Question 16

Explanation

The Targeting methods used by the Unified targeting method to identify the Required UI Element are:

• Selector

• Fuzzy Selector

• Image

Targeting methods

Modern activities will cycle through the stacked options Selector, Fuzzy Selector, and Image to determine the most reliable option. This targeting technology is called Unified Targeting method.

Modern Design also uses Native Text targeting method. It helps to automate legacy applications, in which UI elements aren't correctly defined.

When using classic activities, the selector is the most common targeting method for UI elements (99% of the time). In scenarios where it's unreliable, you have the possibility to manually change the update Activity to use fuzzy selectors or anchors.

Use Application/Browser

UiPath.UIAutomationNext.Activities.NApplicationCard

Description

Opens a desktop application or web browser page to use in UI automation. After you add the activity and indicate the application or web page to use, add the activities to perform in the application inside the Use Application/Browser activity. If the application is not already open, it is opened when the project is executed.

Note: This activity can be used in Cross-Platform projects. You can read more on what cross-platform projects are here, and you can see what UIAutomation activities are compatible with this project type here.

https://docs.uipath.com/studiox/docs/tutorial-working-with-ui-automation

Note:

• Starting with UIAutomation v20.10.x, multiple Use Application/Browser activities can be nested into each other. This enables you to automate multiple applications simultaneously.

• Starting with UIAutomation v21.10.3, the Use Application/Browser activity can open applications in remote environments.

• Starting with UIAutomation v22.10.1, the activity can also open browsers in remote environments.

Configuring the Activity

In the Body of the Activity

• Click Indicate Application to identify the application by moving the mouse to its window and clicking it. If the target is a browser web page, navigate to the page before you indicate the application.

• After you indicate the target:

• Manage the target by clicking Menu

  
  and selecting the following options:

  • Indicate target on screen - Indicate the application again.

  • Highlight Target - View the indicated application on your screen surrounded in a box.

  • Show informative screenshot - View a screenshot of the target application or web page.

• You can launch a new instance of the application or a new browser session, retaining the current configuration settings, by using the

  
  button next to the Application Path (in case of an application) or Browser URL (in case of a browser) field. If opening a Browser via this button, please note that all configurations made in the Options - Browser property section are applied, thus enabling you to test the behaviour of the activity at design time, mitigating possible failures at run time.

• Configure application launch settings:

• If the application is a web browser, you can click Plus

  
  on the right side of the Browser URL field, and then use one of the options in the menu to edit the URL of the web page to open.

• If the application is not a web browser, you can specify parameters to pass to the target application at startup from the Application arguments field. For example, if the target application is Acrobat Reader, you can open a specific PDF file by providing the full path to the file. To open the file C:\Sample.pdf, click Plus

  
  > Text, and then enter C:\Sample.pdf in the Text Builder. Certain application types are automatically identified and autofill the Arguments property, such as Java apps, Office Suite apps, Adobe Acrobat, or Windows File Explorer.

• If the application is not a web browser, you can click Plus

  
  on the right side of the Application path field, and then use one of the options in the menu to edit the full path of the executable file to open. For applications installed in user mode, the automation does not save the actual path that includes the username, a relative path is used and displayed in the field as User Folder.

Note: When the path defined in the Application path field is dynamic, clicking Indicate target on screen in child activities generates an error if the target application is not already open.

Properties

Common

• Continue on error - Specifies if the automation should continue even when the activity throws an error. This field only supports Boolean values (True, False). The default value is False. As a result, if the field is blank and an error is thrown, the execution of the project stops. If the value is set to True, the execution of the project continues regardless of any error.

• DisplayName - The name displayed for the activity in the Designer panel. A display name is automatically generated when you indicate the application.

🚧 Important! The display name of the Use Application/Browser activity is also used as a reference that points to the application or browser that is being targeted. After indicating the target, unless manually set, the display name is automatically changed to the following format:

• For Applications: Use Application: [title] - [app name]

• For Browsers: Use Browser [browser type] : [title]

In the case of nested application cards, each activity inside a card displays a drop-down menu in its body which enables you to choose the application card you want to use it with.

• Timeout - Specify a number of seconds for which to wait for the activity to be executed before throwing an error. The default value is 30 seconds.

  
  

Note: When indicating a window in a Remote Desktop environment, the Timeout default setting is set to 60 seconds.

