Escaping Commas When Using ChoiceList

codylc
New Member

Posts: 10

Escaping Commas When Using ChoiceList Jul 25, 2019 20:36:54 GMT

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Post by codylc on Jul 25, 2019 20:36:54 GMT

I'm trying to use the ChoiceList feature with a list of OU Distinguished Names. However, because an OU's distinguished name is full of commas, UI++ is breaking up a single OU path into multiple values.

For example, a variable like this which has three separate values:
"OU=Dallas,OU=Clients,DC=domain,DC=local","OU=Fort Worth,OU=Clients,DC=domain,DC=local","OU=Arlington,OU=Clients,DC=domain,DC=local"

...when fed through the ChoiceList feature, turns into a list of values 12 like this:
OU=Dallas
OU=Clients
DC=domain
DC=local"
"OU=Fort Worth
OU=Clients
DC=domain
DC=local"
"OU=Arlington
OU=Clients
DC=domain
DC=local

Log looks something like this:
Found <Input> Action: LocationChoice UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

Initiating <Input> Action: LocationChoice UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding Choices from list: '""OU=Dallas,OU=Clients,DC=domain,DC=local","OU=Fort Worth,OU=Clients,DC=domain,DC=local","OU=Arlington,OU=Clients,DC=domain,DC=local""' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding values from list: '""OU=Dallas,OU=Clients,DC=domain,DC=local","OU=Fort Worth,OU=Clients,DC=domain,DC=local","OU=Arlington,OU=Clients,DC=domain,DC=local""' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding alternate values from list: '' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding Choice: '""OU=Dallas', value: '""OU=Dallas', alternate value: '' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding Choice: 'OU=Clients', value: 'OU=Clients', alternate value: '' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding Choice: 'DC=domain', value: 'DC=domain', alternate value: '' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding Choice: 'DC=local"', value: 'DC=local"', alternate value: '' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding Choice: '"OU=Fort Worth', value: '"OU=Fort Worth', alternate value: '' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding Choice: 'OU=Clients', value: 'OU=Clients', alternate value: '' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding Choice: 'DC=domain', value: 'DC=domain', alternate value: '' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding Choice: 'DC=local"', value: 'DC=local"', alternate value: '' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding Choice: '"OU=Arlington', value: '"OU=Arlington', alternate value: '' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding Choice: 'OU=Clients', value: 'OU=Clients', alternate value: '' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding Choice: 'DC=domain', value: 'DC=domain', alternate value: '' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding Choice: 'DC=local""', value: 'DC=local""', alternate value: '' UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

* Adding <ChoiceInput> Input: Select the locaton this device will exist in. UI++ 7/25/2019 3:31:02 PM 313168 (0x4C750)

I've tried probably a dozen different ways of wrapping these values in quotes or single quotes and I haven't found the magic combination of escaping the commas yet.

Any idea how to tackle this?

Last Edit: Jul 25, 2019 22:28:50 GMT by codylc

Jason
Administrator

Posts: 485

Escaping Commas When Using ChoiceList Jul 26, 2019 3:12:41 GMT codylc likes this

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Post by Jason on Jul 26, 2019 3:12:41 GMT

Today, no. It breaks a choice list based on commas and semi-colons.

For your above example though, there's no reason to list the entire distinguished name in the list though. Your list could simply be the sub-OU names which are in turn used to create a distinguished name in a subsequent TSVar action that prepends OU= and appends OU=Clients,DC=domain,DC=local to a new variable (or the same even).

codylc
New Member

Posts: 10

Escaping Commas When Using ChoiceList Jul 26, 2019 14:41:40 GMT

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Post by codylc on Jul 26, 2019 14:41:40 GMT

Thanks Jason, both for the speedy response and for all of your effort around UI++.

Unfortunately, our real OU structure is far more complicated than my example suggests. We're managing domain joins across multiple domains and each domain has their own OU structure. Making matters worse, that structure isn't exactly predictable. There lies the real problem, but an OU redesign isn't going to happen overnight.

In the meantime, I had resorted to using PowerShell to dump the OUs' distinguished name and shortened canonical name to their own txt file, ingest them into UI++ as variables, then show the user a shortened canonical name with the distinguished name value added as an alternate value. I got everything working up until I noticed the OU path was breaking at the commas.

Back to the drawing board

Last Edit: Jul 26, 2019 14:42:40 GMT by codylc

ctwyatt New Member Posts: 3	Escaping Commas When Using ChoiceList Jan 29, 2020 22:19:10 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by ctwyatt on Jan 29, 2020 22:19:10 GMT I also used PowerShell and CanonicalName, but instead of DistinguishedName as alternate value, I use powershell again to convert CanonicalName to DistinguishedName and write that to another TS variable.

Escaping Commas When Using ChoiceList

Post by codylc on Jul 25, 2019 20:36:54 GMT

Post by Jason on Jul 26, 2019 3:12:41 GMT

Post by codylc on Jul 26, 2019 14:41:40 GMT

Post by ctwyatt on Jan 29, 2020 22:19:10 GMT

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