Task Capture

Installation and license

How can I receive the Task Capture installer?

There are different ways to get the installer file:

Fill in the form from the dedicated page and get the download link sent to you by email.
In case you already use Automation Hub, download Task Capture from the following locations:
- Idea Score page displayed after submitting the idea;
- Documentation page of the idea Automation Profile

For details please check the Receiving the Installer file page from the User Guide.

What license should I select?

The available license types are different, depending on the way Task Capture is launched:

Launched as a desktop tool:
- Continue Free
- Activate Standalone License
Launched from Automation Hub
Launched from UiPath® Task Mining
Launched from Test Manager

For details please check Activating Task Capture from the User Guide.

Can I activate Task Capture offline?

Yes, the offline activation is available only for Standalone licenses. For the Community Edition, an Internet connection is required. To activate the Standalone licenses access File > License Details and follow the information from Activating Task Capture the User Guide.

How can I retrieve the enterprise key?

Please note that the enterprise key is given only to users who previously received access to the Enterprise Edition of Task Capture. For details check the Licensing page - Activate Standalone License section from the User Guide.

If you lost the enterprise key or if it does not work and you want to make sure you have the correct one please contact your sales representative.

Does the Task Capture installer support background/silent installation?

Yes. To install Task Capture you have two installer file types available. For each of them the silent installation procedure is different as detailed below:

.msi installer

To silently install the tool we recommend using the .msi installer. Please check the Installing Task Capture page and the Command-line parameters page for the step by step information.
.exe installer

To run the silent installation for the .exe installer add the /S parameter to the installation command. This is how the command line should look like: './task-capture-installer.exe /S'.

keep in mind that, through the .exe installer, Task Capture is installed per-user. This signifies that, for the license to be activated, you need to perform at least one installation to have a license file located at {task capture folder}/UiPath Task Capture/License/license.lic. Only after this, you can copy this file to all the instances from your network.

Should I have admin privilege to install Task Capture?

The User Mode installer (TaskCapture.exe) does not require administrator permissions. Task Capture is installed per user and is limited to the rights that the user has.

To use the TaskCapture.msi installer, administrator permissions are required. The installed product is made available to all the users who access the machine.

Is Task Capture supported in remote environments, e.g. Citrix?

There are 2 options to use Task Capture on remote environments:

Install Task Capture on Windows:

Task Capture recognizes Citrix just as a separate application, so it captures the full screenshots without determining the selector elements or other metadata.

Note: Passing selectors from Citrix to Windows doesn't work thus, exporting to a XAML file will generate activities with the same selector: the window of the remote session.
Install Task Capture in a Citrix environment:

Since the remote environment is just another instance of a Windows environment Task Capture is able to capture screenshots and detect selector for the applications running in the same environment.

Note: Please check the Software Requirements page to find out more about Citrix compatible versions for Task Capture installation.

Recorder

How is data saved during the recording?

During the recording Task Capture stores all the data related current process document in %appdata% folder. Screenshots are saved in the Temp folder and the current process .ssp file in the Backup folder.

Can I retrieve captured data in case Task Capture crashed?

Backup saving is done for each minute when the recording is turned on. In case of a critical intermediate crash, you should be able to see the Unsaved files section.

The screenshots that have been captured are also located in %appdata%/Task Capture/Temp.We recommend sorting the folders based on the Date. Keep in mind that folders older than 3 days are automatically erased.

Please check the Best Practices page for more insights on how to enhance the recording process.

What is the technology used to identify and record my actions?

Task Capture uses WinAPI for its recorder functionality.
To track mouse and keyboard actions it subscribes to low-level hooks via the SetWindowsHookEx method.
To resolve key-strokes, it maps key codes to the current keyboard layout.
Screenshots are captured using the CreateDIBSection function.
To identify the clicked element it used UIAutomation and MSAA technologies.

Which actions trigger the capturing of a screenshot?

