Get started

The following instructions assume that Kofax RPA is installed on one of your computers. For information about using Kofax RPA, see "Quick Start Guide" in the Kofax RPA Installation Guide.

1. To automate devices, see Desktop Automation Service.

2. To automate terminal applications, see Automate terminal emulators.

3. After installation and configuration tasks are completed, open Design Studio.

   Many of the installation and configuration tasks are performed by an administrator or similar role.

4. Create a Robot.

   1. Click File > New Robot.

   2. Specify a name for the robot and select a project.

   3. Click Finish.

      The new robot appears on a new tab in the editor window. Basic Engine Robots are identified by a blue icon and Robots are identified by a green icon .

      Perform basic editing of the Robot workflow.

   To run a Robot, as well as automate external applications, interact with data, follow the Robot's state in the Recorder View, and follow the state of the variables in the State Pane, call the Robot from a Basic Engine Robot.

5. Open an existing Basic Engine Robot or create a new one by clicking File > New Basic Engine Robot.

6. To allow execution of the Basic Engine Robot, click Prepare Execution on the toolbar or in the Applications pane.

7. To assign the execution privilege from one robot to another, open the tab with the required robot and click Prepare Execution.

   Only one Basic Engine Robot at a time can have the execution privilege. Although multiple Basic Engine Robots can execute in Debug mode, only one Basic Engine Robot at a time can have the privilege to execute in Design mode. The robot that has the execution privilege in Design mode can run in Debug mode at the same time, switching between the two modes. For more information, see Debug Mode.

   When a robot has the execution privilege, the tab of the robot is marked with a red dot. All other robots that are currently executing have their tabs highlighted as shown in the following image.

8. Insert a Call Robot step in the Basic Engine Robot.

   1. In the Robot drop-down list for the step, select the Robot created in Step 4.

      Later, you can create a new Robot by clicking Create New in the Robot drop-down list. If you are creating a new Robot after specifying the values and mappings for the Basic Engine Robot, the new robot inherits these properties.

   2. Configure input values, return variables, and devices. See Prepare automation devices and Automation Device mapping. If you are automating terminal applications only, skip the configuration for devices.

9. When the execution is allowed, execute the workflow to the Call Robot step and click Step Into Robot on the toolbar.

   The tab with your Robot is opened, and now you can edit and execute the robot.

10. To automate external applications, specify the automation devices in the Devices box. If you are only automating terminal applications, skip this step.

    • The number of devices specified in the Basic Engine Robot and the Robot must match.

    • The device names that you set in the Robot may differ from those in the Basic Engine Robot. In the Robot editor, you can rename the device from the context menu if needed. When the device is renamed here, the name change is reflected in all of the steps where the device is used.

    • A static device in a Robot is a device to which the connection is already established. If dynamic mapping is specified for a Call Robot step in the Devices property of the Basic Engine Robot, and the device was previously connected using dynamic mapping, in the Devices pane in the Robot, you can select to use a static device and reuse the connection established with the dynamic mapping. This is convenient when you want to reuse this Robot in different Basic Engine Robots.

      

11. Design the automation workflow of the Robot and run the workflow to see it in action.

    If upgrading from Kofax RPA versions 10.7.0 and earlier, see Convert old Desktop Automation action step.

12. After you design your Robot, run it to automate the devices.

    • To step out of the Robot and switch to working on the Basic Engine Robot, execute the entire Robot workflow, then click Step Out on the toolbar.

      In the Basic Engine Robot, the Call Robot step shows as executed.

    • To close the Robot without executing it to the end or returning a result, click Leave Robot on the toolbar.

      In the Basic Engine Robot, the Call Robot step shows as not executed.