Table data extraction through AISense Recorder

Tables are a complex control, with many types, backgrounds, and formatting effects, and hence might not be automatically detected by AISense Recorder in some cases. In such cases, use the Define option to detect tables.

Capture a table using AISense Recorder

  1. On the left pane, click Automation.
  2. To create a bot, click Create new > Bot or open a bot for which you want to record a task.
  3. Click Start recording.

    The Recorder bot runtime window appears.

  4. Select a window from the drop-down list.

    If you opened an application recently and it is not available in the list, click the Refresh icon.

  5. Click AISense Recorder. Let the scanning process finish.
    Note: The first time you use AISense Recorder on a device, the Recorder downloads the required dependent files.

    The Recorder toolbar appears with the following options: Finish, Scan, Define, and Pause

    The Recorder analyzes the application window that you selected to identify the UI objects in that window. The options on the toolbar are unavailable when the system is analyzing the application window. After the analysis, the options are enabled and you can start recording the task.

  6. Wait for AISense Recorder to detect the table in the application.
  7. If the table is not detected automatically, then when AISense Recorder is in the Ready state, click the Define button to detect the table.
    Note:
    • In the Define window, the AISense Recorder shows embedded help for each control type so you can select the correct control types for custom objects.
    • If you unintentionally click the screen or click before the highlighter appears, AISense Recorder provides visibility into it. You must confirm to capture the object again, or use the Define functionality to define the object on the screen.
    .
  8. Select Table from the Object type tab and click the top-left header.

    The detected table will be highlighted with columns and internal controls.

    Table detection

  9. If you want to select a limited set of columns, then draw a rectangle around the columns that you want to capture.

    Capture specific columns

Extract data from a table

  1. After the object is captured, click Finish to end the recording.
  2. Return to the Control Room.
  3. In the Object properties table, verify that the Control Type is TABLE. If it is not, click Recapture object.
  4. From the Action to take on object drop-down list, select Get table.
  5. In the Save the outcome to a variable field, create the CapturedTableData variable.
  6. Double-click or drag the Data Table > Write to file action.
  7. From the Data table name list, select CapturedTableData.
  8. Provide a filepath to create a CSV file. For example, C:\AutomationAnywhere\Development\SFDC.csv
  9. Select the Create folders/files if it doesn't exist option.
  10. Select to overwrite the existing file.
  11. Click Save.
  12. Click Run.

    The bot creates a CSV file in the specified path with the table data extracted.

Correct a column definition

It is possible that dense tables can merge columns due to less space between columns or lack of clear separators. To correct the column definition, perform the following steps:
  1. After the object is captured, click Finish to end the recording.
  2. On the Bot editor window, go to Object properties to edit the Anchor Table property.
  3. Add the pipe character (|) as a delimiter between the column names to separate them. For example, <CHECKBOX>Name|Company|State|Email|Lead status
    Note: When the bot is run, previously merged columns will be treated as separate columns.

    Edit object properties

Known behavior

  • AISense Recorder cannot extract tables with multiple lines in single rows or cells.
  • Pagination and autoscrolling are not supported.
  • Truncated columns will not be automatically adjusted to extract truncated cell text.