if comments are entered in the box

       var approvercomment = gel('adjustmentreasons');

   if (approvercomment != ""){

   alert('Thank you. This Invoice has been sent back so that these adjustments can be made.');

       var approval = new GlideRecord('sysapproval_approver');

       approval.addQuery('sys_id','=',aprSysID);

       approval.addQuery('status','=','requested');

       approval.query();

       while(approval.next()) {

       //alert('these are my comments: ' + approvercomment);

       approval.state = 'adjustment'; //set approval to 'adjustment'

       approval.update();                                                                           //update approval

               var record = new GlideRecord('u_invoices');

               record.addQuery('sys_id','=',approval.document_id);   //find invoice record with same sysid as approval.document_id

               record.query();

               while(record.next()){

       record.update();       //update record

       }

       }

   }

   //otherwise

   else

   {

   alert("You need to provide a reason as to why this request is being sent back to the submitter. \n\nPlease click on the 'Send Back' button again and specify what needs to be changed.");

   }

               location.reload();

}

Everything in the Client Script section works as expected. Everything logs/alerts as it should.

My problem now lies in the Processing Script, where I've been working after a suggestion in this thread as well as a few other threads/websites. I'm trying to take the text captured from a text box on the UI Page and plug it into the comments on an approval record.

var approvalsysid = aprSysID;

var approvalcomments = approvercomment;



applycomments(approvalsysid,approvalcomments);



function applycomments(aprsysid,aprcomment) {

var aprwork = new GlideRecord('sysapproval_approver');

   aprwork.addQuery('sys_id','=',aprsysid);

   aprwork.query();

   while(aprwork.next()){

   //aprwork.comments = aprcomment;         //tried but doesnt work

 //aprwork.comments = 'test comment';   //tried but doesnt work

 //aprwork.comments.setJournalEntry(aprcomment);           //tried but doesnt work

 //aprwork.comments.setJournalEntry('test comment');   //tried but doesnt work

 //You might try and point out that there is no actual action here. That is on purpose for this post. All attempts that are commented out above have been tried with no luck



   aprwork.update();

   }

}

So I'm still stuck where I was a few days. I'm unable to write to a journal/comment field from a UI page.

If anyone can assist I'd be forever grateful.

[Jim Coyne]

Just out of curiosity, if you add a gs.log statement within the while loop, does the statement write to the logs?   I'm just wondering if the approval record is even found?   You'll want to make sure the sys_id is actually a string when it is used in the addQuery line otherwise the query may not find the record.

[Kalaiarasan Pus]

where are you calling this UI page ? onclick of approver button in the related list ?

[Matthew Glenn]

It's a stand-alone UI page that we're developing for mobile devices. It's not at all associated with the UI Macros that are typically used for approvals nor a related list on a record, although it provides the same exact functionality as the two.

We had to go with a custom solution as the OOB mobile approval process does not work with a few custom tables we have and a few custom workflows that we use..

Everything works with the exception of the comment/journal functionality.