Level 1 - Beginner

Introduction

Welcome to Robot Studio Course Level 1 - Beginner! This course is designed to introduce you to the basics of Robot Studio and provide you with a solid foundation for creating RPA workflows. Whether you're new to automation or already have some experience, this course will help you understand key concepts and techniques to build effective workflows.

Throughout this course, we will cover various topics, starting with an overview of Robots and Workflows. We will then explore Activities, Variables, and Arguments, which are the building blocks of your automation process. Next, we'll delve into Input & Output, where you'll learn how to handle data input and output in your workflows. We'll also cover important aspects of handling files, manipulating data, and performing conversions. Lastly, we'll explore advanced techniques to further enhance your automation skills.

By the end of this course, you will have a solid understanding of Robot Studio and be equipped to create your own RPA workflows. Let's get started with the first section on Robots!

Table of Contents

1. Robots

2. Workflows

3. Activities

4. Variables

5. Arguments

6. Input & Output

7. Handling Files

8. Data Manipulation & Conversion

Section 1: Robots

Introduction: In this section, you will learn about robots and how to create them using Robot Studio. A robot is a software agent that runs your automated process. You will discover the steps to create a robot, choose the storage option, and select the workspace. By the end of this section, you will have created your first robot and be ready to move on to the next topic.

Continue to Section 1: Robots ->

Section 2: Workflows

Introduction: In this section, we will explore workflows in Robot Studio. A workflow is a file that contains a sequence of activities in the form of a flowchart. You will learn how to create a new workflow, import existing workflows, and understand the concept of activities as the building blocks of automation. By the end of this section, you will be able to create and manage workflows effectively.

Continue to Section 2: Workflows ->

Section 3: Activities

Introduction: In this section, we will dive into activities, which are the fundamental building blocks of a workflow. Activities represent individual steps or units of work in your business process. You will learn how to add activities to your workflow, configure their properties, and understand the different types of activities available. By the end of this section, you will have a clear understanding of activities and their role in automation.

Continue to Section 3: Activities ->

Section 4: Variables

Introduction: In this section, we will explore variables in Robot Studio. Variables are used to store and manipulate data within your workflows. You will learn how to create variables, understand their scope, and access their properties and functions. By the end of this section, you will be able to effectively work with variables in your automation projects.

Continue to Section 4: Variables ->

Section 5: Arguments

Introduction: In this section, we will discuss arguments in Robot Studio. Arguments serve as inputs for activities in your workflows. You will learn about the different types of arguments and how to provide input values using variables or direct values. By the end of this section, you will have a clear understanding of how to handle arguments in your automation workflows.

Continue to Section 5: Arguments ->

Section 6: Input & Output

Introduction: In this section, we will explore input and output in workflows. You will learn how to provide input to activities using arguments and how to capture the output using variables. We will also discuss various activities available for handling input from different sources and generating output. By the end of this section, you will be able to effectively handle data input and output in your workflows.

Continue to Section 6: Input & Output->

Section 7: Handling Files

Introduction: In this section, we will discuss how to handle files in Robot Studio. You will learn about the Robot Files Directory and the recommended location for storing files used by your robot. We will also explore the concept of relative paths and how to reference files within the Robot Files Directory. By the end of this section, you will have a good understanding of how to effectively handle files in your automation workflows.

Continue to Section 7: Handling Files->

Section 8: Data Manipulation & Conversion

Introduction: In this section, we will dive into data manipulation and conversion techniques in Robot Studio. You will learn how to convert values to text format using the Convert To Text activity and how to perform specific conversions, such as converting Int64 to String. We will explore various data manipulation activities and techniques to manipulate and format data. By the end of this section, you will be equipped with the skills to effectively manipulate and convert data in your automation workflows.

Continue to Section 8: Data Manipulation & Conversion ->

Section 1: Robots

Introduction: In this section, you will learn about robots and how to create them using Robot Studio. A robot is a software agent that runs your automated process. Let's get started!

Creating a Robot

To create a robot, follow these steps:

1. Open Robot Studio.

2. Click on the New button located on the command ribbon and click the Robot button. This will open the New Project window.

   

   New Project Window
3. Enter a name for your robot in the designated field.

4. Select the storage option for your robot:

   • Local: The robot will be created locally on your computer.

   • Online: The robot will be created in Robot Cloud, and a copy will be stored locally. The robot will be updated when you publish it.

