Click

UiPath.UIAutomationNext.Activities.NClick

Description

Clicks a specified UI element, for example a button or a link. It can be configured to use any mouse button, use a double-click, and it can be used in combination with a key modifier.

This activity must be added inside a Use Application/Browser activity.

This activity is compatible with Object Repository.

Project compatibility

Windows - Legacy | Windows | Cross-platform

Windows - Legacy, Windows configuration

Designer panel

• Click Indicate in App/Browser to indicate the UI element to use as target.

  After you indicate the target, select the Menu button to access the following options:

  • Indicate target on screen - Indicate the target again.
  • Edit target - Open the selection mode to configure the target.
  • Add verification / Remove verification - Adds or removes the Indicate verification target on screen feature in the activity card.
  • Remove informative screenshot - Remove the screenshot of the target application or web page.
  • Add to Object Repository - Add the current UI element to a library project, from where it can be reused throughout your automation process.

• Click type - Select from the drop-down menu the type of click to perform: Single, Double, Down, or Up. The default option is Single.

• Mouse button - Select from the drop-down menu the mouse button to click with: Left, Middle, or Right. The default option is Left.
• Indicate verification target on screen - Indicate the UI element to use as target and that should appear or disappear after the action is performed. Use this feature when you want to ensure that a specific action performed by the activity was executed correctly during runtime. This is particularly useful in automated processes, where you need to confirm that specific UI elements appear or disappear as the result of an action. It adds an extra layer of verification to ensure the process is running as expected. So, if your automation process depends on the correct execution of certain steps, you would probably want to verify the execution. This feature can be enabled from the Project Settings, or from the body of the activity, by selecting Add verification.

Properties panel

Common

• Continue on error - Specifies if the automation should continue even when the activity throws an error. This field only supports Boolean values (True, False). The default value is False. As a result, if the field is blank and an error is thrown, the execution of the project stops. If the value is set to True, the execution of the project continues regardless of any error.

• Delay after - Delay (in seconds) between the time this activity is completed and the time the next activity begins any operations. The default value is 0.3 seconds. Adding a delay between activities ensures that one activity has enough time to complete before the next activity begins.

• Delay before - Delay (in seconds) between the time the previous activity is completed and the time this activity begins performing any operations. The default value is 0.2 seconds. Adding a delay between activities ensures that one activity has enough time to complete before the next activity begins.

• Display name - The name displayed for the activity in the Designer panel. A display name is automatically generated when you indicate a target.

• Timeout - Specify the amount of time (in seconds) to wait for the activity to be executed before throwing an error. The default value is 30 seconds.

Input

• Click type - See Click type in the Designer panel.

• Cursor motion type - Specifies the type of motion performed by the mouse cursor. There are two available options:

  • Instant - The cursor jumps to the destination. This is the default option.
  • Smooth - The cursor moves in increments. The setting has effect only if the Hardware events input mode is used.
• Mouse button - See Mouse button in the Designer panel.
• Target - The target element. Target element must be set. Before indicating on screen, this field is set to (null). Once the target is indicated, all properties regarding the element that was indicated are displayed.
  • Click offset - Specifies an offset for the click activity, which can be further configured.
    • Anchoring point - Describes the starting point of the cursor to which it offsets from Offset X and Offset Y properties are added. The following options are available: TopLeft, TopRight, BottomLeft, BottomRight, and Center. By default, Center is selected.
    • Offset X - Horizontal displacement of the cursor position according to the option selected in the Anchoring point field. This field supports only Int32 variables.
    • Offset Y - Vertical displacement of the cursor position according to the option selected in the Anchoring point field. This field supports only Int32 variables.
  • CV Control type - Indicates the type of control identified using Computer Vision.
  • CV Text - Indicates the text identified using Computer Vision.
  • Fuzzy selector - The parameters for the fuzzy selector.
  • Native text - The text that is used to identify the UI element.
  • Responsive websites - Enable responsive websites layout.
  • Strict selector - The strict selector generated for the UI element.
  • Targeting methods - The selector types that you want to use for identifying the element. This property can be set to any combination from the drop-down menu:
    • None
    • Strict selector
    • Fuzzy selector
    • Image
    • Native text
    • Computer Vision
  • Visibility check - Checks whether the UI element is visible or not. You can choose one of three options from the drop-down menu:
    • None - Does not check for visibility.
    • Interactive (for Fuzzy Selector) - Default option. Checks if the element is potentially visible, ignoring page scroll and obstructions by other apps, or the fact that the application is minimized. This check is useful when trying to ensure that you are not targeting invisible elements that exist in the DOM but are hidden.
    • Fully visible - Checks if the UI element is visible or not.
  • Wait for page load - Before performing the action, wait for the application to become ready to accept input. You can choose one of three options from the drop-down menu:
    • None - Does not wait for the target to be ready.
    • Interactive - Waits until only a part of the app is loaded.
    • Complete - Waits for the entire app to be loaded.
  • Window selector (Application instance) - The selector that is used for the application window. Only applicable when the window attach mode is set to Application instance.

• Verify execution - At runtime, verifies if the action performed by the activity was correct. This is done by indicating an element that should appear or disappear after the action is performed, which is monitored and verified after the activity is executed. This feature can be enabled from the Project Settings, or from the body of the activity, by selecting Add Verification from the context menu.

