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Low-code robotic task actions put the power of robotic task automation in your hands, without having to use Java. You can configure these actions by adding values to parameters in the robotic task definition configuration and storing returning values as robotic task variables.
On this page, you will learn how to create and configure a low-code robotic task. This page also describes how to integrate the robotic task in your application using a process model.
For guided walk-throughs on how to create robotic tasks using Java, see the RPA tutorials. These tutorials describe specific steps to create robotic tasks with defined purposes. This page talks about the same steps, but more generally and at a high level.
Robotic tasks are created in the Appian RPA console.
Each robotic task is created from a template. Templates provide you with a zip file containing your robotic task's source code and a pre-built definition in the robotic task configuration. If you're developing a robotic task using purely low-code functionality, you can disregard this package. However, if you plan to use low-code and Java modules, you'll want to save this file. See Custom Code Development for information on how to develop robotic tasks with Java.
To create a new robotic task:
Most low-code robotic tasks will use the default values for Group, Version, and Repository.
After creating a robotic task, you are taken to the robotic task configuration. This page allows you to add general and technical information about your robotic tasks, create the robotic task definition, add support files, and modify your security.
This section explains how to configure two key aspects of your robotic task: creating robotic task variables and building your robotic task definition. To learn about the other configuration options available, see Configure a Robotic Task.
Robotic task variables are placeholders for data that can be accessed throughout the lifecycle of a robotic task. These variables can be called in your robotic task definition to pass data between actions, and even between your robotic tasks and your other application design objects. See Using Robotic Task Variables for an example of how variables pass data between robotic task definition actions, and even between your robotic task and other design objects.
To create robotic task variables:
You may want to configure your robotic task so it waits to execute until you provide it with some necessary data. For example, before the robotic task executes, you want to provide a path to a file that needs to be used, or a username that the robotic task should enter in a browser.
These inputs are created from robotic task variables marked as Parameters. These values become input fields in the robotic task's Execution options.
You can only pass one value per parameter to the robotic task when executing the robotic task from the console. You won't be able to pass an array, for example. To pass multiple list values in the input field, you need to use the runWithParams endpoint in your integration object to execute the robotic task.
Robotic tasks follow the steps defined on the Task tab of the robotic task configuration. It guides the robotic task's operations and determines the starting point and which actions to accomplish.
Depending on the template you selected when you created the robotic task, you may have some preexisting actions appear in your robotic task definition.
Actions require the robotic task to perform a specific task before continuing with the next action. Similar to the Interface Designer, the Actions Palette shows you the actions that are available to add to the robotic task. Use the search bar to quickly find an action by name, or browse the list of actions within each module.
To add an action to your robotic task definition:
When you add an action to the robotic task definition, the configuration options appear in the Configuration Pane within the designer. The configuration options vary based on the action you're adding.
To configure an action:
pv!
and concatenate variables as needed.is stored as
) or add the value as a multiple-value variable (is appended to
).A robotic task may need to call a username and password to log in to a website. To pass this information securely, robotic tasks use credentials. You can add credentials in the console and refer to them in a robotic task without exposing the information. You can configure a robotic task to use credentials through the Browser, Windows Automation, and Keyboard modules.
During a robotic task execution, Appian reserves the credential entries being referenced. If the same credential is being used by other robotic tasks and reaches its maximum usage, Appian waits and tries to reserve the credential again. If the credential is still unavailable, the robotic task fails and you'll see an error message in the execution log.
Next, add the credentials to your robotic task. Remember you'll only see credentials that share permissions with you and the robotic task. In this example, the robotic task is logging in using a web-based portal, so it's best to use the Browser module. Building a robotic task to log into an application? You can use the Type text action in the Keyboard module or the Interact with element method in the Windows Automation action to input credentials.
When the robotic task reaches this part of the robotic task definition, it populates the chosen field with the username associated with the credential. If the credential has a maximum usage limit, the credential will be automatically reserved at this point as well. The credential is released when the robotic task execution ends. If your use case requires you to release the credential before the robotic task execution ends, you can use custom code to release a credential earlier in the robotic task, rather than at the end.
Add another action directly after this one to populate the password:
When you're finished, click SAVE CHANGES in the toolbar.
You can use a robotic task to retrieve documents from a legacy system and send them to Appian. Automating this process can be especially helpful if you're dealing with a large volume of files, or if you want to use Appian's document extraction suite to manage the information they contain.
First, create a robotic task and configure it to retrieve the files from another system. In this example, the robotic task downloads PDFs from a web portal:
After the robotic task completes this action, the file should be downloaded on the host machine. Take note of where the downloads are saved; you'll use this path in the next action.
Next, configure the Upload Document action in the robotic task definition:
Continue building and configuring other components of your robotic task definition. When the robotic task executes, it will download the file to the host machine and then send them to Appian.
The robotic task designer allows you to quickly configure conditional flows. Conditional flows are decision points for a robotic task's execution, where the path of the flow adjusts based on specified conditions. The results of conditional actions determine the path the robotic task will follow. Use conditional actions to make your robotic tasks more dynamic. For example, if a web element is present, copy the value; otherwise, add an error message to the log.
Conditional actions only return true
or false
and include:
When you place conditional actions in the robotic task definition, they automatically generate Yes
or No
flows to configure. Actions that return true
map to Yes
flows; actions that return false
map to No
flows. Add actions to the resulting flows just as you would for the main robotic task definition.
To add a conditional action:
If your conditional action is more complex than just yes
or no
values, considering using the Evaluate expression method from the Appian Services module to create an if
statement.
Yes
and Now
flows to indicate which actions should execute depending on the condition.You may want to configure actions to occur before or after the robotic task's main robotic task definition executes. Before an execution, you may want to prepare the host machine by opening and logging into an application. Similarly, when your robotic task completes, it should reset the host machine to its original state.
Each robotic task includes default Setup and Clean up sections in the robotic task definition where you can configure these actions, such as closing any open applications or terminating any background programs.
You don't need to add the setup or clean up section to the main robotic task definition because these actions are important to ensuring a stable and predictable robot. Appian calls these sections automatically during a robotic task execution.
To configure setup or clean up actions:
Now that you've created the robotic task, you can integrate it with a new or existing process model in Appian. This way, you can choose how and when the robotic task starts in the context of a broader business process. Although there are multiple ways to execute a robotic task, this section will focus on how to use the Execute Robotic Process smart service in a process model.
Before you get started, you'll need to create a service account and generate an API key.
Next, create the connected system to establish a connection with Appian RPA.
The Execute Robotic Process integration can be called from the smart service in the process model. Configure the integration after you create the connected system object:
Now that you've set up the connection, it's time to put it to use:
variables
as an output. If a robotic task variable is a CDT, you can reference a specific field using dot notation.Finally, you'll want to consider how to display or use the results of the robotic task. How you display the results is determined by your goal. If you're sharing a set of this information with others, an Appian record in your application could be a good option. Alternatively, if you're looking to troubleshoot or optimize your robotic task (notably in the development phases), you might want to take a look at the Execution Details in the Appian RPA console.
This section describes both approaches. Learn how to create a record type and populate it with details from a CDT, and how to create a record-powered grid.
Appian records aggregate and display your data to provide users with information they need, whether to act or be informed. When a robotic task execution concludes and sends information back to Appian, it's time to use it in your application.
See Create a Record Type to learn how to display robotic task results alongside your other Appian data.
Sometimes it's more helpful to view all information about a robotic task, including metadata about the execution. All of these details are available in the Appian RPA console.
To view execution details: