Automation 360 v.24 Community Edition Release Notes

Release date: 22 March 2022

Review what's new in the Community Edition of the Automation 360 v.24 (Build 12350) release.

Note: For information about Automation 360 v.24R2 patch for Community Edition, see Automation 360 v.24R2 Release Notes for Internet Explorer 11 EOL.

Automation Workspace

Important: This release includes an optional Bot Agent update. To use the new features in v.24 (including updates to Bot Migration, Browser, DLL, Process Discovery, and Recorder packages), update the Bot Agent available with this release. However, note that if you want to run your existing bots, you do not have to update your Bot Agent to this release.
For more information on updating to this release, see these resources:
What's new
Do more with Microsoft Edge Chromium

You can now use the Microsoft Edge Chromium browser extension for the following:

  • Bot Agent proxy configuration
  • Automatic population of device credentials

Browser requirements for Automation Workspace

Reduce turnaround time

You can now reduce the turnaround time for collecting information on issues by capturing log files from the Bot Runner device. You can save the log files by using the new -collectlogs command with the Bot Agent diagnostic utility.

Perform Bot Agent diagnostic checks

Enhancement to AISense Recorder

You can now use AISense Recorder to automate applications that use Japanese and a combination of Japanese and English interfaces.

AISense for recording tasks from remote applications

Support for copying metadata from one bot to another

You can now copy image and metadata files from one bot to another by using the Copy to shared clipboard option.
Wait time option in SOAP Web Service and REST Web Service packages (Service Cloud case ID: 00756730, 00792793, 01255869, 01753287)

When you create a bot, you can now set a time-out value for actions in REST and SOAP requests. To indicate how long a bot should wait for a response from the server before timing out, you can set a wait time (in milliseconds) in the Wait for actions to complete field. You can enter a number or a variable or provide a global value.

Format text with new HTML editor in Email package

In the Email package, when you use the Send, Reply, and Forward actions, you can now create and customize your email layout and body by using the new HTML design editor. Use the editor toolbar to make various changes to your text, such as applying bold, italic, and other formatting effects, inserting links, and changing the font and size of the text. You can copy the content from the design editor and paste it to other windows.
Task Bot package now supports passing Window variable to child bot (Service Cloud case ID: 00691890, 00804359, 01258948, 01764292)

In the Run action of the Task Bot package, when you select Input values fields and enter the values or variables to pass to the child bot, you can now choose the Window type variable and pass it from parent bot to child bot.
New option in Content type field of REST Web Service package (Service Cloud case ID: 00666852, 00789910, 00771194, 00785116, 00825945, 01762199)

You can now use the multipart/form-data option to upload files and data through REST Web Service. The content type multipart/form-data can be used to submit form elements containing files, non-ASCII data, and binary data. This option is available for actions such as POST, PUT, and PATCH.
Custom delimiter option in SOAP Web Service package

For responses specific to XPath, you can now use the custom delimiter option to delimit the return content from the SOAP response. In the Custom Delimiter field, you can provide a character or a variable, and the output of the delimited response will be a complete string.
New option in Run function action of DLL package (Service Cloud case ID: 00830568, 01063654, 01259336, 01767965)

In the Run function action of the DLL package, when the C# DLL interacts with the Windows API to perform system-related operations, such as keystroke, mouse click, or window switching, an intermediate window (AAZeroSizeForm) is displayed occasionally and interrupts the user's operation when the bot is running. In some cases, the DLL function does not interact with the Windows API to perform actions, such as keystroke, mouse click, or window switching, on the operating system UI through the DLL function. In such cases, you can now select the Run function in background check box to bypass the intermediate window (AAZeroSizeForm) and run the C# DLL in the console application without the form. This feature also helps to improve the performance of the DLL execution if the Run function in background check box is selected.
Autoscroll supported in Bot editor (Service Cloud case ID: 00730747)

When you are creating or editing bots with a large number of lines of code and when you drag actions up or down the page, the page now automatically scrolls up or down accordingly. This feature is supported in both Flow and List views.
New JSON package

Use the JSON package to automate JSON data. You can now extract the required information from JSON text or file and directly use the values in the bot.

