Disclaimer

Your use of this download is governed by Stonebranch’s Terms of Use, which are available at https://www.stonebranch.com/integration-hub/Terms-and-Privacy/Terms-of-Use/

Overview

Slack is a messaging app for business that connects people to the information they need. By bringing people together to work as one unified team, Slack transforms the way organizations communicate.

This Universal Extension creates a Slack Bot that provides the capability to directly interact with Universal Controller, by executing Slack Commands.

Version Information

Refer to Changelog for version history information.

Software Requirements

This integration requires a Universal Agent and a Python runtime to execute the Universal Task.

Software Requirements for Universal Template and Universal Task

Requires Python 3.7.0 or higher. Tested with the Universal Agent bundled Python distribution.

Software Requirements for Universal Agent

Both Windows and Linux agents are supported.

• Universal Agent for Windows x64 Version 7.1.0.0 and later with python options installed.
• Universal Agent for Linux Version 7.1.0.0 and later with python options installed.

Software Requirements for Universal Controller

Universal Controller Version 7.1.0.0 and later.

Network and Connectivity Requirements

UE Slack Bot needs outbound connectivity with Slack , which is achieved by using WebSockets, connected in port 443. Additionally, it needs HTTPS outbound connectivity to the Universal Controller for the bot to answer Slack Commands.

Key Features

This Universal Extension provides Slack Commands that let a user gain information about reports, agents and task instances, or even alter the latter. These commands are the following:

Additionally, this extension provides the following features:

• Help Menu: Quick access to all available commands.
• Graphical & CLI interface: Trigger automation commands both through popup dialogs and "command-line" style interface.
• Audit: Keep a detailed audit log on Slack users' interaction to the UAC Bot and the UAC.
• Security & fine-grained access control (ACL): Limit the access to the UAC Bot using a private Slack channel (only members of this channel will be able to use the UAC Bot) & manage the level of access of your Slack users, on a resource level (making sure that the right users have access to available resources & actions).

How to Start 

This extension is shipped with in-Slack dialogs available to your users, in order for them to be introduced to the basic Slack Bot functionality and provide on-going access to help menu. Here is a list of example screenshots that provide a step-by-step approach to a user for getting familiar to Slack Bot and successfully executing one Slack Bot command.

Step 1: Introduction of the Slack Bot to the users is done at the setup phase, where the Slack Bot greets the channel users with a small and informative message, guiding them on the next actions they could take.

Step 2: The help menu is available to the users whenever they need a list of available commands, from which they can even trigger the corresponding popup dialog (help menu is available though command /uacbot help).

Step 3: Triggering a Slack command from a popup dialog is helpful, as the dialog provides guidance on the available parameters and their values.

Step 4: Slack Bot command results are provided in-channel, with simple and informative messages.

Import Universal Template

To use the Universal Template, the following steps need to be followed:

1. This Universal Task requires the Resolvable Credentials feature. Check that the Resolvable Credentials Permitted system property has been set to true.

2. To import the Universal Template into your Controller, follow the instructions here.

3. When the files have been imported successfully, refresh the Universal Templates list; the Universal Template will appear on the list.

Modifications of this integration, applied by users or customers, before or after import, might affect the supportability of this integration. For more information refer to Integration Modifications.

Slack Application Installation & UC Extension Configuration

In order to use the Slack Bot extension, it is required to:

1. Create a Slack Application in your workspace.
2. Configure a slack channel for the UAC Slack bot to operate in.
3. Configure the extension to connect to the Slack Application.
4. Initialize channel participants and verify user access.

Those steps are described in detail in the following sections.

Slack Application Creation

Create Application

In order to create a new Slack Application in your workspace, the following steps using an admin account in your Slack workspace needs to be executed:

1. Navigate to the page which displays the applications created in your workspace: https://api.slack.com/apps
2. Select option: "Create an app".
3. Chose option: "From scratch".
4. Set App Name: "Stonebranch UAC Bot".
5. Set the workspace that the application will be installed in.
6. Press button "Create App", which should result to web browser redirection to the application settings page.

Create Application Token

The first configuration needed in this new application is to create an App-Level token, from the "Basic Information" page:

1. Scroll down to "App-Level Tokens" section .
2. Press "Generate Token and Scopes".
3. In the popup provided:
   • Add some token name (e.g. "app_token").
   • Add scope: "connections:write".
   • Press "Generate" button and copy the Token that was just created, it will later be used as input to the "Slack App Token" field of the Slack Bot task.
4. Close the popup and verify the new token is listed in "Tokens" list.

Apply application configuration

Most of the application configuration needed will be applied through a Manifest file, but on top of this, it is needed to do some additional configuration by hand.

