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Intelligent recording overview

Pega Robot Studio provides intelligent recording as an alternative to standard application interrogation. Automation development that uses standard interrogation typically begins with a consultant marking processes for automation followed by seasoned developers creating logical and enduring automation projects. Intelligent recording allows a developer or a business user to sketch out a process in an application and lay the groundwork for an automation.

When you create a new project with Quick Start, you are launched into recording mode after naming the new project, an automation, and adding an application. You can also begin recording by clicking Record on the standard toolbar when an automation is active.

Screenshot showing the record button in Pega Robot Studio

During recording, you create steps that you want to add to an automation. Pega Robot Studio provides two step-creation modes: automatic and targeted. When recording, you can switch between these two modes seamlessly. You manage recorded steps in the Recording assistant.

Automatic step creation

Automatic step creation is the default recording method in Pega Robot Studio. When recording an automation, Pega Robot Studio displays a Gear icon next to a control as you interact with it. The Gear icon has a green background when automatic step creation is available.

Screenshot showing the green gear icon next to a control field indicating automatic step creation is available.

Using automatic step creation is similar to recording a macro in Microsoft Excel. You begin recording, and Pega Robot Studio captures the steps you perform to complete a process. As you perform the process, Pega Robot Studio interrogates the application and creates controls automatically. The steps you perform, such as entering text into an input field or clicking a button, are added to the recording assistant.

This method of recording makes simple automation creation quick and easy and requires only basic knowledge of automation development. You can edit recorded actions with the Recording assistant. Automatic step creation provides a streamlined approach to recording but is available only for technologies that support X-ray Vision or applications that have already been interrogated. To learn more about X-ray Vision, see the topic X-ray Vision.

Targeted step creation

Targeted step creation allows you to create more precise interactions with a control while remaining more accessible to less experienced developers and users than standard interrogation. Pega Robot Studio uses targeted step creation by default when automatic step creation is not available, such as when recording steps from an application built on a technology not supported by X-ray Vision or when you disable X-ray Vision. The Gear icon has a blue background when target step creation is in use.

Screenshot showing the blue gear icon next to a control field indicating that only targeted step creation is available.

When recording with either mode, automatic or targeted step creation, clicking the Gear icon displays the step editor. With the step editor, you can configure the control name, determine what action the automation performs with the control, choose the source of the value for the control (if applicable to the control type selected), and save that step of the automation to the recording assistant.

Screenshot showing the control dialog during automation recording in Pega Robot Studio.

Recording assistant

When you begin recording, Pega Robot Studio displays the Recording assistant. The recording assistant keeps an ordered list of steps you have captured during recording and provides functions for managing the steps.

Screenshot showing recorded steps in the Recording assistant in Pega Robot Studio.

On the Recording assistant, you can edit and delete steps that you have recorded. Editing a step displays the same step editor used during step creation. When you have completely recorded a process, you can finish recording and move all steps to the current automation or move steps to a new automation. Pega Robot Studio creates an automation from the list of steps you perform.

A log-in automation generated by recording process in Pega Robot Studio.

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