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Activity Parameters

The action step Activity Parameters enables you to map variables that you can use not only in the Workflow, but also in the activities of the business process and gateways. This allows the Activity Parameters to be exchanged among the different elements. For example, the BPMN gateway uses the Activity Parameters to decide which activity should be executed next.

The Activity Parameters action step

A Workflow can have one Activity Parameters action step and it’s automatically placed in the Workflow Initialization section when creating a new Workflow.

Activity Parameters consist of a name, description, and value. Activity parameter names have the following requirements:

  • The name consists of a combination of letters, numbers, and underscores.

  • The name contains no special characters or spaces.

  • The initial letter of the name is lower case.

  • The name is unique.

    You can’t use the same name multiple times for different variables.

The predefined values are test values that RPA Builder uses only during a local run. The variables register automatically on RPA Manager when uploaded. RPA Manager enables you to modify the values of the variables and define them differently, depending on the station on which the Workflow is executed. See Using Variables for additional information.

The test values might change in the course of the business process due to the possible assignment of new values. If the business process starts again, the values reset to their initial state.

Defining Activity Parameters

To define the Activity Parameters:

  1. In the BPMN editor, click the Business Process Initialization (The Business Process Initialization button) button.

  2. Click Activity Parameters.

    The Activity Parameters config window

  3. In the Business Process Initialization window, click (The Add icon Add New Parameter …​).

    The Business Process Initialization window

  4. Select the Activity Parameter to add from the list.

    The list of available activity parameters to add.

    The following data types are available:

    • Texts (alphanumeric)

    • Integers (integer)

    • Floating point values (floating-point)

    • Boolean values (boolean)

    • Lists (array)

    • Log-in data (user account)

    • Screen coordinates (coordinates)

    • Browser Session ID (Web Session ID)

    • AWS log-in data (AWS Credentials)

    • OAuth credentials (OAuth Credentials)

    • Execution ID (IDP Execution ID)

    • Connected App Credentials (Connected App Credentials)

    • Google API Service Account Credentials (Google API Service Account Credentials)

  5. Define the Name, Description, and Variable Value for the Activity Parameter.

  6. Repeat the process for every Activity Parameter you want to add.

  7. Click OK.

Deleting Activity Parameters

To delete an Activity Parameter, click the Delete (The Delete icon) button next to the Activity Parameter you want to delete.

The business process initialization window

You can delete an Activity Parameter if it’s not being used in a Workflow. If the Activity Parameter is connected to at least one Workflow, a pop-up message indicates that the parameter is still in use.

A warning message showing that a parameter cannot be deleted because it is still in use

All the Workflows in which the Activity Parameter is used are displayed. To delete the Activity Parameter, you must remove the connections in all Workflows.

Changing the Name of an Activity Parameter

Activity Parameter names cannot be changed after creation. After you close the Wizard by clicking OK, the Name field remains grayed out and you can no longer change the name. You can still edit the fields Description and Value at any time.

If you want to subsequently change the name, delete the Activity Parameter and create it again with a new name. This only applies if the Activity Parameter isn’t already being used in a process.

Connecting Activity Parameters to a Workflow

To connect an Activity Parameter with a Workflow:

  1. Click the Edit Variable Mappings (The Edit Variable Mappings button) button next to the action step for which you want to connect an Activity Parameter.

    The Activity Workflow window

  2. Select the Activity Parameter you want to connect.

    The Edit Variable Mappings window showing Activity Parameters

The Wizard lists all Activity Parameters and you can connect them to the Workflows that support the available parameter types.

Connecting Activity Parameters to a Gateway

To connect an Activity Parameter to a Gateway:

  1. In the BPMN editor, click any Gateway element in your model.

  2. In the menu that opens, click the Set Condition Expression (The Set Condition Expression button) button.

    The BPMN editor showing the Gateway settings

  3. In the Wizard that opens, click Build Expression.

    The Set Condition Expression for Gateway window

  4. Click Add Expression and build an expression by using the available Activity Parameters.

After you add all necessary condition expressions, ensure that the last sequence flow has an empty condition expression. This is the default flow when all other conditions aren’t fulfilled. If there is no default sequence flow, add one to the model.

Properties

  • Misc

    • Write Variables to Log File / Run Protocol

      If this option is enabled, the variable names and their values are written to the log file and the run protocol.

For security reasons, passwords are not shown in the user account data. Simply leave this option disabled if the variables or their values contain confidential data.

Inbound Variables

The action step Activity Parameters does not have any inbound variables.

Outbound Variables

The action step Activity Parameters does not have any outbound variables.

Wizard

The Activity Parameters Wizard

Click to select the desired parameters from the Available Parameters column. You can use the arrows to drag them into the Used in this Workflow column and thereby insert them into the Workflow.

For more information about the Write Variables to Log File /Run Protocol option, see Properties.

Handling Inconsistencies When Importing a Workflow

Importing a Workflow with Activity Parameters, for example from the Activity Library, into an existing project can cause inconsistencies.

For example, if:

  • the Activity Parameters referenced in the Workflow do not exist in the project

  • the imported Activity Parameters have the same names as Activity Parameters already existing in the project that have a different data type

In such cases, RPA Builder notifies these inconsistencies by showing a dialog.

The Inconsistent Activity Parameters dialog

The dialog shows you all the affected Activity Parameters and suggests a suitable action (Suggested Auto-Correction). Either missing Activity Parameters are added or, if Activity Parameters have the same name but a different data type, deleted.

You can accept the suggestions by clicking on Proceed. Click on Remove Parameters from Workflow to remove all the Activity Parameters of the imported Workflow. Clicking on Cancel cancels the import of the Workflow.

See Also