Surveys and Custom Templates

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you’ll be able to:

  • Understand how surveys work in Ansible Automation Platform job templates

  • Modify surveys on job templates to enhance the user experience

  • Trigger synchronization between AAP and Self-Service Portal

  • Import custom dynamic templates from Git repositories

  • Launch and use custom dynamic templates to provide advanced automation experiences

  • Understand the difference between surveys and custom dynamic templates

In the previous section, you experienced the Self-Service Automation Portal with the different user personas. In this section, you will modify surveys on some job templates. See the results in Self-Service portal. Then you will import a custom dynamic template.

FOR BEST RESULTS…​ When logging in and out of Ansible Automation Platform AND Self-Service portal as different users, PLEASE CLOSE AND RE-OPEN YOUR BROWSER IN PRIVATE MODE (New Incognito Window) to ensure you are logged in / logged out as the correct user.

What are surveys in Ansible Automation Platform?

In Ansible Automation Platform (AAP), surveys are interactive forms within Job/Workflow Templates that prompt users for input (like text, choices, passwords, etc.) at launch, capturing these answers as extra variables to dynamically customize automation playbook runs. Surveys are a powerful way to make automation more user-friendly and adaptable without editing code.

Modify the survey on a job templates. Then see the results in Self-Service portal (auto synchronization)

Log in to the Ansible Automation Platform with the {aap_admin_username} user and password {aap_admin_password}.

Modify the surveys on a job template for the RHEL team

  • Expand the Automation Execution menu on the left.

    • Automation Execution → Job Templates.

  • Select the job template Linux/RHEL START Service on RHEL.

AAP Job Template Editor for 'Linux/RHEL START Service on RHEL': Navigation tabs at top show Details

  • Click on the Surveys tab.

    • Click on the +Create survey question button.

    • In the Question field type Do you want to ENABLE the service (starts after a reboot)?.

    • In the Answer variable name field type enable_service.

    • Change the Answer type to Multiple Choice (single select).

    • Add the following options:

      • Yes (Check the Default Option checkbox)

      • No

    • Scroll down and click on Create survey question to save the survey question.

Survey Question Creation Form: (1) Question field - enter text 'Do you want to ENABLE the service (starts after a reboot)?' exactly as shown

  • You will now see the 3 survey questions in the job template.

Modifications to the job template are automatically synchronized to the Self-Service portal on a regular interval (configurable in the Self-Service Portal Helm chart). However, you can also trigger an instant synchronization of the job templates manually by clicking on the Sync now button while logged in as the {aap_admin_username} user in the Self-Service portal.

  • Log in to the Self-Service Portal as {aap_admin_username} with password {aap_admin_password}. You will see all the job templates.

    • Use the Sync now button to synchronize the Job Templates from Ansible Automation Platform to the Self Service automation portal. This will take a few seconds to complete.

    • When prompted for the AAP synchronization options, select Job Templates and click on Ok.

Self-Service Portal Sync Dialog: After clicking 'Sync now' button in top menu area

  • Log out of the Self-Service portal as {aap_admin_username}.

  • Log in to the Self-Service Portal as rheluser1 with password {aap_admin_password}. You should see the RHEL job templates.

    • Run the job template Linux/RHEL START Service on RHEL by cliking Start on that job template tile.

Job Template Launch Form as rheluser1: Portal shows 'Linux/RHEL START Service on RHEL' template launch wizard. Survey questions section displays the newly added question 'Do you want to ENABLE the service (starts after a reboot)?' with dropdown or radio button options for user selection. Additional existing survey questions also visible. Form shows Next button to proceed through wizard and Create button on final step to launch the job with selected survey answers

  • You will see the survey question Do you want to ENABLE the service (starts after a reboot)? in the job template.

  • Select Next and click on Create to run the automation job.

That was a quick look at how survey modifications to a job template are automatically synchronized to the Self-Service portal. Now let’s move on to the next section where you will import a custom dynamic template.

