Using Variables

Variables are used in conjunction with certain commands to build automated tasks. This is the landing page for information about variables in Automation Anywhere.

Why Use Variables?

Variables are storage locations for known or unknown information.

When building automated tasks, variables play an important role in maintaining or calculating information.

Variables can help you in a number of ways, from fetching online data to transferring data between applications, such as Microsoft Excel.

Automation Anywhere is designed with various types of variables which can be defined for each task.

These are known as local variables. It has pre-defined system variables available for all tasks.

The topics in this section will help you to understand the types of variables, how to use them, and when to use them.

When to Use a Variable?

As you build automation tasks, the scripts that are generated can lend themselves to using variables to track or modify the value of a field or data point. For example, if you want to loop through a set of data in a CSV file, you can use a variable to copy the first row, paste it to another application, move to the second row, and so on.

All actions that you take in a task can support the use of variables. These actions can include:

  • Selecting windows
  • Opening programs
  • Working with files, folders, keystrokes, spreadsheets, loops, and more.