Workflow running options

What are the modes of running bots?

In general, we can distinguish two modes of operation of bots:

Direct interaction with graphical interface elements. This principle of operation is necessary to emulate the operation with an application or a web page. In this case, the bot uses the mouse cursor and keyboard input, and since there is only one cursor, only one of the workers (bot-worker or human-worker) can work on the computer at any given time.
Interacting with files, emails, APIs and sometimes web pages (headless-mode) without having to interact directly with the GUI. This mode is usually referred to as background mode. Here are some examples:

Working with files (Excel, Word, Google Sheets, .txt, .json etc.)
Working with email (sending and reading emails, working with attachements)
Document recognition (.pdf, .jpeg, .png, .tiff)
Accessing databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MSSQL, Oracle)
Working with command prompt
Sending HTTP-requests

When the algorithm is running in the background, a person can continue to work on the computer.

Can multiple bots run simultaneously on the same computer?

Yes, it is possible to run multiple bots simultaneously on multiple virtual machines (Bot Runner must be installed on each of them).

When running bots in the background, you can use multiple Windows accounts (you can run Bot Runner on each account and start running the bot).

Can the user work on the computer at the same time as the bot?

Yes, if the actions performed by the bot are not directly related to the graphical interface of applications or websites.

Can I continue to work with applications or websites if a bot is already working with them?

See "What are the modes of running bots?" for more information on this. We don't limit the user's work, but we don't recommend working simultaneously with a bot.

Is it always necessary to provide a separate computer for bots?

This depends on the goals of automation, the business process, and the specifics of your work. As a rule, if we are talking about large-scale automation (complex organization of a large number of bots), then a separate machine (or several machines) or separate Windows accounts are dedicated exclusively to bots. Some of the dedicated machines can be used for different environments. If we are talking about single-point automation (one person's work), then, as a rule, the same machine is used as a person works, but the bot is launched at a time when the person is not working with the computer, for example, during a break or at night.

In general, the most appropriate option is to run bots on virtual machines, including for security reasons: you can limit the range of people who have access to the automated process.

Can I set up bots to run consecutively on the same computer?

Yes, it is possible. To do this, you need to configure the bot launch queue and make sure that the same Bot Runner is assigned to all algorithms. You can also use different integrations (API, Zapier, webhook links, etc.). You can find more information about queues in Orchestrator in this article.

Is it possible to run multiple bots in parallel on multiple computers?

Yes, it is possible. Orchestrator lets you add any number of Bot Runners to the system, and you can distribute runs to those Bot Runners in any convenient format, including multiple algorithms in parallel on multiple Bot Runners.

Web automation

Which browsers does ElectroNeek support?

ElectroNeek supports interaction with Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Internet Explorer. We do not consider alternative browsers and are focused on achieving the best results with the specified browsers as the most popular browsers on the market.

How web elements can be identified to interact with them?

First of all, ElectroNeek Studio Pro provides the Browser Picker tool that enables you to visually highlight the desired element and the system will get all the necessary data about this element. Apart from that, users can use 'CSS' and 'XPath' selectors to identify web elements. Finally, the 'Click on image' or 'Find image' activities can be used as another approach in some complex cases where the websites have tricky/random selectors or behavior.

Is it required to install any extension in order to work with web elements?

If the Google Chrome browser is used, it is required to install the 'ElectroNeek Chrome Automation' in order to identify web elements through the intuitive Web Picker tool. It is not required to install the extension to run the bot. If Internet Explorer is used, there is no need for any additional tools to identify elements or run bots.

Desktop App automation

Does ElectroNeek support interaction with desktop applications?

Yes, this is a very important feature. ElectroNeek indeed can identify desktop app elements and interact with them.

How desktop apps elements can be identified to interact with them?

The “Desktop Picker” tool is used to identify elements similar to the 'Web Picker' tool. The difference is there is no need to install any additional utilities in order for the 'Desktop Picker' to work. Sometimes desktop apps may be designed in a way that it’s impossible to identify their elements automatically. In such cases, users can make use of different approaches such as interactions through images, hotkeys, or coordinates.

Does ElectroNeek support Java apps?

The ElectroNeek platform supports working with Java apps starting from the 6.0 release. You can learn more about interaction with Java apps in this article.

Tables

Which table formats are supported in ElectroNeek?

ElectroNeek can work with Excel tables, CSV files, and Google Sheet documents.

What approaches can be applied to interact with tables?

ElectroNeek can work work with Excel files, CSV files, and Google Sheet documents directly. It means the user just needs to drag and drop the corresponding activities, provide some parameters, and the bot will execute the operations.

Apart from that, Studio Pro has the 'Datatables' group. This group is meant to simplify interaction with tables for some popular use cases. For example, the 'For each row' activity iterates through an Excel/CSV/Google Sheets table’s rows and generates variables for each cell in the row according to the provided template file. This enables users to apply a set of repeated actions to each row. Popular use cases would be adding data from a table to a certain online system or a desktop app.

Finally, users can write macros and apply them to Excel files.

What to do if haven’t found an approach to my problem?

Although a combination of Excel/CSV/Google Sheets activities, that also enable to use of JavaScript in order to set parameters, cover the majority of real use cases, there might be situations when this approach doesn’t solve the problem. In that case, users are free to write their own code and then invoke this code through the 'Command Prompt' activity if they know how to run programs through the Windows command prompt.

Does ElectroNeek support Excel macros?