JSON package

New option in Catch action of Error handler package (Service Cloud case ID: 00766117)
In the Error handler package, you can now ignore errors from actions inside the Catch block by using the Catch > On error, continue with next action option. When you select the On error, continue with next action check box, even if there is an error from an action in the Catch block, no exception is thrown and the bot ignores the error and continues to the next action.
Note: This enhancement applies to all nested actions in the Catch block. For example, if you have a Try/Catch action inside a main Catch action, if the check box is selected on the main Catch action, any error from actions within the nested block will also be ignored.
Enhancement to String package

In the Extract text action of the String package, when you use the After or Before and/or after option, you can now extract a substring from a specified source string that occurs in the range of 1 through 999999 times in a file.
Search for files by specific date

You can now search for files created or modified on a specific date by using the new On a date option available in the File Date condition of various packages.

You can use this feature with the following packages and actions:
  • File package
    • Copy Desktop files action
    • Delete action
    • Print action
    • Print multiple files action
    • Rename action
  • Folder package
    • Copy action
    • Delete action
    • Rename action
  • If > File date condition
  • Loop > While > File date condition
New action in Excel advanced package (Service Cloud Case ID: 01263892, 01782290)

When you perform actions in a Microsoft Excel worksheet, you can now disable or enable real-time screen update by using the new Disable or enable real-time screen update action of the Excel advanced package. This action is useful to improve the performance of Excel-based automations at run time when dealing with large data sets.

Worksheet operations in Excel advanced

Use Recorder conditions in Chromium-based Microsoft Edge with Internet Explorer (IE) mode
You can now use the Object exists and Object does not exist Recorder conditions in Chromium-based Microsoft Edge with IE mode for the following packages:
  • Loop > While condition
  • Wait > Wait for condition
  • If package
Internet Explorer browser support for Browser package and window variables
  • The following actions of the Browser package now support the Internet Explorer browser:
    • Open
    • Close
    • Go back
    • Get source code
  • In the Browser option, you can now select the Internet Explorer tabs from the list of active tabs.

Browser package

Enhancement to Datetime package
The Variable option in the Datetime > Assign action is now enhanced and divided into two options:
  • Datetime: Enables you to select the date and time along with the time zone manually and assign it to a Datetime variable.
  • Variable: Enables you to select the Datetime variable or other variables that can have Datetime as a subtype, such as the Dictionary, Record, and list variables.

Using the Assign action

Enhancement to Recorder package

You can now capture and automate objects inside a cross-domain IFrame that has multiple IFrames with the same frame source and IFrames that are loaded at run time in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge Chromium browsers. You can do this by using the Recorder > Capture or the Start recording option. This support is also available for offline Google Chrome extensions.

Recorder package

Support for pop-up windows and dialog boxes in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge Chromium, and Mozilla Firefox browsers (Service Cloud Case ID: 00762207, 00769773, 00781196, 00786646, 00777907, 00795677, 00785995,00808600, 00811044, 00767486, 01282172, 01286665, 01256750, 01762040)

When you are automating a web page on the supported browsers, you can now capture the pop-up windows, alert dialog boxes, confirmation dialog boxes, and prompt dialog boxes that appear. You can do this by using the Recorder > Capture or Start recording option.

Recorder package

Retrieve source code of an iFrame in Google Chrome browser
You can now retrieve the source code of an iFrame in the Google Chrome browser by using the Browser > Get source code action. You can use the new Capture object option to capture these iFrames.
Note: The Capture object feature is optional and is only used to retrieve the source code of an iFrame.
Run JavaScript inside an iFrame in Google Chrome browser

You can now run JavaScript in a page that contains iFrames in the Google Chrome browser by using the Browser > Run JavaScript action. You can use the new Capture object option to capture iFrames on which you want to run JavaScript.

Note: The Capture object feature is optional and is only used to run JavaScript inside an iFrame.
Global session support for Excel basic package
  • The Global session option is now supported for the Excel basic package. Use the Global session option to share a Microsoft Excel session across multiple bots so that you can use the same Excel worksheet across these bots.
  • The Session name field is now renamed Create Excel session.

Using the Open action for Excel basic

Default variable to hold number type data
When you are building or testing a bot, you can now use the default number variable SampleNumber, which is included in the Variables palette.
Note: The default number variable is only available in new bots.
Export and import password-protected files
To improve security by providing protection against unauthorized access and malicious editing and also to protect privacy, the export and import features are now enhanced to include the password option. With this feature you can now perform the following:
  • Set a password for the files that you want to export from your Control Room.
  • Import the password-protected exported file into your Control Room.

