Using Keystrokes action

Use the Keystrokes action to simulate keystrokes.

Procedure

Follow these steps to add a Keystrokes action:

  1. In the Actions palette, double-click or drag the Keystrokes action from the Keystrokes package.
  2. Specify the window in which to capture an object.
    Choose from the Application, Browser, or Variable tab.
    OptionDescription
    Application Select from a list of currently active windows. This option shows a list of all the application and browser windows that are open on the Bot Creator device.
    Browser Select from a list of supported browser tabs.
    Note:
    • On Windows, this option supports Google Chrome, Chromium-based Microsoft Edge, and Internet Explorer browsers. For all other browsers, use the Application option.
    • On macOS, this option supports Google Chrome and Safari browsers.
    Variable Select an existing window variable to specify the title of the application window title.

Insert a wildcard character (*) in the Window title field to search for window titles that can change. You can specify one or more wildcards (*) at the start, middle, or end of the value. For example, to perform an operation on any window that has Microsoft in the title, use a wildcard to indicate any string by adding it before or after the value: *Microsoft*. The bot first searches for the exact window title (Microsoft), and if it does not find a match, it searches for windows with the term Microsoft anywhere in the title.

You can use a regular expression (regex) to identify a window title. Select the regular expression condition as either String or a Pattern and then enter the value. By default, the Window title field is case-sensitive.

To identify a browser title, you can enable the Case sensitive option to match the letter case, or disable the option to identify a window title where the letter case does not match.
Note: Ensure that the minimum Bot Agent version installed on your system is the version that was released with Automation 360 v.26. If you have a Bot Agent version released with Automation 360 v.25 or earlier, then by default, the window title will be identified only with matching letter case (case-sensitive).
For example, to match all window title names beginning with a word followed by - Notepad, you can enter the String value as * -Notepad, or use Pattern value as ((\w)\s)*document-Notepad for only those window titles that match this pattern.
Note:
  • When you use a regular expression of type String with -title as the input value for a window title in any action, the bot might encounter a run time error. To prevent the run time error, ensure that when you add the string input as *-title, the application with the specific title is open. The asterisk (*) is just a character, not a wild card character.
  • When you use a regular expression of type Pattern with -title as the input value for a window title in any action, the bot might encounter a run time error because the input value *-title is incorrect.

    Ensure that you use valid regex patterns.

  1. Optional: Select the Resize window option to specify the window dimensions.
    This option delivers a more reliable bot. It resizes the window to the dimensions at which the task was recorded, which enhances the ability of the botto identify the target object.
    • If the window is maximized when you record the task, this option is not selected.
    • If the window is not at the maximum size when you record the task, this option is selected, by default, and the width and height fields are automatically filled with the dimensions of the window.
    Note: This option is available only for windows that can be resized. It is not available for the Desktop or Taskbar options.
  2. In the Keystrokes, select a radio button:
    • Enter keystrokes here or use the on-screen keyboard: Type or use the keyboard to enter keystrokes.
      Note:
      • On a macOS keyboard, keys F1 through F19 are supported. Additionally, macOS-specific keys such as control, command, and option are supported, along with the fn-delete combination for forward deleting.
      • The Function key (FN) is currently not supported.
      • If the input source language is switched to a non-English language, the keystrokes adjust according to the new source language.
      • If Caps Lock is enabled, all keystrokes are converted to uppercase, regardless of whether the input text is in lowercase or mixed case.
    • Select a credential: Uses a password stored in the Credential Vault.
    Note: On windows, a new key named Return has been added to the virtual keyboard to replace the Enter functionality and the Enter key in the Number pad has been renamed to Num Enter. As a result, the Return key is the main Enter key on the keyboard.
  3. Optional: : In the Delay between each keystroke in ms field, the delay time.
    Note: The default is set to 10 milliseconds.
  4. Click Save.