   Note: If you choose the Online storage option, you need to select a workspace to create the robot in.

   1. If you want to create the robot in a workspace other than the default one:

      • Log in to Robot Cloud.

      • Create a new workspace.

      • Return to Robot Studio and click the refresh button next to the workspace dropdown.

      • Select the newly created workspace from the updated list.

5. Once you have filled in the necessary details, click Create.

Make sure the Robot name does not contain any spaces.

Congratulations! You have successfully created a new robot. Along with the robot, an empty workflow named MainWorkflow.vsbot will also be created as the initial workflow by default. In the next section, we will explore workflows in more detail.

Section 2: Workflows

Introduction: In this section, we will explore workflows and learn how to create and import them in Robot Studio. Workflows are an essential part of your automation process as they contain your business logic. Let's dive in!

What is a Workflow?

A workflow is a file with the extension .vsbot that represents a sequence of activities organized in the form of a flowchart. It encapsulates the steps and logic of your automation process.

When you create a new robot, a default workflow is automatically generated for you.

Creating a New Workflow

To create a new workflow, follow these steps:

1. In the Robot pane, click on the New Workflow button.

2. The New Workflow window will appear. Enter a name for your workflow. Then click OK.

   

   New Workflow Window

3. Congratulations! Your new workflow has been added to your robot.

Importing an Existing Workflow

If you have workflows created as part of another robot and want to add them to your current robot, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Import button located on the command ribbon.

2. Select the workflow file with the .vsbot extension that you want to import.

3. Click OK.

The workflow will be copied to your current robot directory and added to the robot.

Great job! You now know how to create and import workflows. In the next section, we will explore activities and understand how they contribute to the automation process.

Section 3: Activities

Introduction: In this section, we will explore activities, which are the essential building blocks of a workflow in Robot Studio. Activities represent individual steps or units of work in your business process. Let's dive in and understand how they work!

What are Activities?

Activities are the fundamental building blocks of a workflow. Each activity represents a specific unit of work or a step in your automation process. They are represented by rectangular shapes with their names and have an incoming connection and an outgoing connection.

Example of an activity

Activities can be categorized into different types and serve various purposes in the workflow.

All activities can be configured using the Property Editor. The Property Editor provides editable fields to configure the input and output of each activity. The output of an activity is saved in an output variable, which can be used as input for subsequent activities in the flowchart.

Adding an Activity

To add an activity to your workflow, follow these steps:

1. Create or open a robot.

2. Open a workflow (refer to the previous section on creating a workflow).

3. From the Toolbox, drag and drop an activity onto the Designer Canvas.

You can connect two activities to create a flow by drawing a connection between them. The direction of the flow is indicated by an arrow at the end of the connection.

Creating a connection between activities

To see a step-by-step example of creating a sample workflow, you can click on the following link:.

Fantastic! Now you understand the importance of activities and how to add them to your workflow. In the next section, we will explore variables and arguments, which play a crucial role in data handling during automation.

Section 4: Variables and Arguments

Introduction: In this section, we will explore variables and arguments, which are essential for data storage and handling in your automation workflows. Let's dive in and understand how they work!

Variables

Variables are storage locations used to name and reference data that is passed between activities in a workflow. They play a crucial role in storing and manipulating data during automation. There are two ways to create variables: using the Variables window and during workflow execution.

Scope

The scope of a variable refers to the specific workflow where it is used. Variables have their own scope, and they can be accessed and modified within that scope.

Accessible Properties

Some variables contain information that can be accessed using the dot notation with the variable name. For example, if you have a List variable named NamesList, you can retrieve the count of list items using the expression NamesList.Count.

Accessible Functions

Each variable type has its own set of available functions that can be called for that variable. These functions allow you to perform operations and manipulations specific to the variable type.

Make sure to refer to the documentation for each variable type to explore the available properties and functions.

Using Variables

Variables can be utilized in different ways within your workflow. Here are two common methods:

1. Using in the Property Editor

When an activity is selected in the workflow designer, its properties are displayed in the property editor. You can use variables in the property editor to provide input values for the activity.

2. Using an Expression

Sometimes, you may need to combine variables with other text or values, such as appending to text, inserting variables into a string, or creating JSON or XML strings. In such cases, you can use expressions to dynamically include variable values.

