ITPAM Email approval workflow is not working due to characters like [font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;]: sent by Outlook after upgrading Office 365

Products

• CA Service Management - Service Desk Manager
• CA Process Automation Base
• CA Service Catalog
• CA Service Desk Manager

Issue/Introduction

Issue:
Using Outlook Catalog emails are getting updated with corrupted characters due to which in ITPAM approval process is not working.

Steps:

-> After Microsoft has rolled out changes to Office 365, all HTML emails via Outlook are sent via characters " Error [font-family:"Cambria Math";  panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;]:"

-> Due to this ITPAM is unable to approve emails sent from Catalog. 

-> This works fine when using emails in plain text.

Environment

Release : 17.3

Component : Catalog - Email

USVCT 17.3 RU3 + ITPAM 4.3.05

Cause

Office 365 (after latest upgrade) sends out Emails in HTML format(This is applicable only for the customers who are using Email PDA approval in their PAM process)

When the email sends in the HTML format, the existing EmailApproval.xml process(OOTB process shipped from Service Catalog) fails to process it (in the upgraded office 365)

 

Resolution

This is addressed by SE in the defect DE65423 and fix is included in 17.3 RU 16. However need to follow steps post applying the patch:

1.  Apply 17.3 RU16 Service Catalog
2. Login into Service Catalog as administrator and navigate to Administration->Configuration→CA Process Automation-
3. Click on Launch and navigate to ITPAM application and login into it with admin credentials
4. Navigate to Library→click on CA SLCM folder on the (on the folder tree structure located in the left hand side.)
   
5. Click on "EmailApproval" process
   
   
6. Click on "checkout" button located on the toolbar
   
7. Select "Extract email info" and click on the "source code" button under the "Run Javascript" in the right hand side.
   
8. Here replace:
   
   Process.reqInfoStart = ApprovalMailBody.indexOf("{");
   Process.reqInfoEnd = ApprovalMailBody.indexOf("}");
   Process.reqInfo=ApprovalMailBody.substring(reqInfoStart+1, reqInfoEnd);

          
         with

         Process.reqInfoStart = ApprovalMailBody.indexOf("^#{");
         Process.reqInfoEnd = ApprovalMailBody.indexOf("}#^");
         Process.reqInfo=ApprovalMailBody.substring(reqInfoStart+3, reqInfoEnd)

Before Change:


After Change:

 

9.Click on "OK" button.

10.Click on the "Checkin" button→ popup comes→click on the check In button

11.Note: Please take the backup of EmailApproval.xml before making changes to it.