Populate custom properties using automation

This walkthrough demonstrates how to use automation to populate device custom property values using automation.

Use this workflow to store information not available by default, for example technical, operational, or business-specific device information.

In this guide, you will learn how to:

  • Create device custom properties.

  • Define where the properties apply.

  • Use automation to populate values.

  • Verify and use the results.

Before you begin

Add an automation policy to collect the required information. You can use one of the following:

  • An existing automation policy.

  • A default automation policy, if one is available to collect the required information.

  • A new automation policy created for your workflow.

For information on Automation Policies visit the Automation section.

Create device custom properties

Create the custom properties to store the information collected by automation.

  1. Navigate to Administration > Custom Properties.

  2. Select Add > By Devices > then choose the property type. For this walkthrough, select Text Type.

  3. Enter the Property Name.

  4. Leave the Default blank, or enter a placeholder value to identify unpopulated properties, for example "Not defined".

  5. Under Targets, choose the applicable Operating Systems and Device Classes.

  6. Select Save.

Repeat these steps to create additional properties.

Confirm the properties are applied

After creating the custom properties, confirm they are available on a matching device.

  1. Open a device matching the selection under Targets.

  2. Navigate to Settings > Custom Properties.

  3. Confirm the new custom properties are listed.

Values may be blank at this stage and are populated after the automation policy runs. After confirming the properties are available, configure automation to populate them.

Populate values using automation

The Scheduled Task Profile determines when the automation policy runs and maps the policy output to the custom property.

  1. Navigate to Configuration > Scheduled Tasks.

  2. Select Add to create a new Scheduled Task Profile.

  3. Enter a Name and Description.

  4. In the Details section, select Add.

  5. Select the Credentials to use when the Automation Policy runs.

  6. From Repository Item, select an Automation Policy to collect the information you want to store. For example a public IP address, recovery key, or service state.

  7. Under Output Parameters, select the custom property to store the returned value.

  8. Configure the Schedule and setup any Notifications.

  9. Repeat these steps for each custom property you want to populate.

Values won’t appear immediately, as the automation needs to run first. You can set this up using a Scheduled Task Profile, which uses a rule to target and run against matching devices on a schedule.

Apply the Scheduled Task Profile to device rules

Apply the Scheduled Task Profile to the device rules used for automation.

  1. Navigate to Configuration > Rules.

  2. Apply the automation policy to the relevant devices.

    • For example, assign the policy to Windows workstation or laptop device rules.

  3. Ensure the automation is configured to run for:

    • Existing devices.

    • Devices added to the environment in the future.

  4. Save your changes.

At this stage, the automation policy is associated with the devices and runs based on the configured rule or schedule.

Verify values

  1. Allow the automation policy to run, based on the configured rule or schedule.

  2. Navigate to a device matching the target criteria.

  3. Open Settings > Custom Properties.

  4. Confirm the values have been written to the custom properties.

For example, a custom property displays a collected device value or operational detail from the automation policy. Values update automatically based on its configuration.

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