Google Chrome support
Interrogate and automate applications that run in the Google Chrome browser by using Pega Browser Extension along with the Universal Web Adapter in Pega Robotic Automation.
Keep in mind the following considerations when you automate applications that run in the Chrome browser:
- You can include multiple concurrent adapters. For more information, see Using multiple Chrome or Edge adapters within a Robot Studio solution.
- You can automate the File Open, File Save as, and Print dialogs in Chrome and Edge in applications that use the Universal Web Adapter. For more information, see Automate dialogs in Chrome and Edge.
- You can interrogate rows of data and cells within those rows. Use cloning to work with tables. For more information, see Interrogating HTML tables with the Universal Web Adapter.
- You can automate frames. To have access to the properties, methods, and events of a frame or top-level Windows form in your automation, use non-global webpages.
- You can interrogate and automate controls that are under Shadow Document Object Models.
- Property changed and Cancelable events are not supported in Chrome, but are supported in Internet Explorer.
Installing the extension
Use the Setup wizard for the Pega Browser Extensions component to install the Pega Chrome
extension. To update users from the command line, use the command line installation with
the INST_Chrome=1 parameter to install the extension.
If you install Robot Studio or Robot Runtime without the Pega Chrome extension and later want to install the extension, use the web installer utility. This utility is located in the Robot Studio or Robot Runtime installation folder. The following is an example of the command you would enter to install the extension and update the messaging host for Chrome.
OpenSpan.WebExtensionInstaller.exe Chrome -i-h parameter to the command.Enabling the extension
After you install the Pega Chrome extension, the first time any user starts Robot Runtime, that user must decide whether to enable or uninstall the Chrome extension. Automation developers, of course, would enable the extension. Automation end users must enable the extension too, so the automation can automate the browser. If automation end users do not enable the extension, you must perform a manual process to recover and re-install the extension. For more information, contact Pega Support.
Allowing access for the extension
If you use a Microsoft Group Policy Object (GPO) to control Chrome policies, and you enable the Configure native messaging block list setting in the Native Messaging section to block all extensions, you must provide Robot Studio and Robot Runtime with the access they need to function correctly.
For more information, see Using Microsoft Group Policy to control Chrome policies.
- Using Microsoft Group Policy to control access
If you use a Microsoft Group Policy Object (GPO) to control Chrome policies, and you enable the Configure native messaging block list setting in the Native Messaging section to block all extensions, perform the following steps to provide Robot Studio and Robot Runtime with the access they need to function correctly.
- Group policy setup for the Chrome extension
Explicitly allow the Chrome extension in the Group Policy Editor to use the Chrome extension when you create or run automations in the Google Chrome browser.
- Interrogating HTML tables with the Universal Web Adapter
Automate HTML tables in Chrome or Edge using the Universal Web Adapter. Follow these steps to interrogate an HTML table for the Universal Web Adapter.
- Automate dialogs in Chrome and Edge
You can automate the File Open, File Save as, and Print dialogs in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge in applications that use the Universal Web Adapter. You can also automate Edge permission dialogs such as the Allow multiple files to be downloaded and Allow website to use your location dialogs.
- Using multiple Chrome and Edge adapters within a Robot Studio solution
Sometimes in an automation, you might require multiple Universal Web Adapters to automate a Chrome or Edge browser at the same time. In addition, you might need to interrogate a multi-tab, multi-window environment.
- Hiding or reparenting
Because the Universal Web Adapter does not perform native injection, you cannot use the HideApplicationAtRuntime property or reparent with this adapter. You can, however, handle hiding the application or reparenting by using the Windows adapter.
- Interact with browser controls using the PerformClick or SendKeys methods
The PerformClick and SendKeys methods both rely on native injection to work and this is not available when you use the Universal Web Adapter to interrogate the Chrome or Edge browser. You can, however, use these methods to interrogate controls on the webpage being displayed, just not Chrome or Edge browser controls, like Refresh, Minimize, and Maximize.
- Specify domains
Use the AcceptedDomains property to determine which domains the Universal Web Adapter should recognize. You cannot interrogate any documents you exclude using this filter property, nor do those documents match at runtime.
- Stop the browser
Use the BrowserStopMethod property to determine what happens in the browser when the adapter stops.
Previous topic PBE frequently asked questions Next topic Using Microsoft Group Policy to control access