Code analysis

Code analysis enables you to evaluate a program without running the code. In Automation 360, the code analysis feature analyzes the code and displays a list of violations based on a set rules. You can review and fix any coding or stylistic errors for your automation.

Code analysis enables you to form certain code structures with which you can implement coding best practices and make the code maintainable, reliable, efficient, and secure.

Benefits

Code analysis provides you the following benefits:

Implement coding best practices by enforcing certain coding conventions.
Authorize Citizen Developer to introduce new automations.
Enable complex automations to be more accessible.
Improve code readability and quality.
Control the structure of your automation code.
Improve productivity of the developer and the platform as good coding practise improves the automation quality over time.

Code analysis for user roles

Lead RPA Developer (Administrator)

Configure code analysis policies that define coding best practices in the organization. Monitor and report the status of code quality based on adherence to these policies. Code analysis enables certain coding practices and principles to be enforced which in turn helps with the following:

Facilitate the development of automation by a larger pool of business personnel, for example, a Citizen Developer who might not have strong software development skills.
Improve maintenance of automations by reducing code complexity and improving readability.
Improve reliability of automations by reducing errors.
Improve security and compliance of automations by enforcing secure coding practices.
Reduce production time and costs of automation.

Citizen Developer or RPA Developer

Code analysis provides guidance to develop automations that meet organizational requirements for the following:

Error reduction
Code readability and maintenance
Code security

See the following video for an overview of how code analysis is configured:

Permissions

You require the following permissions to set up a code analysis policy.

View policies: Allows you to view the code analysis policy that defines how you can build your automations.
Manage policies: Allows you to view and edit the code analysis policy that defines how you can build your automations.

Components

Policy editor: Contains a global policy for all Control Room users.
Rules: As the foundation of code analysis, rules help to evaluate bot code. Rules can be simple or complex depending on the evaluation that is performed. Rules include coding practices that can be verified. They apply to packages and actions in the automation code. A rule consists of a unique RULE_CODE and a description to indicate the nature of evaluation to be performed on the code.