Start Process

UiPath.Core.Activities.StartProcess

Launches a specified application, and can optionally pass a list of arguments to it.

Properties

Common

• ContinueOnError - 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.

  Note: If this activity is included in Try Catch and the value of the ContinueOnError property is True, no error is caught when the project is executed.
• DisplayName - The display name of the activity.

Input

• Arguments - The parameters that can be passed to the application at startup.

• FileName - The full file path where you can find the executable file of the application to be opened.

  Note: Files with all extension types are supported in this field. If you add a file with a non-executable extension type, it is opened with its corresponding application, if available.
• WorkingDirectory - Path of the current working directory. This field accepts only string variables.

Misc

• Private - If selected, the values of variables and arguments are no longer logged at Verbose level.

Options

• ExecutionType - Specifies the process execution type. The process can be executed asynchronously, which indicates that the activity starts the process, but does not wait for it to finish, or synchronously, which indicates that the activity starts the process and waits for it to finish within the alloted timeout. By default, the process is executed asynchronously.
• Timeout (milliseconds) - Specifies the amount of time (in milliseconds) to wait for the process to finish before an error is thrown. This property is valid only for synchronous execution. The default value is 30000 milliseconds (30 seconds). A value of -1 indicates that the activity should wait indefinitely for the process to exit.

Example of using the Start Process activity

The example below explains how to use the Start Process activity for opening the Notepad application.

This is how the automation process can be built:

1. Open Studio and create a new Process named by default Main.

   Note: Create a new .txt file, save it with the name StartProcess.txt and place it in the project folder.

2. Drag a Sequence container in the Workflow Designer.

   • Create the following variables:

     Variable Name	Variable Type	Default Value
     NotepadPath	GenericValue
     NotepadFilePath	GenericValue

3. Drag an Assign activity inside the Sequence

   • In the Properties panel, add the variable NotepadPath in the To field and the executable application, in this case "notepad.exe", in the Value field.

4. Add another Assign activity and place it below the first one.

   • In the Properties panel, add the variable NotepadFilePath in the To field and the actual path of the file, in this example "StartProcess.txt", in the Value field.

5. Drag a Start Process activity below the Assign activities.

   • In the Properties panel, add the variable NotepadFilePath in the Arguments field.
   • Add the variable NotepadPath in the FileName field.

6. Run the process. The automation process opens the StartProcess.txt file.

Download example