Field type validation differences between Day 0 and Day 2 actions in Aria Automation

Products

• VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

• In VMware Aria Automation 8.x, you may notice that the built-in field type checks performed during Day 0 (initial provisioning) requests are not automatically applied to Day 2 (post-provisioning) actions.
• While Day 0 requests perform a preliminary type check before moving to the validation framework, Day 2 actions skip directly to the custom validation logic. This can result in inconsistent error handling or validation failures during post-provisioning operations.

Environment

 

• Product: VMware Aria Automation 8.x

• Component: Service Broker / Custom Forms

 

Cause

• This behavior is a known design difference in the validation lifecycle between the initial provisioning service and the post-provisioning action framework.
• Day 2 actions do not utilize the same automated "pre-validation" layer for field types that is present in the standard catalog request process.

Resolution

To achieve consistent validation and error handling for Day 2 actions, you must manually implement type-checking logic within your Custom Forms:

1. Define Explicit Return Types: Edit any VMware Aria Orchestrator (vRO) actions used for field values. Ensure the return types exactly match the expected field type (e.g. use string instead of Any).

2. Add External Validation:

   • Navigate to the Custom Form editor for the specific Day 2 action.

   • Select the field requiring validation.

   • Under the Constraints tab, add an External Validation action.

   • Configure the vRO action to check the input type and return a custom error string if the input is invalid.

3. Manage Required Fields: Use explicit "Required" constraints or provide default values for mandatory fields to avoid generic system errors during form submission.