Import a custom dynamic template

Custom dynamic templates are templates that are stored in a Git repository and are imported into the Self-Service portal by an administrator. They are used to create new sophisticated, enterprise-ready templates that provide more advanced options than what surveys can offer.

Let’s go ahead and import a custom dynamic template.

  • Log in to the Self-Service Portal as {aap_admin_username} with password {aap_admin_password}.

  • In the top right corner, click on the Add Template.

  • You will be prompted to Select URL. This will upload the custom dynamic template from a URL.

    • Copy and paste the following URL into the Select URL field.

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ansible-tmm/ssap-lab/main/customtemplate/rhel_dynamic.yml
Add Template Interface in Self-Service Portal: Dialog shows 'Select URL' option selected. Text input field labeled 'Repository URL' expects Git repository URL for custom template YAML file. Paste the GitHub raw content URL (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/…​) into this field. Blue 'Analyze' button at bottom right processes the template URL and validates YAML structure before import

  • Select Analyze to analyze the custom dynamic template.

  • You will see the Review details.

  • Click on Import to import the custom dynamic template.

Custom Template Review Screen: Displays parsed YAML template details including: (1) Template name 'Manage RHEL Time Servers'

  • When you see Step 4 Finish the custom dynamic template will be imported successfully.

Import Success Screen: 'Step 4 Finish' heading with green checkmark icon. Success message states 'Template has been imported successfully' or similar confirmation. Template name 'Manage RHEL Time Servers' appears with imported status. Close or Done button returns to templates catalog where newly imported custom template now appears in template list

  • You will now see the custom dynamic template in the Templates list with a title of "Manage RHEL Time Servers" (may include clock emoji icon in the UI)

Launch the custom dynamic template from the Self-Service portal

Log in to the Self-Service Portal as rheluser1 with password {aap_admin_password}. You should see the RHEL job templates and the new custom dynamic template you imported titled "Manage RHEL Time Servers"

Portal Template Catalog as rheluser1: Template tiles display showing mix of standard RHEL job templates (red tiles) like 'Linux/RHEL START Service'

This custom template, is backed by another job template in Ansible Automation Platform. If you look at the URL of the yaml template you imported you will see the job template it is launching. In that yaml template there’s a section that looks like this:

    - id: launch-job
      name: Update Time Servers
      action: rhaap:launch-job-template
      input:
        token: ${{ parameters.token }}
        values:
          template: RHEL / Update RHEL Time Servers
          inventory: ${{ parameters.inventory }}

So this custom template is launching the job template RHEL / Update RHEL Time Servers. However the user will see many more options to choose from when they launch the custom template!

  • Launch the custom template (as the rheluser1 user) by clicking on the Start button.

  • Examine the options available to the user.

  • Enable the Show Advanced Options? checkbox. Notice this provides many more options to the user.

  • Select the options you like. Then advance to the last step and click on Create to run the custom dynamic template automation job.

Custom Template Launch Wizard: Multi-step form for 'Manage RHEL Time Servers' showing: (1) Inventory selection dropdown to choose target RHEL systems

As you can see, custom dynamic templates provide a lot of flexibility to the user.

Learning outcomes

By completing this module, you should now understand:

  • How surveys work in Ansible Automation Platform - Surveys are interactive forms that prompt users for input at job launch time, making automation more user-friendly without requiring code changes

  • The synchronization workflow between AAP and Self-Service Portal - Changes to job templates and surveys in AAP automatically sync to the portal at regular intervals, or can be triggered manually

  • How to enhance the user experience with surveys - Adding survey questions provides dynamic input options while maintaining simplicity for end users

  • What custom dynamic templates are - Git-backed templates that provide sophisticated, enterprise-ready automation experiences beyond what surveys can offer

  • How to import and use custom templates - Custom templates can be imported from Git repositories and provide advanced options, conditional logic, and rich user interfaces

You have now completed this module. You’ve learned how to modify surveys on a job template, synchronize changes to the Self-Service Portal, and import and launch custom dynamic templates from Git repositories.