MetaBot Overview

MetaBots are highly reusable, create it once, and use it everywhere bots. MetaBots can be shared across an enterprise or uploaded to the Bot Store to make it available to the entire Automation Anywhere community.

Users with the correct combination of roles, permissions, and licensing can create, save, and share MetaBots. As both creators and consumers, bot developers create MetaBots for reuse by other bot developers within an enterprise or share MetaBots across the entire Automation Anywhere community by uploading MetaBots to the Bot Store .

Using MetaBots, you can capture a screen and perform actions on it. You do not have to capture each object on the screen individually. Unlike the Object Cloning command (which works only if the target application is open while capturing), MetaBots do not require that the window or application is kept open to perform actions on it. MetaBots help automate without requiring access to the live application. MetaBots also enable you to create or define custom objects, which is not possible using Object Cloning.

Why use MetaBots?

  • Create independent, highly reusable automation blueprints of applications, DLLs, and commands facilitated by automation Logic.
  • Leverage the MetaBot library to rapidly standardize org-wide automation.
  • Ensure systematic, accelerated automation return on investment (ROI).
  • Eliminate common navigational errors in complex automation tasks.
  • Automate without requiring access to live application.
  • Calibrate newer versions of applications used in a MetaBot to ensure compatibility.

What you need to know about assets and Logic used in MetaBots.

Bot developers capture and save assets then develop navigational logic to produce reusable MetaBots.
Assets
Application screens and DLLs make up the Assets bot developers use to define and pre-configure for the use case of a target application. Read more about MetaBot assets here.
Logic
Logic is the navigational work-flow wrapped around components, commands, functions, and DLLs within a Task Bot or MetaBot. Logic is created, edited, and saved from the Workbench. Read more about MetaBot Logic here.

Protected MetaBot behavior

Protected MetaBots are designed to protect the intellectual property rights of bot developers. The following list describes how protected MetaBots are handled if they are used in the MetaBot Designer or the MetaBot Workbench.
  • Protected MetaBots can be opened, but a protected MetaBot only displays a user message.
  • Asset tab: Users cannot take any actions. All action buttons are disabled.
  • Logic tab: Edit is the only action button that is enabled.
  • Logic that is opened in the MetaBot Workbench cannot add new content or variables.
    Note: Users can view and edit existing variables and their values.
  • Users can Save and Run protected MetaBots from the Workbench.
  • During run-time none of the MetaBot Logic is visible.