I am currently working on a process automation project in Blue Prism and I'm having trouble capturing elements from a legacy Java application. I know that Win32 mode isn't working for this specific window. Can someone provide a comprehensive list of all the spying modes available in Blue Prism, such as HTML, Accessibility, and Region mode? Also, how do I decide which mode is best for a specific application type to ensure the automation remains robust and doesn't break during execution?
3 answers
Blue Prism offers several primary spying modes to interact with different application technologies. Win32 Mode is the default for standard Windows applications. HTML Mode is specifically optimized for web browsers, allowing you to see the underlying DOM structure. Accessibility Mode (AA) uses the Microsoft Active Accessibility interface, which is excellent for legacy software and some Java apps. UI Automation Mode (UIA) is the modern successor to AA, offering better support for WPF and newer Windows frameworks. Lastly, Region Mode is used for surface automation where you capture coordinates and use OCR. At iCertGlobal, we always recommend trying HTML or UI Automation first for stability, as Region mode is the least robust and should only be a last resort when no underlying elements are exposed.
Are you specifically struggling with the Java Runtime Environment detection, or have you already installed the Blue Prism Java Access Bridge to enable the dedicated Java spying mode?
The main ones are Win32, HTML, AA, and Region. You can cycle through these modes while spying an element by simply pressing the 'Alt' key on your keyboard.
I agree with Melissa. The 'Alt' key trick is a lifesaver when you are in the middle of the Application Modeller. It’s the fastest way to see which mode "highlights" the element boundaries most accurately without restarting the spy session.
Steven, that is a crucial point. If Kimberly is working with a Java app, she won't see the specific "Java Mode" unless the Access Bridge is correctly configured in the Windows environment variables. Once enabled, Java Mode provides a much more granular view of the application's tree structure than Accessibility mode ever could. It allows for much faster execution because the robot can "hook" directly into the Java objects rather than relying on the slower accessibility layer.