macOS support v.37 release

Review the capabilities available in this release to get started with building automations on macOS devices.

What's new

Support for Safari browser

Starting from this release, support for the Safari browser is available that enables users to easily integrate and use automation capabilities within the macOS default web browser. This enhancement ensures that users who prefer Safari for its speed, privacy features, and integration with the macOS ecosystem can now use the full benefits of automation tools without needing to switch to another browser.

Browser requirements for Automation Workspace | Safari support

Enhanced automation for SAP desktop application

We have now introduced support for object-based automation of the SAP desktop application on macOS. This enhancement allows users to automate SAP application by interacting directly with object properties, ensuring a more accurate and efficient automation process.

SAP automation support for macOS

Automation packages and application support

A critical set of existing automation packages have been enhanced to support macOS. This update ensures a uniform development and portability experience, with package support including key applications such as Microsoft Excel and Outlook to enable common automation use cases.

Additionally, this release deepens our integration with macOS by expanding automation support to core native applications and frameworks, further enhancing the overall functionality and versatility of our automation solutions.

The following macOS-native packages are supported:
  • iWork Suite Integration: Automate workflows using Numbers for everything from report creation to data entry and analysis.

    Apple Numbers package

  • Mac mail automation: Automate the tasks of reading, drafting, and sending emails with attachments.

    Apple Mail package

  • AppleScript support: Advanced users can now incorporate AppleScript into their workflows, enabling deep customization and interaction with third-party macOS apps.

    AppleScript package

  • Microsoft Outlook (macOS) support:: Automate emails using Microsoft Outlook for macOS to perform various email-related tasks.

    Microsoft Outlook (macOS) package

For more information about packages supported for macOS, see Packages available in v.37.
Support for attended and unattended automation

macOS users can now leverage both attended and unattended automation, allowing for the execution of scheduled tasks and business processes without manual intervention. By leveraging both attended and unattended automation, macOS users can achieve a higher level of productivity and efficiency. Scheduling tasks reduces the need for manual oversight and enables businesses to operate more effectively. This dual capability empowers users to automate a wide range of tasks, from simple data entry to complex business processes, all while ensuring consistency and reliability in their operations.

공용 워크스페이스에서 자동화 실행 | Schedule an automation

Select platform when creating automations
When you create a new automation and start adding automation details, you can select the platform as Windows or macOS from the top of the automation create window. This option enables developers to select the platform first and then update the details accordingly. The platform selection option is available for the following tasks:
  • Create task
  • File properties
  • Copy bot
  • Create from template
  • Save as copy
  • Save as template

macOS에서 자동화 생성

Create and manage device pools

Logical grouping of devices or unattended Bot Runner machines that can be used to run or schedule automations is called a device pool. Device pools provide a robust framework for managing and executing automations across multiple devices when there is a need to distribute automation tasks. This prevents any single device from being overloaded, that enhances both efficiency and reliability.. These devices are typically configured as unattended Bot Runner machines and can execute tasks without requiring human intervention. You can now use the available macOS devices to create a device pool.

기기 풀 정보

Create users with unattended Bot Runner license

Control Room administrators have the capability to create users specifically with an unattended Bot Runner license. This license type is designed for users who will be running bots without human intervention, allowing automations to operate in the background.

When a user is created with unattended Bot Runner license, administrators can assign a macOS device as the default device for that user. This means that any automation deployed by this user will be executed on the specified macOS device by default. This setup is particularly useful in environments where macOS is the preferred operating system.

macOS 기기 사용자 생성

Bulk install Bot Agent

Bulk installation gives you the flexibility to install Bot Agent on multiple devices, whether they are located within your organization's physical infrastructure or hosted in a Cloud environment. By installing Bot Agent on multiple devices across these environments, you can distribute your automation workload efficiently, ensuring high availability and performance of your automation tasks.

Bot Agent 대량 설치

Bulk update multiple packages to default version for multiple automations

Bulk update enables you to update multiple package versions for all automations (bots), enhancing efficiency for your users and organization. The option also enables you to review bots and dependencies before proceeding with the update.

package 버전 업데이트 | 기본 package 버전으로 bots 업데이트

Configure temporary devices

Control Room administrators can now configure temporary devices in order to support non-persistent virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) for automations.

임시 기기 구성

Create custom packages with Connector Builder

The Connector Builder is a no-code API integration tool that enables you to connect any Cloud application or custom service. Create custom connectors (packages) for various web applications or services that use APIs, and then use them in your automations.

