Print to PDF from browser - Blue Prism freezes

[ChristopherNord]

Hi all, We are experiencing an issue when we try to print a web page to a PDF file. The process follows the following steps: 1) Extracting data from an Excel report into a Blue Prism queue 2) Entering the data in a browser interface (Internet Explorer 11) 3) Printing a PDF of the summary of above entered data using IE's built in functionality for printing (CTRL+P) together with Adobe Acrobat XI Standard. This includes: - Pressing CTRL+P - Selecting the Adobe PDF printer from the dialog box - Clicking the print button in the dialog box - Typing the file destination in the save as dialog box - Typing the file name in the save as dialog box - Clicking the save button in the save as dialog box 4) Uploading the PDF file to the browser interface Each of the parts work fine in Object Studio, but the third step is causing some issues when run in Process Studio. Basically, Blue Prism appear to freeze and become unresponsive after having clicked the save button. This moment when it freezes is not consequent either, sometimes it can continue to the fourth step, sometimes it gets stuck at the End stage in the third step. In Blue Prism, no error is shown that provide us with any details regarding this. Instead, it says that the process is running but we can't click anything in Blue Prism. This requires that we force quit Blue Prism from the task manger each, something that's becoming more and more cumbersome now... So far, we have tried multiple approaches to solve this, including increasing wait stages, re-spying elements using different integration methods, killing the PDF process once saved, detaching from the save as dialog window etc. It would be great if any of you could provide us with some guidance or ideas how to solve this! Thanks a lot!

[John__Carter]

Hi Christopher - I'm not sure of the exact problem, but usually the answer to 'it works in object studio but not in process studio' or 'it doesn't work in control room' has something to do with either timing or in the way in which BP is manipulating the app.Always remember that Object Studio is BP running in slow motion and even when the play speed is on 'fast', in real terms it is still slow. Sometime it is this 'slowness' that makes the object appear to work, and when the object is stepped over in process studio the increased execution speed exposes timing problems in the logic.The other potential issue is that the app may not be responding to the integration methods used by the object. For example, sometimes you need to send keystrokes rather than use a write stage, or a mouse click instead of a 'press', or maybe a window should be closed via a button instead of sending the 'close' command directly to the window. The app is built for humans, not robots, and sometimes you have to make the robot work in a more 'humanlike' fashion.Lastly, are you sure that after Save there isn't a dialog box showing, eg 'Do you want to replace the existing file?'

[MasonMcCurdy]

Has anyone developed a solution for the original issue?  I am experiencing the same problem myself.