Use a component in RPA Desktop Design Studio
Design automation projects by using components in RPA Desktop Design Studio.
Before you begin
Role required: none
About this task
Components are reusable blocks that are used for designing automations and to abstract functionality.
RPA Desktop Design Studio hosts a wide range of components that you can use while you’re creating automation projects.
Each component has ports that are used while creating an automation workflow. For more information, see RPA Desktop Design Studio ports.
Enhance the automation logic with text instructions, either in an empty activity or by selecting a component in an existing one by using the Now Assist for RPA Hub application. For more information, see Build an automation with Now Assist.
Procedure
In the RPA Desktop Design Studio, from the Toolbox pane, navigate to a parent component category to select a component.
To use a component, drag a component to the Design surface as shown in the following example.
Use an OCR Text component.
**Important:** You might come across the following behaviours when you drag and drop an automation component from the Toolbox, Object explorer, Project explorer, and Skills explorer to the Design surface:
- If you drag and drop a component to the same component in the Design surface, then the new component replaces the existing component. For example, if you already have the **ActionSet** component on the Design surface and you drag and drop another **ActionSet** component to the existing **ActionSet**, then the new version replaces the existing component.
All the connections \(control and data connections\), variables, or static data associated to the existing component gets associated to the newly dropped component if the port name and the port data type are the same.
- If you drag and drop a new component to a different component or method in the Design surface then the new component replaces the existing component.
All the connections, variables, or static data associated to the existing component gets associated to the newly dropped component if the port names and the port data types are the same.
- If you drag and drop a component between two components that are already connected in the Design surface, then the component is placed between the existing components. You may come across the following behaviours when you drag and drop a component between two components:
- If the port names and the port data types of the newly dropped component match with the connected components, then the data connections are created.
- If the port names are the same and the port data types are different, then the data connections are created only if the port data type is can be converted \(the source port data must be converted to target data type. This is known as typecasting or type conversion. For more information on type casting, see [Java Type Casting](https://www.w3schools.com/java/java_type_casting.asp)\). For example, integer to object but not object to integer.
- If the port names are the same and the port data type can be converted, but there is already an existing data connection between the two components, then no new data connection is created.
Connect the following ports:
Connect the Control In port of the OCR Text component with the Control Out port of another component.
Connect the Control Out port of the OCR Text component with the Control In port of the next component.
Connect the Data In (Bitmap) port of the OCR Text component with the Data Out port of another component.
Connect the Data Out (String) with the Data In port of another component.
Do any of the following options for a desired action.
| Option | Action |
|---|---|
| Search for a component that is available within the Toolbox | Enter the text in the Filter by Name field. |
| Edit the configuration or settings of a component | Either double-click the component title bar or click the settings icon \( Image omitted: component-settings-icon.png Settings icon.\). For example, to edit the settings of the OCR Text component, click the settings icon \(\[Omitted image "component-settings-icon.png"\] Alt text: Settings icon.\) over the OCR Text component. The OCR SETTINGS dialog box appears. You can define the properties in the dialog box that is shown in the following example. Image omitted: ocr-settings.png The settings icon \( OCR Settings dialog box. Image omitted: component-settings-icon.png Settings icon.\) doesn't appear for all components. |
| Edit the properties of a component | Change the required property in the Properties pane. |
| Set a breakpoint | Right-click the component title bar and select Breakpoint For more information on Breakpoints, see Set a breakpoint to pause a component in RPA Desktop Design Studio. |
| Start the workflow execution from a selected component | Right-click the component title bar and select Run From Here. |
| Handle the errors at a component level | Right-click the component title bar and select Error Handler To learn more about handling errors, see Handle errors in RPA Desktop Design Studio. |
| Delete a component | Right-click the component title bar and select Delete. |
| Skip a component in an automation | To enable the automation to skip a component, right-click the component title bar and select Skip This.Note:
|
| Execute a single component | To test and debug any issue in an automation by isolating a single component, right-click the component title bar and select Run This.Note:
|
- To search for a component that is available within the Toolbox, enter the text in the Filter by Name field.
Parent Topic:Using automations
Related topics
Set a breakpoint to pause a component in RPA Desktop Design Studio
Start a workflow execution from a selected component in RPA Desktop Design Studio