Connector Builder

Manage automation repository
Control Room users can now perform various repository operations related to automations, such as the following:
Manage workload for automations

With the Workload Management capability, users can divide their automations into smaller work items to optimize resource usage and meet SLAs. This capability enables users to upload Excel and CSV files containing sensitive information, such as PII, PCI, and PHI, to the Control Room for automation (bot) deployments. This data is protected by encryption and stored securely.

You can also use a bot in Workload automation by attaching a work item template to the required bot.

워크로드 관리 | bot에 워크 아이템 템플릿 첨부

Package SDK: Introducing macOS Bot Agent support
This release of the Package SDK enables developers to build and deploy custom command packages that are compatible with macOS Bot Agent instances.

A new allowed agent type with the value AllowedTarget.MAC_OS has been introduced within the CommandPkg section. With this enhancement, developers can explicitly enable their custom packages for execution on macOS agents. Developers can create custom packages specifically designed and enabled for macOS devices.

To illustrate this functionality, the Concatenate.java example has been updated and is available within the Package SDK. This updated example demonstrates how the Concatenate action can be used on Windows and macOS devices.

By specifying AllowedTarget.MAC_OS in the CommandPkg annotation, the custom packages are now compatible with macOS agents, expanding its usability across different operating systems. The following code snippet from Concatenate.java highlights the modification that enables macOS support:

//BotCommand makes a class eligible for being considered as an action.
@BotCommand

//CommandPks adds required information to be dispalable on GUI.
@CommandPkg(
		//Unique name inside a package and label to display.
		name = "concatenate", label = "[[Concatenate.label]]",
		node_label = "[[Concatenate.node_label]]", description = "[[Concatenate.description]]", icon = "pkg.svg",
		// Added AllowedTarget.MAC_OS to enable this package for macOS agents.
		allowed_agent_targets = {AllowedTarget.HEADLESS, AllowedTarget.MAC_OS},

		//Return type information. return_type ensures only the right kind of variable is provided on the UI.
		return_label = "[[Concatenate.return_label]]", return_type = STRING, return_required = true)
public class Concatenate {

	//Messages read from full qualified property file name and provide i18n capability.
	private static final Messages MESSAGES = MessagesFactory
			.getMessages("com.automationanywhere.botcommand.samples.messages");

	//Identify the entry point for the action. Returns a Value<String>
Important: The macOS Bot Agent support is currently only available for Task Bots, but is not available for API Tasks.

Fixes

After you update to this release, the bot launcher connection is established without any issues and the automations are deployed successfully.

Service Cloud Case ID: 02208844
When you update to this release, the macOS device is no longer registered as a Windows device and can also be added to a macOS device pool without any issues.

Service Cloud Case ID: 02204422
If the auto-login is enabled when you deploy a macOS automation on an unattended Bot Runner device, then the session will now be locked if the auto-login is set to lock the session at the end of automation execution .
After updating to this release when you deploy a macOS based automation on an unattended Bot Runner device, pop-ups disappear immediately without affecting any user access for screen capture when you unlock the screen.

Limitations

Even after you uninstall Bot Agent from a macOS device, the bot launcher process continues to be listed in the Activity Monitor.

Workaround: Use Activity Monitor (graphical) or the Terminal (command-line) to manually end (kill) the bot launcher process

The Bot Agent browser extension is not enabled automatically when you use the Safari browser to install Bot Agent.

Workaround: Enable the Bot Agent extension manually in Safari.
When you use the Safari browser to access the Control Room to create an automation, the icons of the different actions you added in the automation editor screen (Flow view) might look incomplete or distorted when you drag them.
A new macOS device that is registered to a Control Room does not reconnect to the Control Room when the device is restarted.
If you have scheduled a macOS based automation to run repeatedly on an unattended Bot Runner device at different times, multiple pop up screens to unlock the device are displayed after a few automation runs.
When you deploy a macOS based automation on an unattended Bot Runner device, there is a delay (about 6-8 seconds) before the unlock pop up disappears.
When you integrate Control Room with external systems, the macOS bots lose their macOS platform tag in the external git. Also, when you restore bots from the external git, the default Windows platform tag gets applied to the bots.
If auto-login is enabled on an unattended Bot Runner device that is a locked state, a macOS-based automation is deployed without unlocking the Bot Runner device.
If auto-login is enabled on an unattended Bot Runner device, the device goes into a locked state due to standby (sleep or screensaver) setting even when a macOS-based automation run is in progress.
Capability to update the Bot Agent from a local drive is not available for macOS devices.
When you create automations using user-defined variables, the following session-type variables are not supported:
  • AI session
  • DLL session
  • FTP/SFTP session
  • Generative AI session
  • Google Application Integration session
  • Google Document AI session
  • Microsoft 365 Outlook session
  • SharePoint session
  • Terminal Emulator session
  • Workday session