Input

• Unified Target Application - Expand this category to configure the following settings:

  • Arguments - If the application is not a web browser, you can specify parameters to pass to the target application at startup. You can use this property to open a specific file with the application. For example, if the target application is Acrobat Reader, you can open a specific workbook by providing the full path to the file. To open the file C:\Sample.pdf, enter "C:\Sample.pdf". Certain application types are automatically identified and autofill the Arguments property, such as Java apps, Office Suite apps, Adobe Acrobat, or Windows File Explorer.

  • File path - If the application is not a web browser, specifies the full path of the executable file to open. If a file path is specified, the URL property is cleared.

Note: When the path defined in the File path field is dynamic, clicking Indicate target on screen in child activities generates an error if the target application is not already open.

• Selector - An XML fragment that stores the attributes of a user interface element.

• URL - If the application is a web browser, specifies the URL of the web page to open. If a URL is specified, the File path property is cleared.

Input/Output Element

• Input Element - The target element you want to use with this application, stored in an UIElement object. This object can be retrieved from the Output Element property of another UIAutomation activity. You can use this property field to pass the target element from a previous activity to this one without having to indicate it again. This field supports only UIElement variables.

• Output Element - Outputs the target element indicated in this activity to an UIElement variable which can then be reused in other activities. This field supports only UIElement variables.

Misc

• Private - If selected, the values of variables and arguments are no longer logged at Verbose level.

Options

• Close - Select when to close the target application after the automation executes all the activities added inside this activity: Never (never close the application), IfOpenedByAppBrowser (close only if the application was opened by the automation), or Always (close the application every time).

• Input mode - Select which method the Robot should use to interact with the target application:

  • Hardware Events - Uses the hardware driver to perform the action. This is the slowest method, it cannot work in the background, but it is compatible with all desktop apps.

  • Simulate - Simulates the action using accessibility APIs. Recommended in browser automation, Java apps, or SAP. More reliable than Hardware Events. Sends all text in a single action. Works even if the target application is not in focus. Please test if your target application UI element supports this.

  • Chromium API - Performs actions using debugger APIs. Works only for Chromium elements. Sends all text in one go. Works even if target app is not in focus. For more details, check out this page.

  • Window Messages - Sends the mouse and keyboard input through Win32 messages. Recommended for desktop apps. Usually more reliable than Hardware Events. Sends all text in a single action. Works even if target app is not in focus. Please test if your target application UI element supports this.

  • Background - Runs actions in the background. Tries to use either Simulate or Chromium API where possible, while complex activities (image, native text) run as usual, in the foreground. It is highly recommended to use this method with the Verify Execution feature.

  
  

Note: Using the Background Input Mode with Universal Windows Platform applications is not supported, which means apps of this type cannot be automated in the background.

• Open - Select when to open the target application for the execution of the automation: Never (never open the application), IfNotOpen (open only if the application is closed, this is the default selection, only works if the File Path or URL fields are populated), or Always (open another instance of the application even if one is already open, only works if the File Path or URL fields are populated).

• Resize window - Defines whether the application/browser is resized when initialized.

  • None – No resize is applied to the application/browser.

  • Maximize – The application/browser is maximized when initialized.

  • Restore to current size – The application/browser is resized and moved to the position and size it had when indicated, if possible.

  • Minimize – The application/browser is minimized when initialized.

• Window attach mode - Defines where inner activities search for their target elements.

• Application instance - Inner activities search the indicated application instance, including all parent and child windows (alerts, popups, etc). Other instances of the application are excluded.

• Single window - Inner activities search only in the indicated window.

Options - Browser

• Incognito/private window - If selected, opens the new browser session in incognito/private mode. By default, this check box is cleared.

• User Data Folder Mode - The UserDataFolderMode you want to set. It is used to start the browser with a specific user data folder.

  • UserDataFolderMode.Automatic - Picture In Picture mode uses a different folder than the default mode, automatically generated if UserDataFolderPath is not set.

  • UserDataFolderMode.DefaultFolder - Uses the default browser folder, no matter if it runs in the main or PIP session.

  • UserDataFolderMode.CustomFolder - Uses the folder specified in UserDataFolderPath or an auto generated path if UserDataFolderPath is not set.

• User Data Folder Path - The user data folder that the browser uses. Defaults to %LocalAppData%\UiPath\PIP Browser Profiles\BrowserType if not set.

More details about User Data Folder Mode and User Data Folder Path can be found here.

• WebDriver mode - Indicates how the WebDriver is used when opening a new browser session. The following options are available:

  • Disabled - Disables the use of WebDriver.

  • WithGUI - The GUI of the browser is displayed.

  • Headless - The browser is launched silently, with no GUI.

More details about WebDriver can be found here.

https://docs.uipath.com/activities/docs/n-application-card