Communication with the user

The MessageBox component creates a dialog box that informs users about errors and automation progress. The component has multiple different forms, and the basic version takes in String parameters for the message and caption values of the Message Box. The caption is the text shown in the title bar of the window, and the message is the information that is displayed in the body. The results of the component are the user’s action, whether they click OK or Cancel, and the automation can be routed appropriately depending on the user’s response.

For example, after searching for a vendor’s id number, an automation then opens a PDF file for that customer to collect information from a W-9 form the vendor submitted. Suppose the automation cannot find the associated PDF file. In that case, the automation displays a Message Box to the end-user that the PDF is not found, and then exits the automation after the user dismisses the dialog box.

The InputBox component is used to gather the required information from the end-user. InputBoxes display a prompt along with an input box for users to enter their data. Like a Message Box, the Input Box component takes parameters for the title and message to display and has an optional defaultValue. The entered InputBox value is a String data type. The automation checks for valid values and reformats the string to the necessary data type. After collecting and validating the information from the end-user, the value entered by the user can be passed to another component in the automation.

For example, a customer service representative (CSR) answers a customer call and uses an automation to retrieve the customer’s information from multiple systems. As soon as the automation starts, an InputBox is displayed for the CSR to enter the account information. After the CSR clicks OK, the account number is passed to multiple sub-automations, which each retrieve the customer’s information from a different system.

A toast notification is a small window that is displayed to provide feedback without requiring user intervention. A toast notification is displayed at the bottom of the screen by default. It provides feedback about an action that is performed in the background. The notification is visible for 5-6 seconds so as to prevent blocking the information behind it. You can configure the position and duration of the toast notification in the properties grid. While the toast notification is visible on the screen, the user may interact with the application normally.

For example, after completing a call with a customer, a CSR’s automation sends a confirmation email to the customer. A toast notification is displayed that indicates that message is being sent. Then, another toast notification is displayed to either confirm successful completion or to inform the CSR that the email has not successfully been sent.

As robotic projects grow, so do the number of messages created to handle any issues. Messages are defined in automations, which results in messages distributed throughout the projects. Pega Robot Studio provides the developer with the Message Manifest feature to manage messaging to the end-user.

Message Manifest:

• Provides the developer the ability to create dynamic messages by including input parameters.
• Provides the ability to export messages for reviewing, editing, and sharing of messages with other departments.
• Provides a central location within the project that owns the message definitions.