Model, implement, then operate a simple process

In this example you will implement a simple agentic process that will walk you through the core Maestro features to model, implement, debug, publish, deploy, and manage a process. This simple process example does not make use of any other UiPath® products.

The aim is to build the simple routing process similar to the one from the following image:

Note: The Agentic Process project configuration is currently tenant-bound. Make sure that you remain in the same tenant between editing sessions.

Note: The Agentic Process project configuration currently only support one business process (BPMN) file. Although multiple files can be added to the project, this leads to unexpected issues for both debugging and publishing.

Modeling a process

First, start modeling the end-to-end process, then configure the components.

1. Navigate to your Automation Cloud™ tenant.
2. On the rail on the left side, from the list of products, select Maestro.
3. On the Maestro landing page, select Get Started.
   Tip: You can also start by creating a new Agentic Process in Studio.
   Your new agentic process opens.
4. From the upper-left side of the design interface, select Get Started.
5. Rename the project to Simple Project, and the process to Simple process.
   
   

   

   
   
6. Close the project explorer.
7. Select the start event element on the canvas to bring up the element toolbar. Choose Add: Text annotation from the element toolbar.
8. Select the start event element and choose Add: Intermediate event from the element toolbar.
   1. Double-click the intermediate element to rename it. Rename it to Delay.
      Tip: You can also Name field from the Properties tab on the right side of the screen to rename an element.
   2. Change the Delay intermediate event to Timer intermediate catch event.
   
   

   

   
   
9. Select the Delay timer intermediate catch event and choose Add: Exclusive gateway.
   1. Name the exclusive gateway as Which path?.
10. Select the Which path? exclusive gateway and choose Add: Task.
    1. Name the task as A Task.
    Tip: As you draw and configure your process, validation errors are displayed on the canvas. Select Hide validation errors from the upper-right tools menu if you want to hide these visualizations

    
    

    

    
    
11. Select the Which path? exclusive gateway again and choose Add: Task.
    1. Name the task as B Task.
    
    

    

    
    
12. Select the Which path? exclusive gateway.
    1. Expand the first condition from the Conditions section in the Properties tab.
       The generated name of the condition starts with edge_Gateway_{randomcharacters}.
    2. Type A in the Label field for the first condition.
    3. Expand the second condition.
    4. Type B in the Label field for the second condition.
    
    

    

    
    
13. Select A task and choose Add: End event from the event toolbar.
    1. Name the end event as End A.
    Tip: As a best practice, create an explicit end to your process. To quickly figure out which path your process followed, and an explicit end for each one.
14. Select B task and choose Add: End event from the event toolbar.
    1. Name the end event as End B.
    
    

    

    
    

Implementing a process

Follow this procedure to add capabilities to the process created in the Modeling a process section.

1. Select the Start event element and rename it as Manual start.
2. Select Add new from the Inputs section in the Properties tab.
   
   

   

   
   
3. Create the new variable as follows:
   • Name: path
   • Type: String
   • Value: A
   
   

   

   
   
4. Select Save.
   The new variable is created.
5. Select the Delay timer intermediate catch event.
6. Go to the Timer section in the Properties tab and add the following values:
   • Type: Duration
   • Value: add 5 seconds from the value configuration.
   
   

   

   
   
7. Select the Which path? exclusive gateway.
8. Expand the conditions from the Conditions section in the Properties tab.
9. Configure the first condition.
   1. Select Open expression editor for the first condition.
      
      

      

      
      
   2. Use Insert variable to find and insert the Manual start output variable path.
   3. Set the value equal to "A".
   4. Select Save.
   
   

   

   
   
10. Configure the second condition.
    1. Select Open expression editor for the second condition.
    2. Use Insert variable to find and insert the Manual start output variable path.
    3. Set the value equal to "B".
    4. Select Save.
    
    

    

    
    

    Tip: Alternatively, you can simply copy and paste the following expressions into expression editor:

    • Expression A: vars.path == "A"
    • Expression B: vars.path == "B"

Debugging a process

You will first run your process straight through to ensure the process is configured correctly. Since the default value for the path variable is set to A, the process should flow through to A task and End A.

Hover your cursor over the upper left corner of an element and select Click to add a breakpoint to configure breakpoints. Currently, breakpoints can only be set once you start debugging a process. However, they will be retained between runs.

1. Select Test to debug the process.
   
   

   

   
   
   An animation is running as each step is executed. You can interact with the diagram. Check the Execution trail and Global variables tabs for additional details.
   

   

   
   
2. Select Back to design mode to exit debugging.
3. Select Test step-by-step to manipulate the path variable to test route B.
4. Select Next step to move the execution to the Delay timer intermediate catch event.
5. Update the Manual start value of the path variable to B from the Global variables tab.
   
