This content applies solely to Appian RPA, which must be purchased separately from the Appian base platform. |
Appian RPA provides several actions to make it easier to develop a robotic process. You can use low-code actions to configure a robotic process more quickly and easily. Java modules are also available for specific actions and use cases.
Low-code actions streamline the robotic process development process. You don't need to use Java to set up and configure actions in a robotic process workflow. Instead, you'll select options from a menu and configure which variables to use. If you're an Appian developer getting started with Appian RPA, you'll find the low-code actions familiar. Although your robotic process may be complicated, development using low-code actions is simple and accessible.
Similar to the Interface Designer, the Actions Palette shows you the actions that are available to add to the robotic process. Use the search bar to quickly find an action by name or browse the list of actions. You can find these low-code actions in the Actions Palette on the Robotic Process Designer:
Just getting started? Use the following table to find the action that can help you automate common tasks:
I want to… | Suggested action |
---|---|
Capture text from a website | Get attribute (Browser) |
Capture text from an application | Get attribute (Windows Automation) |
Log in to a website | Interact with element |
Fill out a web form | Interact with element |
Start an Appian process | Start process |
Evaluate business logic | Evaluate expression |
Send or retrieve application documents | Upload document Download document |
Start a robotic subprocess | Execute robotic subprocess |
Move files on the resource | Move a file or folder |
Delete files on the resource | Delete a file or folder |
Find and click an icon on the desktop | Locate image |
Paste text | Set clipboard value and Press keyboard shortcuts |
There are also general actions that help make your processes more organized and flexible: Action Groups and Loops.
Action groups help you organize actions that work together to achieve a desired outcome. For example, you may want to organize your workflow so that login actions are contained in an action group.
To add an action group to the workflow, click and drag Action Group from the Actions Palette to a section.
Loops repeat actions until a condition is satisfied. Use the Loop action to process items in a list such as files in a directory or line items on an invoice. RPA supports the following loop types:
false
.Loops can't repeat more than 1000 times.
In the following example, the loop will execute the Create a folder and Copy a file or folder actions until the Loop Expression returns false
.
To add and configure a Loop action:
Action expressions in loops can reference function variables. Supported function variables in loops include:
Function Variable | Description | While | Repeat | For Each |
---|---|---|---|---|
fv!index |
The current iteration of the loop, starting at 1. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
fv!isFirst |
true for the first iteration of a loop, otherwise false . |
No | Yes | Yes |
fv!isLast |
true for the last iteration of a loop, otherwise false . |
No | Yes | Yes |
fv!itemCount |
The total number of loop iterations. | No | Yes | Yes |
fv!item |
The current item. | No | No | Yes |
To add an action to the workflow: