Home Developers Release Notes OpenBots Studio v1.3.0 Release Notes

OpenBots Studio v1.3.0 Release Notes
[Notes]
  • As a result of the addition of Arguments and consolidation of the command packages this release provides a particular challenge as far as script conversions. It is the recommendation of the OpenBots development team that users replace any “Run Task” commands in their upgraded scripts to allow for Arguments to be properly populated. During the conversion process, the configured variables will be removed from the existing commands and will need to be linked through created Arguments in the child scripts.
  • To mitigate issues with users potentially loading duplicate commands packages we will be removing the non-consolidated packages from the Gallery.
[New Features]
  • OpenBots Studio
    • Advanced UI Recorder – Contextual Recording
      • The Advanced UI recorder now allows the user to record interactions on any selected application without selecting the intended application beforehand.
      • An initial application selection is still required to begin the recording.
      • When a new application is interacted with an “Activate Window” command will be utilized in the recorded sequence to perform the context switch.
    • Recently Opened Projects
      • An option to view and open recently accessed projects through the Project Manager has been added.
    • Gallery Types in Project Manager
      • Users are now able to select from the different categories of Gallery items retrievable through the provided tool in the Project Manager.
    • Consolidated Commands Packages
      • Consolidated the existing command packages into the below categories:
        • OpenBots.Commands.DataManipulation
        • OpenBots.Commands.SystemAutomation
        • OpenBots.Commands.UIAutomation
        • OpenBots.Commands.Microsoft
        • OpenBots.Commands.Core
        • OpenBots.Commands.Server
        • OpenBots.Commands.API
        • OpenBots.Commands.Database
        • OpenBots.Commands.IEBrowser
        • OpenBots.Commands.NLG
      • This change has reduced the size of the installer significantly, and resulted in a loading time reductions of ~80%.
    • Arguments Support for Scripts
      • Arguments allow for users to pass data between scripts, which can then be placed into variables.
      • Arguments have configurable directionality to allow for input or output.
      • The main script will have it’s arguments populated based on the scheduled Job parameters, and an in/out option will be provided in the next patch.
    • Variables/Arguments Pane
      • A set of UI panes have been provided to allow users to view/edit variables and arguments without accessing the Variable/Argument managers.
    • Capture Window Name Helper
      • Added a helper to Desktop Automation commands to assist with the capturing of window names.
    • Command Installation
      • Scripts are now forced to be reloaded when a new command package has been installed, and will prompt the user to save any scripts as necessary.
    • Command/Dependency Storage Location
      • The core package installation location has been moved to a repository in the application installation location.
      • When launching the application for the first time for a particular user a first-time user setup will be performed using the packages in this folder.
    • New Commands
      • Sort Datatable
        • Added a new command that allows the user to sort datatables based on a specified column.
      • Filter Datatable
        • Added a new option to filter a datable based on a specified condition.
      • Dictionary Key/Value Pair Manipulation
        • Added a set of commands to allow for the manipulation of Key/Value pairs in dictionaries.
      • Command Updates
        • Remove DataRow Command
          • Added the option to remove a row by passing the index or the datarow variable.
        • Split Text Command
          • Added functionality to the Split Text command for multiple delimiters to be applied.
        • Environment Variable Command
          • Implemented a blacklist of variables to prevent discrepancies between Studio/Agent executions.
        • Run Task – Script File Selection Enhancement
          • The explorer will now open to the Project path by default.
          • When selecting a file the Project Path in the path will be replaced with the provided variable.
        • Allow Scroll for Show Message
          • Provided a scroll bar to allow for the viewing of extremely long messages.
        • Window Commands Timeouts
          • Added timeouts to the Window commands to accommodate situations where an application is not yet finished loading.
        • Get Outlook/IMAP Emails – Include Embedded Images
          • An option is now provided to exclude embedded images when downloading email attachments. (This allows for the exclusion of signatures)
        • Activate Cell/Activate Range
          • Renamed the Active Cell command to better reflect it’s functionality.
  • OpenBots Agent
    • Instance Based Encryption
      • The encryption schema for the Agent credentials have been modified to be specific to the Agent instance.
    • Attended Execution
      • Support for both local and server deployed attended execution has been added.
      • By utilizing the Launch Attended Mode feature, users are able to run published processes from the local machine or the Server.
    • NuGet Feed managers
      • NuGet feeds can now be managed through the agent to better support Agent-only installations.
    • Dependency Installation at Runtime
      • A first time user setup will occur similar to that of the Studio to initialize the default packages for execution on startup.
    • User Specific Instances
      • Instances of the Agent are now entirely user specific, creating a new environment variable and package directory as necessary when launching for the first time.
      • This will allow for support to execute automations by utilizing multiple agents on the same machine in the next patch.
[Fixes]
  • OpenBots Studio
    • Append Sheet – Existing Sheet Bug
      • If the user attempts to append a sheet that already exists a new sheet with a default name will no longer be created.
    • Begin Retry Command – Condition Error
      • Corrected an exception thrown when utilizing if conditions.
    • Send Server Email Command
      • Emails will now be properly sent for the specified account name.
    • Define Database Connection
      • Utilizing the Test Connection will no longer throw errors for valid connections.
    • Get IMAP Emails Command
      • Now functions as expected when provided variable inputs.
    • Generate Documentation
      • Corrected an exception related to command consolidation.
    • Command Editing During Execution
      • Commands can no longer be edited during script execution.
    • Set Variable – JSON Format Null Error
      • JSON values will no longer be improperly detected as variables.
    • Non-C:\ Drive Installations
      • Adjusted the manner if which locations are referenced to better support installations on secondary drives.
    • Advanced UI Recorder – Elements Not Captured
      • Improved element detection method in the recorder.
    • Sequence Command
      • Removed unnecessary functionality from the Sequence command form, and resolved several issues.
    • Surface Automation
      • Captured reference images will now be properly saved consistently.
  • OpenBots Agent
    • Spaces in Paths
      • Spaces in the execution path will now be referenced properly in the execution automation.
    • Project Decompression
      • Subdirectories included in the project package file are now properly represented during decompression.
    • Heartbeat Properties
      • The Agent now properly sets the LastReportedX properties when performing heartbeats.
[Known Issues]
  • OpenBots Studio
    • The Remote Desktop Manager does not currently save the entered information. This form is currently the subject of a refactor operation.
    • The Remote Desktop commands do not properly initialize an RDC session.
    • Errors in user scripts are currently only known during execution. Further validation could be provided to end users during command creation.