   

   

   
   

   Attention: Due to a known issue, there is no visual indicator to help distinguish between input and output variables with the same name in debugging. When you see both in the list, input will come before output. You should edit the first one, which is the input, and not the output, which will have a value of null.
6. Select Update 1 variables and then Update variables in the dialog box to commit the changes.
7. Select Continue to finish the execution.
   An animation is running as each step is executed. You can interact with the diagram. Check the Execution trail and Global variables tabs for additional details. This time, the process follows the B route.
   

   

   
   
8. Select Back to design mode to exit debugging.

You have now fully debugged your first process.

Publishing, deploying, and starting a process

1. Select Publish to publish the agentic process.
   1. Choose Orchestrator Personal Workspace Feed from the Location field.
   2. Select Publish.
   
   

   

   
   

   Note: Processes that are published to an Orchestrator Personal Workspace Feed are automatically deployed, but those published to a Tenant or Folder Feed must still be deployed in Orchestrator as a separate step.
2. Navigate to Orchestrator.
3. Go to My Workspace.
4. Go to the Automations tab and find Simple.Process in the Processes list.
   
   

   

   
   
5. Select Start a Job for the Simple.Process entry.
6. Select Start.
   
   

   

   
   

You now fully published, deployed, and started your first process.

Managing an agentic process

1. Navigate to the Maestro service.
2. Select Simple Process in the list of processes to open the All instances view for your process.
   Tip: You can also use the search field to filter the list if needed.
3. Select the latest instance to open the instance viewer.
   You can view the process execute live through each step.
   

   

   
   

   Select the model background to check Global variables and Action History, as well as the Execution trail. Select a step in the model or the execution trail to inspect Details and Variables for that execution step.

You have now fully managed your first process.

Breaking and fixing a process

In this procedure, we will cause a failure in the execution in order to use the instance management to recover.

1. Navigate to Orchestrator.
2. Navigate to Orchestrator.
3. Go to My Workspace.
4. Go to the Automations tab and find Simple.Process in the Processes list.
   
   

   

   
   
5. Select Start a Job for the Simple.Process entry.
6. Change the value for the path variable to C.
   
   

   

   
   
7. Select Start.
8. Navigate to Maestro.
9. Select Simple Process in the list of processes to open the All instances view for your process.
10. Select the latest instance to open the instance viewer.
    The process is in a failed state at the Which path? exclusive gateway.
    

    

    
    
    

    

    
    
11. Select the Which path? exclusive gateway step to check the No outgoing flow for gateway error.
    This error is expected since there is no configuration for path == "C".
    

    

    
    
12. Select the first step from the Status & Step panel to view Global variables.
    
    

    

    
    
13. Update the second Manual start output value (second row) for the path variable to A to follow a configured condition.
    
    

    

    
    
14. Select Update 1 variables to update the variable.
15. Add a comment in the Comment field for audit purposes.
    
    

    

    
    
16. Select Retry.
17. Add a comment and select Retry instance to retry the step with the new variable and complete the instance.
    
    

    

    
    
18. Check the Action history tab to view the audit trail for your changes.

You successfully fixed a broken instance.

Migrating between versions of a process

The process flow logic as it currently stands is insufficiently robust to manage all path scenarios. You are addressing this issue by publishing a new version of the process. This updated version will effectively accommodate not only new process instances, but will also rectify existing, problematic instances. To ensure you effectively handle all scenarios where path does not equal A, modify the B route to a Not A route.

In this procedure, you will cause a failure in the execution in order to fix it with a new version.

1. Navigate to Orchestrator.
2. Go to My Workspace.
3. Go to the Automations tab and find Simple.Process in the Processes list.
4. Select Start a Job for the Simple.Process entry.
5. Change the value for the path variable to C.
   
   

   

   
   
6. Select Start.
7. Navigate to Studio and open Simple Process.
8. Select the Which path? exclusive gateway.
9. Change the B label to Not A and the condition to vars.path != A.
   
   

   

   
   
10. Change the B Task task name to Not A Task.
11. Change the End B end event to End Not A.
12. Select Publish to publish the project.
    1. Choose Orchestrator Personal Workspace Feed from the Location field.
    2. Select Publish.
13. Navigate to Maestro.
14. Select Simple Process in the list of processes to open the All instances view for your process.
15. Select the latest instance to open the instance viewer.
    The process is in a failed state at the Which path? exclusive gateway.
16. Select Migrate to migrate the process.
    1. Select the Target version for the process you just published.
       In the context of this example, it should be 1.0.1.
    2. Provide a comment.
    3. Select Migrate instance.
    
    

    

    
    
17. Select Retry to retry the step with the new variable.
    1. Provide a comment.
    2. Select Retry instance.
    
    

    

    
    
18. Check the Action history tab to view the audit trail for your changes.

You successfully migrated a broken instance to a new version of the process.