Multiple file explorer instances(Window automation)

[ChethanaManjego]

Hi all, I am unable to attach to the window explorer launched by Blue prism, as there are two instances of explorer.exe found during the same. I had tried changing the child index also, but had not been able to attach to the launched explorer window. Currently before trying to attach, in-order to make sure that single instance of explorer.exe exists, I had to manually kill all the explorer.exe due to which the task bar vanishes. Below are the version details of Blue Prism tool being used. BP version : 5.0.12 Windows edition : Windows 7 Enterprise System Type : 64 bit OS Please find the screenshots for your reference. Appreciate any suggestions.

[John__Carter]

Can you not use the Utility - File Management object to work with files and folders? This does not require any modelling of the UI.If you must model the UI then try attaching to the original explore.exe before launching the window. Alternatively, include the window title to see if you can make the attach details more specific.

[Stefande_Moor]

Hi Chetana You can use a specific attach business object using the navigate item. You attach to the IE frame using the parameters Window Title, Process Name, Child Index. Most often i use wildcards for the window title to make sure that it is able to attach to the right instance. See attached

[ChethanaManjego]

Hi John, I tried attaching to the process, before launching the window and it did work. But , going further, any actions involving activating the file explorer window or dragging the files from the required file explorer window -seems not to work due to multiple instances of explorer.exe after the window is launched. Hence I need to make sure that only single instance is available or should be able to attach to the launched file explorer window, so that ,after attaching to the process, I would be able to perform further actions on the window. Appreciate your help! Thanks, Chethana

[ChethanaManjego]

Hi SRAdeMoor, Appreciate your input. I am working with file explorer, not IE and hence, I am unable to identify the window using the parameters. Thanks

[John__Carter]

Forget spying the file explore UI, use the Utility - File Management object.

[ChethanaManjego]

Hi Jhon, Checked the Utility - File Management object, but I don't find any action that I can use to drag files from an explorer window. Appreciate your inputs. Regards, Chethana

[John__Carter]

The utility does not use the explorer UI, it manipulates files and folders programmatically. By 'drag' I'm guessing you want to move a file - the utility has an action called Move.

[ChethanaManjego]

Hi Jhon, I can only 'drag' the files, as the files have to be dragged and dropped onto an area on a web application. Hence , I cannot utilize any actions from File Management - VBO Regards, Chethana

[Anonymous]

Hi Chethana I would try to figure out how the website handles the inputted path, since dragging a file is really just passing a reference to its fully qualified path. Maybe it is as simple as calling a javascript function with the file path as argument. ""Invoke Javascript Function"" can be called as an Action on the Browser Application. Use the developer tool while dragging a file, and have a look at what is really going on in the console. It is very likely javascript, and then you are able to invoke the function without dragging the file.