Reading variable values from an external file
- Última actualización2022/05/20
Reading variable values from an external file
If you do not want to specify a value to a variable when you are creating a variable, you can set a value to the variable by using an external file, such as a text, CSV, Excel, or database file.
Reading from a text file
To read variable values from a text file, perform the following steps:
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In the Variable Manager, click the Add button at bottom or right-click on an existing variable and select the Add to invoke the Add Variable check box.
In the Add Variable window, the Create New Variable option is enabled, by default.
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Select the desired variable type, enter a name, and select Read from Text File from the drop-down menu.
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To ensure that Automation Anywhere validates the text files correctly when assigning values for the variables, follow these guidelines:
- One text file can have multiple <variable> = <value>pairs on separate lines (line returns using the Enter key).
- For value type variables, only one value should be assigned.
- Example: myvar=value1 where myvar is the name of the variable.
- Example: my-list-var=value1,value2,value3
- Ensure that your text file is specified in the Variable Manager before the task runs.
- For List-type variables, you can define the comma-separated values for the variable.
- Variable names are not case-sensitive.
For example, here is a text file with different <variable>=<value> pairs:Age=12,13,16,21 Games=Football,Soccer,Rugby username=my-username Removed the password field.
Automation Anywhere Files\Automation Anywhere\My Docs
Consider a scenario where user1 is currently logged in and has saved the variable.txt text file in the following location:
C:\Users\user1\Documents\Automation Anywhere Files\Automation Anywhere\My Docs\VarFile\variable.txt
Subsequently, user2 can log in and run a bot to successfully retrieve the values from variable.txt even if the following filepath, specific to user 2, does not exist:
C:\Users\user2\Documents\Automation Anywhere Files\Automation Anywhere\My Docs\VarFile\variable.txt
Automation Anywhere Enterprise is designed to create an access path to the text file as long as it is available in Automation Anywhere Files\Automation Anywhere\My Docs.
Reading from an Excel file
When you create an array-type variable and specify that values should be read from an Excel file, data can be read for the following:
- For an entire row
- For an entire column
- For a range of cells that you specify using the From and To fields
Reading from a database
To read values from a database file, you must specify a connection string and a SELECT query.