Screenshots are automatically captured for each of the following actions:

mouse clicks: left button, right button, mouse scroller, double clicks
hotkeys: Ctrl, Alt, and Win + key
pressed keys: Enter, Esc, Tab, BackSpace

Can Task Capture record the actions made by a robot during an automated process?

As only default clicks and default type methods are captured if your robot uses SimulateClick, SimulateType, or SendWindowMessages, these won’t be captured. So using Task Capture to create PDDs for already automated processes may not capture the entire workflow.

Is sensitive data automatically blurred/removed during the recording?

All the keyboard inputs are processed in the same way so sensitive data can't be automatically recognized nor blurred/removed. Sensitive data can be manually removed from the PDD file.For detailed information check out the Can I blur/remove sensitive data from the workflow diagram? section from this FAQ.

Can I blur/remove sensitive data from the workflow diagram?

Sensitive information can be manually removed from the following places:

Action Description field of every action.

This contains the recorded keyboard inputs (passwords, logins, etc.).

{actionDescription} variable from the Word template file.Note that removing this variable impacts the entire process by removing the description of each of the steps captured.

Details are available in the Editing a Template section from the User Guide.

Details about how Task Capture handles sensitive information are available in the Security Information page from the User Guide.

Why are interactions with some application not captured?

Usually, the applications that can’t be captured are running with Admin rights. Task Capture is unable to capture these apps unless you run it as an Admin.

Please make sure to run the app both apps with the Admin rights.

How can I improve the generated diagram?

There are many ways to improve different parts of your diagram as well as the capturing process. Please check the Best Practices page for details.

Export to Word

Can I use a custom template instead of the default one?

Yes, you can use a custom template but keep in mind that it needs to contain the specific placeholders, so the captured data can be properly listed during the exporting process.

For step by step instructions access the Creating your own Word Template page from the User Guide.

What are the placeholders from the Word Template?

Placeholders are the strings that are used in the Word template for filling in the data from the captured process.

For instance, the {TITLE} placeholder in the exported PDD document will be replaced with the actual Title of the document. For more information see Managing Word Templates.

Is there a list of all supported placeholders?

The list containing all the placeholders defined within Task Capture is available in the Creating your own Word Template page from the User Guide.

How can I share the Word template with other colleagues?

To share a Word template with other colleagues export it by accessing Export & Publish > Word Document > Template View.

The exported file format is .ssword.Share it with your colleagues who have to import it into their list of Task Capture templates.

For step by step information please access the Exporting a Template and Importing a template sections from the User Guide.

Can I use Google Docs to export the PDD?

Yes, the PDD exports are expected to be easely converted and work into Google Docs but there were some minor formatting issues.

Can I automatically share a customized PDD template with all my colleagues?

Yes, you can do this while installing Task Capture through the .msi installer file. Set up the customized PDD template using the custom parameters available on the Command Line Parameters page.

We also recommend you check the examples section available on the above-mentioned page.

How to improve the quality of the screenshot taken by Task Capture?

The image size can be altered when the PDD is generated.To improve the image quality we suggest you increase the images size.Keep in mind that, by doing this, the total file size will be increased as well.

Export to UiPath Studio

The following Action Metadatais stored in the XAML file:

Action Type:
- Click
- Double Click
- Type Into
- Send Hotkey
Element Selector

Additional metadata for each action type:

for Click activity - Mouse Button
for Type Into – Input Text
for Send Hotkey - Input Key

Why are images or dependencies not loaded in the exported XAML file opened in UiPath Studio?

This is an issue caused most likely by UiPath Studio that we are aware of and working on solving. As this is not caused by the XAML file we recommend you first to store the exported XAML files in the folder created for the UiPath project and then open it in Studio.

Export to Automation Hub

Are all Task Capture versions compatible with Automation Hub?

To export documentation to Automation Hub you need to have Task Capture 20.4 version or higher. To find out the version you are running, select File. The Task Capture version is displayed on the lower left-hand side of the screen.