Export bots | Import bots

New options in Git configuration (Service Cloud case ID: 00782957, 00837059, 00687394, 00783715, 00714059, 00659476, 00749755, 00786233, 00748166, 00776417)
You can now perform the following actions for Git configuration:
  • Choose either the HTTPS or SSH authentication method to set up the Git configuration. The SSH authentication method is more secure as the authentication is based on a public and private key pair.
  • Specify the branch to which you want to push your Git commits. This helps with team coordination and workflow management.
  • Connect to your Git repository by using a proxy server.

Configure a remote Git repository in Control Room | Restore bots from Git repository

Automation Co-Pilot for Business Users

What's new
Microsoft Edge Chromium and Safari supported for Automation Co-Pilot

You can now create forms and processes in the Automation Workspace and run your requests, tasks, and bots in the web interface on Microsoft Edge Chromium and Safari browsers.

Browser requirements for Automation Workspace

Create password fields and hide sensitive information (Service Cloud case ID: 00714159, 01063512)

In the Automation Workspace, you can now create password fields by using the Password element in your form builder. You can use the Password element in the web interface to add masked text to your password fields in the initial forms to hide sensitive information.

Process Composer | Password element behavior

Reference ID enhancement to requests

You can now view the reference ID associated with your process in the Reference column of the Requests page. The reference ID is a combination of a prefix and a number that is created from a Process Key that you can enter when you edit your process for the first time. This reference ID is incremented whenever a request is created from the corresponding process.

Reference ID properties | Configure a process

Cancelled status for tasks

You can now filter tasks by the Cancelled status in the Tasks page. This status will show a Cancelled label next to the filtered results to inform you of the tasks that were cancelled by a user. You can filter by this status from the drop-down menu in the status bar.

Filter and search for a task

Fill initial form elements by URL parameters

When you create a request, you can now fill initial form elements by creating query scripts that enter specific parameters in the initial form URL. These parameters are applicable only for Date, Number, Text Box, and Time elements.

Construct URL parameters for supported elements

Customize text in forms using updates to Label element

You can now customize the text in your forms in various ways, such as applying bold, italic, underline, and other formatting effects, changing the font size and color, and so on, by using the Label element. With these options, you can highlight specific messages or texts, such as next steps, warnings, or errors, when they are rendered in the initial form in the web interface.

The Label element now provides the following formatting options:
  • Emphasis
  • Font color
  • Font size
  • Text alignment

Using the Label element

Search and filter columns in a table

On the form builder screen, if you select the Enable column filtering check box for the Table element, users can search and filter the content for all the available columns when the bot is running.

When you use the Table element to render a table in your initial forms, you now have the enhanced ability to search each column of your table by value.

Using the Table element

Discovery Bot

What's new
Save the recording with a name

After recording a process, you can now save the recording with a name. The name of the recording is displayed on the Recordings page for that process.

Record a Discovery Bot business process
Share a description of the recording

You can now provide a description for a recording of a process by using the Recordings page for that process. In the Recordings page, use the Description field to share the context and the purpose of the recording with the analyst. The description provided is also displayed in the PDD.

Record a Discovery Bot business process
Delete a recording

After you record a process, if you do not want to submit the recording data to an analyst for review, you can delete the recording by using the Recordings page for that process. In the Recordings page, use the Delete option to delete the recording.

Record a Discovery Bot business process
Record business processes using Automation Co-Pilot Desktop Assistant

You can now use Automation Co-Pilot Desktop Assistant to record business processes without signing in to the Control Room. To record a business process, start Automation Co-Pilot Desktop Assistant by double-clicking the Automation Co-Pilot icon on your desktop.

Record a Discovery Bot process using Automation Co-Pilot Desktop Assistant
Enhancements to custom opportunities

You can now update the potential cost and savings for custom opportunities and save your changes to the process diagram. The potential cost and potential savings can be updated at any time as you review the steps from various recordings and make changes within the process diagram.

Review opportunities, convert to bot, and generate PDD
Enhancement to PDD

You can now view the entire process diagram from within Discovery Bot by clicking the URL link provided in the PDD. The PDD does not display the process diagram if more than 100 steps are selected.

Review opportunities, convert to bot, and generate PDD
Fixes
Service Cloud case ID Description
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In the Community Edition and Free Trial version, you can now create and delete five or more processes, and the autogeneration opportunity does not fail. You can create up to five opportunities.