  • Display name - The display name of the verification action. This field is autofilled based on the verification action and element you have chosen. Once Verify execution is set up, this display name becomes visible in the activity card.
  • Retry - When selected, the action is retried for the duration of the activity timeout, if the expected outcome was not achieved. By default, this check box is selected.
  • Target - This target is used to indicate the element that you want to verify at runtime. For more information on the property fields that can be expanded under this property, see the Target property above, as the functionality of the properties is the same.
  • Timeout - The amount of time (in seconds) to wait for the verification element to appear, disappear, or change. If the Retry checkbox is selected, the action is performed again, followed by the verification, for the duration specified in the Timeout property of the activity. The default value is 10 seconds.

Input/Output Element

• Input element - The UI element on which the activity is executed, stored in an UIElement object. This field supports only UIElement objects. This object can be obtained from the Output Element property field of other UI Automation activities.
• Output element - Outputs a target UI Element and stores it in a UIElement object, which can be further used to target the same element with other activities.

Misc

• Private - If selected, the values of variables and arguments are no longer logged at Verbose level. This field supports only Boolean (True, False) values. The default value is False.

Options

• Activate - Bring the UI element to the foreground and activate it before clicking it. This field only supports Boolean values (True, False). The default value is True.
• Alter disabled element - If selected, the activity executes the action even if the specified UI element is disabled. This field only supports Boolean values (True, False). The default value is False.

  This property does not apply if the Input Mode property is set to Hardware Events.

• Input mode - Select which method the Robot should use to interact with the target application:

  • Same as App/Browser - Use the same input mode as the Use Application/Browser activity.

  • Hardware Events - Uses the hardware driver to perform the action. This is the slowest method, it cannot work in the background, but it is compatible with all desktop apps.

    This option is selected by default if you change the default setting for any of the following properties ClickType, MouseButton, or KeyModifiers.

  • Simulate - Simulates using accessibility APIs. Recommended for browsers, Java based applications, SAP. Usually more reliable than Hardware Events. Sends all text in a single action. Works even if target app is not in focus. Please test if your target application UI element supports this.

    Simulate can only be used with the Single click type and the Left mouse button options.

  • Chromium API - Performs actions using debugger APIs. Works only for Chromium elements. Sends all text in one go. Works even if target app is not in focus. For more details, check out this page.

    When the browser is started with Chromium API, a ribbon shows up stating that the browser started in debug mode. This message does not show up if the extension is installed via policy.

  • Window Messages - Simulate using Win32 messages. Recommended for desktop apps. Usually more reliable than Hardware Events. Sends all text in a single action. Works even if target app is not in focus. Please test if your target application UI element supports this.

• Key modifiers - Add one or more key modifiers to use in combination with the action of the activity. The following options are available: None, Alt, Ctrl, Shift, and Win. The default option is None.

  Key modifiers cannot be used with the Simulate input mode.

Cross-platform configuration

• Work in scope - Choose the browser tab rendering the web application to automate.

• Indicate target on screen - Indicate the UI element to use as target.

  After you indicate the target, select the plus button to access the following options:

  • Indicate target on screen - Indicate the target again.
  • Edit target - Open the selection mode to configure the target.

Additional options

Timings

• Delay before - Delay (in seconds) between the time the previous activity is completed and the time this activity begins performing any operations. The default value is 0.2 seconds. Adding a delay between activities ensures that one activity has enough time to complete before the next activity begins.

• Delay after - Delay (in seconds) between the time this activity is completed and the time the next activity begins any operations. The default value is 0.3 seconds. Adding a delay between activities ensures that one activity has enough time to complete before the next activity begins.

• Timeout - Specify the amount of time (in seconds) to wait for the activity to be executed before throwing an error. The default value is 30 seconds.

• Continue on error - Specifies if the automation should continue even when the activity throws an error. This field only supports Boolean values (True, False). The default value is False. As a result, if the field is blank and an error is thrown, the execution of the project stops. If the value is set to True, the execution of the project continues regardless of any error.

Options

• Click type - Select from the drop-down menu the type of click to perform: Single, Double, Down, or Up. The default option is Single.
• Mouse button - Select from the drop-down menu the mouse button to click with: Left, Middle, or Right. The default option is Left.
• Key modifiers - Add one or more key modifiers to use in combination with the click. The following options are available: Alt, Ctrl, Shift, and Win.

• Input mode - Select which method the Robot should use to interact with the target application:

  • Same as Browser - User the Input mode setting from the parent Use Browser activity.
  • Chromium API - Performs actions using debugger APIs. Works for Chrome and Edge elements only. Sends all text in one go. Works if the target app is not in focus.
  • Simulate - Simulates the click using accesibility APIs. Works for browsers. Sends all text in one go. This input method works in the background (even if the target app is not in focus).

Input/Output

• Input element - The UI element on which the activity is executed, stored in an UIElement object. This field supports only UIElement objects. This object can be obtained from the Output Element property field of other UI Automation activities.
• Output element - Outputs a target UI Element and stores it in a UIElement object, which can be further used to target the same element with other activities.