If you have an older version, upgrade it by following one of the methods described in the Receiving the Installer File page from the User Guide.

Can I check the license key for Task Capture on Automation Hub?

We provide each organization with 1 license key for Task Capture activation, which can be used for as many users as the company needs. The license key is not displayed anywhere in Automation Hub as it is the company's responsibility and choice to share the key among its employees.

How to export a document in Automation Hub?

Open Automation Hub.
Access one of the locations where Task Capture is available:
- The page displayed after an Employee-driven idea was submitted
- The Documentation module under the Automation Profile page
Click Create New Process Document with Task Capture.
Task Capture is launched. Document your process. Click Export & Publish > Automation Hub.

Can I export Task Capture documents to Automation Hub if the tool was not opened from Automation Hub?

No, if the document was captured by simply opening Task Capture and using the capturing options you cannot use the Automation Hub option from Export & Publish.

The captured process can be uploaded as a regular document in Automation Hub.

For more details check out the Documentation section from the Automation Hub User Guide.

Is there a size limit for documents exported to Automation Hub?

Yes, the maximum file size is 200 MB.

How to change the name of a document before exporting it to Automation Hub?

By default, documents captured using the Create New Process Document with Task Capture option from Automation Hub will have the same name as the idea from where the tool was launched.

To change the title of the Process Document click the Edit icon displayed as a pencil. This is available on the upper part of the screen in the middle of the application top panel. Once the Rename Process Document pop-up is displayed type in the new name for your process and click Submit.

Application generic questions

How to retrieve the log file?

The log file is frequently requested during the troubleshooting process. To retrieve it simply access Task Capture -> Help -> Open Logs Folder.

You can also find the file by accessing the following location on your PC: %appdata%/TaskCapture/Logs.

What is the support policy for old versions?

The support policy for Task Capture depends on the version. To find out more please check the Product Lifecycle Policy page.

What OCR engine does Task Capture use?

Task Capture uses Tesseract for OCR.

Which are the folders used for writing the Task Capture files?

Depending on the installation type Task Capture saves its files in different folders. Please check the table available on the Installation page for details about each scenario.

Known issues and errors

Why is the Installer stopped in the middle of the progress?

Most likely, something blocks the files to be overwritten. One possibility is that the file of the previous version installed under the old app name - Explorer Expert, blocks the writing of new files. To resolve this issue follow the below steps:

Restart your PC.
Try to install the app again.
If the issue is not solved, uninstall the previous version of Task Capture (or Explorer Expert).
Make sure that all the folders are removed. Check all the below locations:
- %appdata%/Explorer Expert
- %appdata%/Task Capture
- %localappdata%/Programs/explorer-expert
- %localappdata%/Programs/task-capture
Try to install the app again.
If the issue is not solved, remove Task Capture/Explorer Expert data from Windows Registry by following the instructions below:
- Press the Windows + R hotkeys from your keyboard.
- The Run pop-up is displayed. Type regedit click OK.
- Open HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\ directory.
- Search for the GUID (global unique identifier) record containing task-capture or explorer-expert in its properties.
- Delete that record.
Try to install the app again.

Why are Japanese characters not correctly exported to xaml file?

Japanese text is translated from previously typed Latin symbols. Task Capture captures text only when the user interacts with the keyboard, but it's not subscribed to how the text is post-processed. This can cause for captured symbols to be displayed as Latin symbols and not Japanese.

Why do I receive the message An error occurred while trying to upload the document when trying to upload a workflow in Automation Hub?

If you are running the Task Capture 20.10.2 version, please note that this is an error we are aware of and are trying to fix. To bypass it, please upgrade your Task Capture version to 20.10.3 or higher.

Why can't I see my recorded actions in diagram after recording stopped?

Some users noticed that capturing more than ~100 actions is causing the diagram to not display them even though actions were registered. As a workaround, users can open the .ssp file in Task Capture v20.10.5 and if it's corrupted, a pop-up will show offering to recover the document.

FAQs