I am building an automation where a pop-up window appears sporadically, and I need my robot to check if that window exists before attempting to click a "Close" button. I've seen activities like "Element Exists," "Check App State," and "Image Exists." Which of these is the most modern approach for a production-ready bot? Also, how do I configure the timeout settings so the bot doesn't wait too long if the element isn't there, and what variable type should I use to store the result for an 'If' statement?
3 answers
For modern UiPath projects (using the Modern Design Experience), the industry standard is the Check App State activity. Unlike the older "Element Exists," this activity is "container-aware" and combines the check with logic for what to do if the element appears or disappears. It outputs a Boolean variable (True/False) and allows you to set a specific Timeout in the properties panel (default is usually 30 seconds). For simpler, classic projects, the Element Exists activity is still widely used; it simply returns a Boolean that you can then pass into a standard "If" activity to branch your code logic.
I've been using "Element Exists," but I noticed that sometimes it returns True even if the window is technically there but hidden behind another application. Is there a way to check if an element is not just "existing" in the DOM, but actually visible and ready for interaction?
If you are dealing with legacy applications where selectors are unstable, you might have to resort to Image Exists. It’s less reliable than selector-based methods but works as a great fallback for Citrix or RDP environments.
Great point, Linda. Just a heads-up for Thomas: if you use "Image Exists," make sure your screen resolution and scaling are consistent across development and production, otherwise, the image match will fail even if the window is clearly there!
Steven, you should check the WaitForReady property in the activity settings. Setting it to "Complete" ensures the UI thread is responsive. Additionally, in the Modern Experience, the "Check App State" activity has a "Visibility" check built into its advanced properties. This is a common hurdle in RPA Software Development—knowing the difference between an element being "loaded" versus being "interactive" on the screen.