Workflow Utilities – Echo method

Workflow Utilities is not a well known business service, one of the reason for this is bad documentation. It may not be well known BS but it has a method name ‘Echo’ which is quite important and useful to know especially if you are working in Siebel EAI. I knew a bit about this business service and Echo method but never used it until few days back while exploring different solutions for my Outbound Web Service example.

I found it really useful, but was disappointed to see that there were no working example available on web about its usage. True, some useful info was available on Siebel Notes and a little theoretical information was available in bookshelf but nothing that could really show me how to use it. So, I am here to share few working examples of Workflow Utilities – Echo method with you guys.

Before we actually start with working examples let’s understand Echo method property first. Bookshelf explanation of Echo method is:

“The Echo method of the Workflow Utilities business service returns a mirror image of the input arguments. Echo copies its inputs to its outputs.”

This is quite an important line to understand if you really want to make use of Workflow Utilities BS and its Echo method. Let me try to explain it in more simple way if it is not already clear.

If you try to use this business service in workflow or if you have a look at Echo method in Siebel tools you will notice that, this method has no input or output arguments.

Which means you can input anything in it and according to bookshelf it just copies the same thing in output argument. Now you must be thinking , if I just get what I give as an input how can that be helpful?

Well, using Echo method and dot (.) notation combination in input arguments you can:

• Retrieve a property from Property Set
• Set a property in Property Set
• Extract an element value from XML Hierarchy
• Set an element value in XML Hierarchy
• Extract part of a property set

I will be providing examples of all the above mentioned operations in this Workflow Utilities Echo method series.