Yes, we do support macros. A macro must be written in a .vbs file with all corresponding rules of macro creation. Then the 'Execute macro' activity can be used to invoke the macro. Another approach for macros - through Excel’s native instruments - is on our roadmap and expected to appear in 2021.

Debugs and logs

Does ElectroNeek have a debug mode?

Yes, a workflow can be run in the debug mode.

What debug options does ElectroNeek have?

ElectroNeek can perform step into, step out, step over operations that are available in the majority of popular IDEs.

Can ElectroNeek catch and process exceptions?

Yes, every block has the red port which "catches" an exception. If there is a branch coming out of this port, then the corresponding actions will be performed. This behavior is similar to the try-catch operator in programming.

Does ElectroNeek have a centralized exception handling mechanism?

No, ElectroNeek does not provide such a mechanism.

What kind of logs does Bot Runner write automatically?

The only log Bot Runner writes automatically relates to the latest execution of a bot. This log file can be found at

C:\\Users\<User>\\electroNeek\\logs\\electroneek_last_launch.log
Additionally, we have added a new auto logging feature for every step of execution process. It can be enabled in "Settings" → "Performance" menu.

Read more about Bot Runner Logging in this article.

What kind of logs does Studio Pro write automatically?

Studio Pro automatically writes logs for exceptions, for the console output, and for the latest execution. All these logs are located at

C:\\Users\<User>\\electroNeek\\logs
Additionally, we have added a new auto logging feature for every step of execution process. You can enable it in "Settings" → "Execution" menu.

Read more about Studio Pro Logging in this article.

Does Orchestrator have logs?

Yes, every workflow execution is logged and can be found on the “Activity logs” tab on the page specific to the workflow. These logs contain information about when the bot was started, when the bot was finished, and if there was an error during the execution.

Read more about Orchestrator Logging in this article.

Is ElectroNeek integrated with a version control system?

No, there’s no integration with a version control system. At the same time, it doesn’t mean that such a system can’t be used to work with ElectroNeek files.

Programming languages

What is the core programming language in ElectroNeek workflows?

ElectroNeek supports JavaScript natively so that parameters can be set using the JavaScript language. The plarform also supports working with Python. Apart from that, we have the “Command Prompt” activity that can be used for launching scripts in other coding languages.

How to run a program written in a language not supported natively in Studio Pro?

ElectroNeek provides the Command Prompt activity that can be used for launching scripts in any language.

Can ElectroNeek pass and return values to/from subprograms?

Yes, ElectroNeek can do it. Although variables are global in ElectroNeek (apart from those initialized inside the 'Execute JS code' activity) and generally there’s no need to explicitly pass or return values, the possibility itself exists. Variables can be passed or returned through the arrows connecting blocks.

If you need to pass a variable to a subprogram, connect the subprogram block with a block that returns the value, and then inside the subprogram use the 'Save the previous step result' in the desired parameter of the block connected to the 'Start' node.

If you want to return a value from a subprogram, then the last block in the subprogram should naturally return the value and in the outer program, the next block connected to the 'Subprogram' (that returns the value) should have the 'Save the previous step result' option enabled in the desired parameter.

Does ElectroNeek allow to add JavaScript libraries manually

No, ElectroNeek does not support adding any libraries manually. But we have three libraries connected: lodash (see docs), moment (see docs), and mustache (see docs). In the code, they can be called through the keywords _ , moment and mustache respectively.

For example:

_.has(), moment().add(), mustache.render()

Does ElectroNeek support jQuery?

No, ElectroNeek does not support jQuery.

ML/AI capabilities

Does ElectroNeek have its own ML models?

No, ElectroNeek does not have such. But it is possible to use third-party ML models.

Is ElectroNeek integrated with ML tools and model storage?

No, ElectroNeek does not have such integrations but it is possible to use other approaches to interact with them.

I want to integrate an ML model into my RPA bot, how can I do that?

If the model is developed through a third-party service that provides a REST API, then the user can use the 'HTTP Request' activity in order to call the API methods of the service.

If the model is developed and executed locally, then it can be launched through the 'Command Prompt' activity.

Does Studio Pro provide an integrated mechanism for unstructured document data extraction?

No, Studio Pro does not provide such mechanisms.

PDF

Can ElectroNeek read text from editable PDF files?

Yes, ElectroNeek can extract text from PDF files without the need to use OCR.

What methods to work with PDF files are available?

Users can read text from PDF files and split PDF files into images.

Third-party software

Does ElectroNeek have an SAP connector?

No, we don’t have a native integration with SAP. However, our tools such as Desktop Picker, Click on image, and similar can be used to automate SAP.

Does ElectroNeek support Citrix?

No, currently ElectroNeek is not natively integrated with Citrix. Although automating Citrix is indeed a task in some specific cases, it is highly unrecommended to interact with Citrix outside Citrix. The best performance will be seen when ElectroNeek is installed inside a Citrix environment. Apart from that, we have a powerful “Click on image” activity that can help you in case of an emergency.

Does ElectroNeek have a Salesforce connector?

No, there is no Salesforce connector in the platform. However, our web automation tools can be freely used in that case.

What SaaS systems are integrated into the platform?

ElectroNeek is integrated with Zapier, which itself provides a huge variety of SaaS connectors. Some specific SaaS connectors may appear in ElectroNeek directly in the future.

Is it possible to connect your own system to ElectroNeek through API?

It is possible to send HTTP requests to the application that’s needed to be connected.

Is it possible to integrate your own application with ElectroNeek?

No, we don’t have a mechanism that allows a user to freely integrate another application in order to see new activities in the groups.