Robot session (previously Picture-in-Picture)

The Robot session window allows you to run attended automations without having to interrupt your current activity on the machine.

There are two versions of a Robot session, both isolating the automation from your work, and are based on the following technologies:

• Child Session - Processes run in a separate Windows session on the machine.

• Virtual Desktop - Processes run in the same Windows session, but on a virtual desktop.

Setting PiP type and PiP options

To set the PiP technology for your Robot session, or to indicate if the process should start in a Robot session by default:

1. Open the desired UiPath^® Studio project, then select the Project panel on the left side.

2. Open the Project Settings menu.

3. From the PiP Options dropdown, select an option to indicate whether the project was tested using Picture in Picture and whether it should start in a Robot session by default:

   1. Tested for PiP Usage; Starting in PiP - The automation has been approved to run in PiP mode. When you run the process, it starts in a Robot session by default.
   2. Tested for PiP Usage; Not starting in PiP by default - The automation has been approved to run in PiP mode. When you run the process, it starts in the main session by default.

   3. Not tested for PiP usage - The automation has not been approved to run in PiP mode. When you run the process, it starts in the main session by default.

4. From the PiP Type dropdown, select the technology to isolate the automation from the user session:

   1. New Session - When you run the process in PiP, the child session technology is used.

   2. New Desktop - When you run the process in PiP, the virtual desktop technology is used.

Using PiP for Invoke activities

When using Invoke activities such as Invoke Process, Invoke Workflow File, and Run Parallel Process, you can set the session in which they should run.

This is done by setting the Target Session property of the activity in Studio using one of the following values:

• Current - The child process opens in the same session or desktop the user is in.
• Process Default - The child process uses the configuration set in the Process Settings.
• Main - The child process starts in the user session regardless of where the parent process runs.

• Picture in Picture - The child process starts in a Robot session regardless of where the parent process runs.

  
  

  

  
  
  Note:

  You can edit the value of the Target Session property only from Studio.

  To modify this property for projects developed in StudioX, you need to open them in Studio.

Using the Robot session

To start the Robot session:

1. In UiPath^® Studio/StudioX > Debug tab, select the Picture in Picture option, then run your process.

2. In UiPath^® Assistant, select the desired automation. In the right side panel, turn on the Run in PiP toggle, then run your process. The Robot session window pops up.

To interact with the screen within the Robot session, click on the Join button that appears on hover. Doing so expands the Robot session to full screen on your main display.

To exit full screen, click Leave Robot session. This returns you to the Robot session window, which is configured to remain on top of other applications.

To close the Robot session, click X. A prompt asks for your confirmation to end the Robot session.