PFCG URL using SSM_VAR with two question marks truncating

[Colleen]

HI All

I have a URL within the PFCG menu built suing variables in SSM_VAR. The goal of this is URL is to SSO into Ariba via way of getting SAML ticket from IdP. Within the URL there are some parameters and question marks "?"

The ARIBA_SSO_URL and the IDM_AR_RD parameter both have a questionmark each

If I launch the URL parameter directly from PFCG (right click the node and choose execute) it opens up in the browser and is calculated properly. However, if launching via way of NWBC GUI or NWBC HTML the URL is truncated with the middle part between the two questions marks removed.

above is the truncated URL (hostname and Ariba environment/realm have been blanked out). The middle sections between the two questions marks have been excluded. As mentioned, if launched from PFCG it calculates it properly

Disclaimer: I'm at best a citizen programmer who just spent a while pressing F5 in debug mode. This is what i discovered:

Program: SAPLPRGN_URL_GENERATION

The full URL is calculated after looping though the SSM_VAR parameter values

The code then continues through checking for "?"

    SPLIT url AT `?` INTO url query.

* merge url and query?string paramaters
IF query IS INITIAL.
query = query_string.
ELSEIF query_string IS NOT INITIAL.
CONCATENATE query `&` query_string INTO query.
ENDIF.

But it then splits a second time

Finally it concatenates the left side of the FIRST split with the right side of the SECOND split... and there goes a large chunk of the URL

My end result is the incomplete URL as

CONCATENATE - URL "?" QUERY

If I don't use SSM_VAR or only have one "?" in the parameters the code will work fine.

My questions

1. Is there a limit to use of SSM_VAR for for NWBC URLs in PFCG menu?

2. Is there a different way I should define the URL

3. Am I missing something obvious or time to raise incident with SAP (I attempted to search Marketplace and Google/SCN)

Appreciate any thoughts

Regards

Colleen

[Former Member]

Have you tried encoding the second ? character as %3F

[Colleen]

Hey Samuli

I tried encoding both with the %3F - I realised I forgot to mention that in my post.

the URL is successfully calculated out in full. However, in NWBC when it's clicked it doesn't work. I ran SICF NWBC_TEST to see how the URLs were building the role menu. No missing values occur as there's not question marks.

Maybe I could try one as ? and one as %3F to see if any difference as a single ? can be specified in the SSM_VAR table

Regards

Colleen

[Former Member]

The first one in  IDM_AR_RD should be ?, the one in ARIBA_SSO_URL should be encoded. Actually I would encode all reserved characters after IDM_AR_RD.

[Colleen]

it seems I might be able to get it working if I move the ? to PFCG outside of the SSM_VAR entry

E.g.

<SSO_URL><IDM_SERVER><IDM_PORT><Z_AR1>?<Z_AR_1_5><Z_AR2>?<Z_AR2_5><ARIBA_REALM>

However, it means I'm not able to encode the values like you suggested

I'll try a few difference combinations and also see what SAP comes back with.