Expressions use the following format: ${expression}. You can insert variables and other text within the expression to create dynamic content.

Using variables to insert data into a string.

In the example above, MyName is a string variable and MyAge is an integer variable. During execution, the values of these variables will be evaluated and replaced with their respective names in the input text. If necessary, non-string type variables will be converted to strings before replacing the input text with their values.

Additionally, you can access variable properties and functions using the dot notation within expressions, allowing you to perform more advanced operations and manipulations with variables.

Using variable properties and functions in an expression.

Excellent! Now you understand the role of variables and how to use them in your automation workflows. In the next section, we will explore arguments, which allow you to pass data into and out of your workflows.

Section 5: Arguments

Introduction: In this section, we will explore arguments, which are inputs for activities in your automation workflows. Arguments can be either variables or values, and they allow you to provide specific data to activities. Let's dive in and understand how they work!

Arguments Overview

An argument can be either a variable or a value. When configuring an activity, you can provide input by specifying a value directly or by specifying a variable that contains the value.

For example, if an activity expects a String Argument as input, you can either provide a string value within double quotes, such as "abc", or you can specify a String Variable that holds the desired value.

Types of Arguments

Here are the different types of arguments commonly used in automation:

• String: Input can be either a string value or a String Variable.

• Integer: Input can be either an integer value or an Integer Variable.

• Object: An object argument allows for various types of values and variables as input.

When specifying string values, it's important to enclose them in double quotes, like "Abcd". If you enter a value without quotes, such as age, it will be considered as a variable, and the bot will look for a variable with the name age. However, if you enter it as "age", it will be treated as a string value.

Remember, arguments provide specific inputs to activities, allowing you to customize their behavior based on the provided data.

Fantastic! Now you understand the concept of arguments and how they are used in automation workflows. In the next section, we will explore more advanced topics to enhance your automation skills.

Section 6: User-defined Variables

Introduction: In this section, we will explore user-defined variables, which are variables created by you to store and manage data in your automation workflows. Let's dive in and learn how to create user-defined variables!

Creating a Variable using the Variables Window

To create a variable using the Variables window, follow these steps:

1. Click the Add/Modify button on the Variables pane. The Variables window will appear.

2. Click the New button to create a new variable.

3. Enter a name and a value for the variable.

4. Click Save to create the variable.

Available Variable Types for Manual Creation

When creating a variable manually using the Variables window, you can choose from the following types:

Primitives

• String: Stores string values and numbers.

• Integer: Stores integers.

• System.Boolean: Stores boolean values (True or False).

Objects

• Date: Stores date values (e.g., 12/05/2012).

• DateTime: Stores date and time values (e.g., 12-01-2021-12:11:33).

• File: Stores the path to a file.

• Folder: Stores the path to a folder.

• Process: Stores the name of a Windows process (e.g., svchost).

• Application: Stores the name of a Windows application (e.g., notepad.exe).

Advanced

• Computed: Allows you to write a C# script to access properties exposed by the variables.

These are the available variable types for manual creation. Keep in mind that there are additional automatic variables created by activities for passing data between activities, but they cannot be created manually by users.

Fantastic! Now you know how to create user-defined variables using the Variables window. In the next section, we will explore more advanced techniques to further enhance your automation skills.

Section 7: Input & Output

Introduction: In this section, we will explore the concept of input and output in workflows. Activities in a workflow can utilize various types of input and produce output as part of their execution. Let's dive in and understand how input and output work in workflows!

Input in Workflows

Input for activities is provided through arguments. These arguments allow you to specify the necessary data for activities to perform their tasks. You can pass values directly or use variables as arguments.

To retrieve input from various sources, Robot Studio provides a range of activities. For example:

• Read Text File activity to read input from a text file.

• Read CSV activity to read input from a CSV file.

• Open Excel File activity to read input from an Excel file.

• Read PDF Elements activity to extract input from a PDF document.

• Send Web Request activity to retrieve input from a web resource.

• Get Email activity to fetch input from an email.

• Get FTP file activity to download input from an FTP server.

These activities allow you to gather input from various sources to be used in your workflows.

Output in Workflows

The output of an activity is always stored in an activity variable. Variables are used to capture and store data produced by activities during workflow execution. These variables can then be used in subsequent activities or for reporting purposes.

To generate output and perform data manipulation, Robot Studio provides a variety of activities. For example:

• Write Text File activity to write data to a text file.

