1. Kion Success Center
  2. Automation
  3. Custom Variables

Managing Custom Variables

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Getting Started

Creating a Custom Variable:

  1. Under Cloud Management, select Custom Variables
  2. If getting started, select Create Custom Variable button
    • If adding additional variables, select “Add” in the top right of the screen
    • New custom variables can also be created from the custom variables tab of OU, Project, and Account details pages, but note that they are still created globally and available for use platform-wide..
  3. Variable Type Selection
    • Standard - if the variable is a single key-value pair
      • Example - key1: value1
    • List - if variable is a single key with multiple associated values
      • Example - key1: value1, key1: value2
    • Map - if variable has multiple keys and value pairs
      • Example - key1: value1, key2: value2
  4. Choose Builder or Text Editor depending on UI preference (List or Map type only). The text editor allows you to paste in many values or key-value pairs at once.
  5. Enter the name for the variable
    • Name cannot contain any spaces or colons
  6. Provide the key:value pairs
    • Key-value pairs need to be separated by a “:”
    • Only one unquoted colon is allowed per line
  7. Description for the variable is optional
  8. Key Validation (Map Type only) - check the box if Custom Variables and any future overrides must adhere to regex validation
    • If checked yes, enter the key validation condition. Click the re2 Syntax article for examples of supported expressions.
    • Enter the validation error message you would like users to see when they do not meet the criteria
  9. Value Validation - check the box if Custom Variables and any future overrides must adhere to regex validation.
    • If checked yes, enter the value validation condition. Click the re2 Syntax article for examples of supported expressions.
      • For Map types, you need to create validation for both the keys and values
    • Enter the validation error message you would like users to see when they do not meet the criteria
  10. Select the users or user groups that should have view, edit, and delete permissions for the custom variable
  11. Confirm the variable information and type are correct and check the box
  12. Create Variable

Editing a Custom Variable:

  1. Under Cloud Management, select Custom Variables
  2. On the variable you want to edit, click the three dot menu to the right
  3. From the edit screen, you can edit the Value Default, Description, add value validation, or change the owners. You cannot edit the variable type.
  4. Additionally, from this edit screen you can “Generate Impact Report”
    • This report shows the policies where the custom variable is being used.

Deleting a Custom Variable:

  1. Under Cloud Management, select Custom Variables
  2. On the variable you want deleted, click the three dot menu to the right
  3. A Delete Custom Variable modal will appear. Check the confirmation box and select delete
    1. If the variable is not currently in use by a policy, it will be successfully deleted.
    2. If the variable is currently in use by a policy, you will be notified that Kion was unable to delete the variable with an option to review it’s current associations.

Managing Custom Variable Overrides

Setting Overrides:

  1. Navigate to the OU, Project, or Account detail pages for where the override needs to be set.
  2. From OU or Project Details, navigate to the “Cloud Management” > “Custom Variables” tab
    • If at Account details, navigate to the “Custom Variables” tab
  3. There are two ways to set an override:
    • Click the “add” button.
      • To override a custom variable that already exits in the system, select “Override Existing Variable” and select from the list.
      • To override a custom variable that had not yet been created, select “Create New and Override.” You will be taken through a workflow to both create a new custom variable and then set an override for it at the level where the workflow began.
    • From the “All” tab, click a custom variable’s 3 dot menu and select “Override.”
  4. When setting an override, depending on the custom variable type, you can override the value(s) or the key: value pairs.

Managing/ Removing Overrides:

  1. To make changes to the values or key-value pairs for a custom variable override, click “Manage” from the override’s 3 dot menu.
  2. To remove a custom variable override, click “Remove” from the override’s 3 dot menu.