topic RE: Save as IE and attach/detach in Product Forum

Save as IE and attach/detach

VratHimbo — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 12:10:00 GMT

Hi all,
i've a question.. I need to Save a document from Internet explorer, my issue is: how can i check when the popup is appeared?
I have the first object with "WINDOWS TITLE 1", then, when i push download button another page is opened with another title "WINDOWS TITLE 2" where it says "download will be available in a moment.. " then this same page modify his title in "WINDOWS TITLE 3" with the windows popup (and that is another object to interact with it).

Now, how can i check for popup exist if i'm not able to attach that page until the popup showing? I'm not able to pick the popup without attach this page.

Thanks in advance

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Vrat Himbo
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RE: Save as IE and attach/detach

NicholasZejdlik — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:06:00 GMT

If the popup you're talking about is the Windows save file dialog, I would suggest attaching to Internet Explorer, and spy out that dialog window with Win32 mode, rather than trying to attach to the dialog directly. We have a similar object that does this due to how many times we've had to mess with a save dialog, and it works by attaching to IE and using a wait stage for the dialog to appear. In order to spy out the dialog window, sometimes you have to drag it outside the border of IE for Application Modeler to highlight it properly, but it should work.

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Nicholas Zejdlik
RPA Developer
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RE: Save as IE and attach/detach

VratHimbo — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:15:00 GMT

Hi @Nicholas Zejdlik, thanks for the reply.
maybe I explained myself wrong, my problem it's not to attach the popup but to put a wait stage on it, consider that when i push "Download BTN" iexplore open a new page with a different window title (Window title 2) and only after a few minutes it redirect to the same page but with different window title (Window title 3) so how can i check if the popup is shown?
I thought to loop the attach of the window title 3 until the attach is done with 30 retry, for example, but I was looking for opinions.
Thanks

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Vrat Himbo
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RE: Save as IE and attach/detach

NicholasZejdlik — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:33:00 GMT

Gotcha, so you're not waiting for the save dialog, rather you're waiting for various IE popups to appear.

I've run into a similar situation when launching an Oracle application through IE, as it would take a various amount of time for the Oracle window to appear. The best solution I came up with was creating an attach page which would attempt to attach, and if unsuccessful it would hit a recover stage, which I then resumed and looped back to attach. I had a max wait time set up so if it didn't attach after so many seconds, it would stop looping.

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Nicholas Zejdlik
RPA Developer
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RE: Save as IE and attach/detach

Ben.Lyons1 — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:43:00 GMT

Hi Vrat,

Have you tried using the Environment Utility action called "Wait For Process Window"? This can be used if you know the process name "iexplore" and the Window title.

Thanks

Ben

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Ben Lyons
Product Consultant
Blue Prism
UK
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RE: Save as IE and attach/detach

VratHimbo — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 16:05:00 GMT

Thanks @Ben.Lyons1,
i've tried and it works! But unfortunately sometimes this "landing page" has the same windows title after i've pressed "download" for some seconds. So it attach this page before it is loaded, how can i fix it? With a fixed timeout?

Moreover i've a problem to interact with this i.e. bar

I've tried to put in Navigate stage "Activate application" in win32 mode, then GSK "%(N)", "{TAB}", "{UP}", "{DOWN}", "{ENTER}" but it ends to url bar.
Alternatively i've tried UIA & AA Mode but i'm not able to do the second click on "SAVE AS..".
someone has already had to do with it?

Thanks in advance

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Vrat Himbo
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RE: Save as IE and attach/detach

Ben.Lyons1 — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 16:23:00 GMT

Hi Vrat,

I know that tool bar well!

You may have different options available to me as the later versions of surface automation (6.3 onwards I believe) should handle this well.

But I spied the down arrow button next to save (I think in AA), then used GSK directly to the button to press down and then enter. This resulted in the document being opened and saved. You can use the same environment action to check when it's finished opening, also a good idea to read the document name from the tool bar for an input (some calcs will be needed to chop it up).

This is from memory and unfortunately I don't access to it anymore, so some details may be a little off.

Let me know how it goes.

Thanks

Ben

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Ben Lyons
Product Consultant
Blue Prism
UK
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RE: Save as IE and attach/detach

VratHimbo — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 08:35:00 GMT

Thanks @Ben.Lyons1,
the proposed solution works!!! 🙂
When you say "use the same action to check when it's finished opening", what exactly do you mean?
And i create a new object to interact with this bar, and another one for Save As popup, since it will have to be recalled by different objects, it can work?

Thanks a lot

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Vrat Himbo
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RE: Save as IE and attach/detach

Ben.Lyons1 — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 09:11:00 GMT

Hi Vrat,

Great work!

I mean use the utility action to check the process window is open, for the document you're opening. The one I used was opening an Excel document and it could take quite a while. So using the wait for process window action was really helpful, so I knew when I could attach to it.

You should be fine to have it in a separate object.

Thanks

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Ben Lyons
Product Consultant
Blue Prism
UK
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RE: Save as IE and attach/detach

VratHimbo — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 09:59:00 GMT

Thanks a lot, your help was invaluable @Ben.Lyons1,
one last thing if I can. If I wanted to pass the path where to download my file (eg. C://Program files/Rpa Folder/"File Name") if i pass the complete file path (with .xlsx at the end) it always downloads me on download folder, how can i pass the exact file path folder?
Thanks again

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Vrat Himbo
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RE: Save as IE and attach/detach

Ben.Lyons1 — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 10:07:00 GMT

Hi Vrat,

I'm afraid there's not much you can do about that via the process. When you select the option to open and save, it will save to the default downloads folder.

However, if you update the downloads folder location in the browser settings, it should save it where you need. The challenge you may have is it will do this for all processes using that particular Windows user.

You could just open it without saving, but that will open the document as uneditable and that may affect your ability to attach to it and save using other methods.

Thanks

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Ben Lyons
Product Consultant
Blue Prism
UK
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RE: Save as IE and attach/detach

VratHimbo — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 10:19:00 GMT

Also if i select "Save as" option? I can't select a specific folder?

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Vrat Himbo
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RE: Save as IE and attach/detach

Ben.Lyons1 — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 10:33:00 GMT

I can't say that I tried, being able to save it was enough for what I needed. Unfortunately that was in my old job, so I don't have access to try it.

It may work to use the Save As option, but often Windows would also store something in a temp folder as well, from the moment you open it.

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Ben Lyons
Product Consultant
Blue Prism
UK
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