• Write CSV File activity to write data to a CSV file.

• Save Excel File activity to save data to an Excel file.

• Save Word Document activity to save data to a Word document.

• Upload File activity to upload a file to an FTP server.

• Send SMTP Mail activity to send an email with output data.

• Write Log activity to record output data in a log file.

These activities allow you to generate and manipulate output data in your workflows.

Fantastic! Now you understand the concept of input and output in workflows, as well as the activities available to handle them. In the next section, we will explore more advanced techniques to further enhance your automation skills.

Section 8: Handling Files

Introduction: In this section, we will explore how to handle files in your automation workflows. Files are commonly used as input or output data in various automation processes. Let's dive in and understand how to work with files in Robot Studio!

Where to Place Files Used by the Robot?

When working with files in Robot Studio, it is recommended to place the files used by the robot in the Robot Files Directory. This directory is located within the robot folder and has the name ".files". Placing the files in this directory ensures better organization and portability of the robot.

Here is an example of the directory structure:

javaCopy codeRobot Folder
├─ Robot Files Directory (.files)
│   ├─ File1.txt
│   ├─ File2.csv
│   └─ Subdirectory
│       └─ File3.docx
├─ Workflow1.vsbot
└─ Workflow2.vsbot

By placing the files within the Robot Files Directory, you can use relative paths to reference the files in your workflows. The relative path starts with "robot://" to identify the files contained within the Robot Files Directory.

For example, if you want to select a file from this location using the Filepath selector, the relative path would look like this:

robot://File1.txt

This approach ensures the portability of the robot because the files will be packaged with the robot deployment. The correct path to the files will be resolved at runtime, regardless of where the robot is deployed.

Fantastic! Now you know where to place files used by the robot and how to reference them using relative paths. In the next section, we will explore more advanced techniques to further enhance your automation skills.

Section 9: Data Manipulation & Conversion

Introduction: In this section, we will explore data manipulation and conversion techniques in your automation workflows. Being able to manipulate and convert data is essential for working with different types of information. Let's dive in and understand how to perform data manipulation and conversion in Robot Studio!

Converting to Text

In Robot Studio, there are multiple ways to convert values to different types. One of the ways is to use the Convert To Text activity, which allows you to convert supported values to text format. Additionally, you can use the Format Text activity to convert variables to text and combine them with other text.

Convert Int64 to String

To convert an Int64 value to a string, you can use the ToString() method. This method converts the value of the Int64 variable to its equivalent string representation.

For example, if you have an Int64 variable named myNumber, you can convert it to a string using the following expression:

myNumber.ToString()

This will return the string representation of the Int64 value.

Fantastic! Now you know how to convert values to text format in Robot Studio. In the next section, we will explore more advanced techniques to further enhance your automation skills.

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing Robot Studio Course Level 1 - Beginner! Throughout this course, you have gained a solid foundation in Robot Studio and learned essential concepts and techniques for creating RPA workflows. Let's recap what you have covered:

1. Robots: You learned how to create robots and choose the appropriate storage option and workspace.

2. Workflows: You explored the creation and management of workflows, understanding the flowchart-like structure and the role of activities.

3. Activities: You delved into activities, the building blocks of automation, and learned how to add, configure, and connect them to create your workflows.

4. Variables: You understood the importance of variables in storing and manipulating data within your workflows and learned how to create and work with variables effectively.

5. Arguments: You explored the concept of arguments and learned how to provide input values to activities using variables or direct values.

6. Input & Output: You learned how to handle data input and output in workflows, using arguments and variables to capture and utilize data effectively.

7. Handling Files: You discovered the best practices for managing files used by your robots, understanding the Robot Files Directory and relative paths.

8. Data Manipulation & Conversion: You gained skills in manipulating and converting data, using activities like Convert To Text and exploring various data manipulation techniques.

9. Advanced Techniques: You explored advanced techniques such as error handling, exception handling, and control flow to build robust and resilient automation workflows.

By completing this course, you have developed a strong foundation in Robot Studio and acquired the skills to create your own RPA workflows. Remember to practice and explore further to deepen your understanding and enhance your automation skills.

Now that you have completed Robot Studio Course 1 - Beginner, you are well-prepared to tackle more advanced courses and projects. Keep up the great work, and happy automating!

Best of luck on your automation journey!