A process represents the package version linked to a particular folder. When you deploy a new process, it becomes available for all users who have access to that folder.

The Processes page enables you to deploy an uploaded package as a new process, manage previously created processes, keep all your processes up to date with the most recent package versions, and directly start a job using the desired process. This helps you distribute packages across all users and robots in your organization and execute processes faster whether from the Processes or Jobs page.

In addition to executing processes from the Processes and Jobs pages, you can also configure any process to automatically start when the Robot agent is launched. As an administrator, this enables you to ensure that necessary processes are launched without delay or failure from the machine user, for example, to ensure adherence to company IT policies.

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Note:

By default, any process can be edited while having associated running or pending jobs. Please take into account the following:

• Running jobs associated with a modified process use the initial version of the process.
• Newly created jobs or new triggers of the same job use the new version.
• Pending jobs associated with a modified process use the updated version.

Runtime Arguments

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Entry Points

There are cases when your automation projects consist of multiple workflows. For such projects, it is a good practice to hold your project's main workflow in the Main.xaml file. All other automation .xaml files included in the project should be linked to the Main.xaml through the Invoke Workflow File activity since in typical scenarios only the Main.xaml file is executed when you run a job, it being the default entry point of any automation project. Learn more about project organization and design principles in Studio.

You can change the entry point of an automation project, i.e. change its execution "gate" by changing the main .xaml file. Similarly, you can add multiple entry points for your RPA processes, which enables you to execute only a certain branch of your automation project.

You can change the main .xaml file or add multiple entry points in RPA processes in Studio by right-clicking a different .xaml file and setting it as main or adding it as an entry point.

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Important

This feature only works for unattended execution, i.e. jobs started from Orchestrator. When launching a job using the Assistant, the Robot executes the main entry point set at design time in Studio, regardless of the entry point set in Orchestrator.

Say you build a workflow that checks invoices. The invoice could be downloaded from cloud storage or it could be located on your device.
You design two workflows inside the project and set them both as entry points:

• DownloadInvoiceFromStorage.xaml — workflow that downloads the invoice from an external storage
• GetInvoiceFromLocal.xaml — workflow that gets the invoice from your device.

At run time in Orchestrator, you select as an entry point the workflow that corresponds to your scenario. If the invoice is already on your local device, you set GetInvoiceFromLocal.xaml as an entry point. This starts the execution beginning with that step and continues with the invoice checking workflow (the Main.xaml file).

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Note

• For packages published before July 2020, Orchestrator cannot determine the main entry point, hence no entry point is selected by default. You need to select the entry point from the drop-down manually.

• If the process doesn't support multiple entry points, Orchestrator displays Default in the Entry point drop-down, and the field is disabled.

In, Out, In/Out Arguments

Designing your project in Studio to accept In or Out arguments enables you to use them in other third-party apps or Orchestrator. This means that any process you create can receive input arguments through the Orchestrator API or interface.

In Orchestrator, arguments and related information are displayed in multiple places: at the process level, job level, and trigger level in the dedicated arguments sections (Runtime Arguments or Arguments tab).
You can specify values for any input arguments. For more info on input and output arguments in Orchestrator, please visit this page.

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Note

Default values provided for In arguments in Studio are not displayed in Orchestrator, at any level.

Process Types

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This section describes existing process types according to how the automation requires and interacts with the user interface. The process type is configured in Studio on the Project Settings window, and illustrated accordingly in Orchestrator after publishing the project. There are two types of processes, according to the user interface requirements:

• Background Process - Does not require a user interface, nor user intervention to get executed. For this reason you can execute multiple such jobs in unattended mode on the same user simultaneously. Each execution requires an Unattended/NonProduction license. Background processes run in Session 0 when started in unattended mode. Click here for details about background processes..
• Requires User Interface - Requires user interface as the execution needs the UI to be generated, or the process contains interactive activities, such as Click. You can only execute one such a process on a user at a time.

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Note

The same user can execute multiple background processes and a singular process that requires UI at the same time.

Version Management

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If a new version of a package is available in Orchestrator (you published a new version from Studio), it is indicated with the icon next to the process it is part of. For more information, see the Managing Package Versions page.

You may update processes to the latest available version individually, on the corresponding View Processes window, or you may update them in bulk, by selecting multiple of them and clicking the global Use Latest button. For more information, see the Managing Package Versions page.

If a package version associated with a process is no longer available in the configured NuGet repository, it is indicated with the icon.

If you are using the latest available version of a package in a specific process, the icon is displayed next to the process.

Processes Permissions

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Creating a process:

• View permission on Packages;
• View and Create permissions on Processes.

Starting a job from the Processes page:

• Permissions for creating a process
• Create on Jobs

Deploying processes in classic folders:

• Permissions for creating a process
  View on Environments is also required.

Read more about roles.