Apply application Manifest file

Navigate to "App Manifest" section (navigation bar on the left) and follow the steps:

1. Select "YAML" preview.
2. Override the App Manifest with the following configuration:

display_information:
  name: Stonebranch UAC Bot
  description: Integrate Slack Workspace with UAC platform
  background_color: "#000000"
settings:
  org_deploy_enabled: false
  token_rotation_enabled: false
  socket_mode_enabled: true
  interactivity:
    is_enabled: true
  event_subscriptions:
    bot_events:
      - app_mention
features:
  app_home:
    home_tab_enabled: false
    messages_tab_enabled: false
    messages_tab_read_only_enabled: false
  bot_user:
    display_name: UACBot
    always_online: true
  slash_commands:
    - command: /uacbot
      description: Send commands to UAC Bot
      usage_hint: " [command] [parameters]"
      should_escape: false
oauth_config:
  scopes:
    bot:
    - app_mentions:read
    - channels:read
    - chat:write
    - commands
    - files:write
    - links:write
    - users:read
    - groups:read

3. Press "Save Changes".

4. After this step make sure the following settings are set correctly:

• Basic Information > Add Features and functionality > Slash Commands: Only one command was created with name '/uacbot'.
• Basic Information > Add Features and functionality > Event Subscriptions: Should be enabled, and socket mode identified as enabled.
  • "Subscribe to bot events" list includes only event "app_mention".
  • "Subscribe to events on behalf of users" list should be empty.
  • "App unfurl domain" list should be empty.
• Basic Information > Add Features and functionality > Bots:
  • Verify that Display Name (Bot Name) equals "UACBot".
  • Verify that Default Name equals "uacbot".
  • Verify that "Always Show My Bot as Online" is checked.
  • Verify that Show Tabs > Home Tab is disabled.
  • Verify that Show Tabs > Messages Tab is disabled.
• Basic Information > Add Features and functionality > Permissions:
  • Verify that in Scopes > Bot Token Scopes list only these scopes are included:
    • app_mentions:read
    • channels:read
    • chat:write
    • commands
    • files:write
    • links:write
    • users:read
  • Verify that Scopes > User Token Scopes list is empty.

Application installation in workspace

1. Navigate to "OAuth & Permissions" (navigation bar on the left).
2. In section "OAuth Tokens for Your Workspace", select "Install to Workspace", review the requested permissions (they should match the Bot Token Scopes mentioned in previous section), and approve installation.
3. After successful installation, the web browser will be redirected back to "OAuth & Permissions" page, and a "Bot User OAuth Token" should now be available. Copy the Bot Token that was just created, it will later be used as input to the "Slack Bot Token" field of the Slack Bot task.

Application Icon

The final step in application configuration is setting the application icon that will be visible in all responses the Slack Bot will be posting. To set this up the following steps are required:

1. Navigate to "Basic Information" (navigation bar on the left).
2. Scroll down to the "Display Information" section.
3. Upload the icon provided here:

Configure a slack channel

After creating the new Slack Application, using again a Slack admin account, follow the steps:

1. Create a new private Slack channel in your workspace (naming is not important).
2. Copy the channel ID from the channel info (right click on channel -> get channel details), it will later be used as input to the "Slack Channel ID" field of the Slack Bot task.
3. Do not invite any Slack users to this channel yet.

Configure Universal Task

For a new Universal Task, create a new task, and enter the required input fields.

Input Fields

The input fields for this Universal Extension are described below.

ACL

ACL (Access Control List) is responsible for granting or denying permissions to your Slack users, on accessing specific functionality & resources on UC, through Slack commands. The access rights granted can be fine-grained, using rules that describe the explicit access right for a specific user, providing his e-mail local part(what everything is included before @ symbol) on a specific resource type and the corresponding action on that resource.

Permissions

The default permission (that is used even if it is not explicitly provided in configuration) is DENY for all users on all resources, meaning that by default no Slack user can run any Slack command. Users will be able to use the available Slack commands when rules that permit such actions are added to the ACL. More than one rules can be created for each user, so it is possible for your users to have different access rights per resource. Also this integration supports rules that can be used to specify access rights for multiple users and/or multiple resources, using the wildcard character '*'. This makes it easier to provide access rights to multiple users with a single access rule, but it should be used with caution.

Permissions Evaluation

The ACL rules are evaluated sequentially from the first to the last one, and access to a resource is provided either when an explicit rule is found that grants permission or if no rule denying permission is found in the list.

Permissions Configuration

The ACL configuration is based on UC Scripts (of type Data Script), and more specifically expressed with JSON format. It is expected to be consisted of rules for each user, where each rule has the following fields:

ACL Rules to Slack Command Mapping