Pega Robotic Automation 19.1 includes significant changes to the product infrastructure so that you no longer have to update the entire product each time a component changes. Additionally, the system now only downloads the actual changes, which means smaller, faster downloads. For more information on this and other changes, see the Pega Robotic Automation version 19.1 Release Notes.

• For system requirements and installation instructions, see the Pega Robotic Automation version 19.1 Installation Instructions.
• For additional information, see the Pega Robotic Automation version 19.1 Studio and Runtime Help.
• To download Pega Robotic Automation 19.1, see Download Pega RPA software.

For detailed information about all the changes in the version 19.1 builds, see Build Notes: Pega Robotic Automation 19.1.

Install the new Pega Browser Extension (PBE)

Build 19.1.115 adds the Pega Browser Extension (PBE). PBE replaces the individual Chrome and Edge extensions released in earlier 19.1 builds. PBE updates the Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browser extensions to comply with the Chromium Project Manifest V3 specification.

In addition, we have improved the extension installation and update experience. The extension was previously included in the core Pega Robotic Automation installation process. PBE isolates the extension, and other pieces tied tightly to it, into a separate, installable component, similar to Pega RPA Service and Pega Synchronization Engine. For most automation packages, PBE is backward compatible and does not require a new version of Robot Studio or Robot Runtime.

For more information and a technical overview of PBE, see the Pega Browser Extension FAQ.

Additional Windows support

Build 19.1.108 adds support for Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022.

Download Manager component

Manage the downloading of files in your automations by using the Download Manager component. With the new Download Manager component, you can track when downloads start, stop, and fail so that you can take the appropriate action in your automation. The Download Manager component works with the Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers by first retrieving a list of files to download and the IDs that are assigned to those files. Use Download Manager component methods to pause, terminate, and restart downloads. You can retrieve information that the component records, such as when the download starts and finishes, the size of the download, and the path to the download. Then, you can use the information in your automation.

The Download Manager component is included in build 19.1.104 and later. For more information, see Download Manager component.

Pega Community Events -- Microsoft is Changing the Browser Game - Are You Ready?

With Microsoft's official end-of-life date for Internet Explorer (IE) approaching in June 2022, it's essential that you migrate your existing IE web adapters into new Edge versions using the Universal Web Adapter. This Pega Community Events webinar provides an overview of best practices as well as a demo of new product features available from Pega to assist with this migration process.

Runtime Routing Service

For attended robotic automation implementations that are integrated with Pega Platform™ applications, use the new Runtime Routing Service to directly invoke robots. The new service directs communication between the Pega Platform application and attended Robot Runtime clients. Use this service when you have the following setup:

• A virtual machine server, such as a Citrix server or a Remote Desktop Service server, hosts the Pega Platform application and the Robot Runtime client, and
• The Pega application and Robot Runtime run in the same session.

The Runtime Routing Service is included in build 19.1.98 and later. For more information, see Runtime Routing Service.

Replacing controls in automations

The new Replace usages wizard guides you through the process of replacing the automation blocks of one control with that of another control. The controls are typically in different adapters, but you can use this wizard to replace components or other Toolbox items that are used within an automation. For example, you can use the Replace usages wizard to assist in migrating web adapter (Microsoft Internet Explorer) automations to Universal web adapter (Microsoft Edge) automations.The Replace usages wizard is included in build 19.1.95 and later. For more information, see Replacing controls in automations.

Ask the Expert -- Pega Robotics

Want to talk to a real robotic automation expert? Learn tips and tricks from an automation pro? Join Thomas Sasnett, Lead System Architect, in this Ask the Expert session, which runs from 13 September through 24 September 2021. Thomas will be discussing all items pertaining to Pega Robotic Automation, including migrating to Edge or Chrome from Internet Explorer. If you miss the session, you can learn from the questions and answers that are captured on the Collaboration Center.

Support for IE compatibility mode in Microsoft Edge

Version 19.1.86 adds support for Internet Explorer (IE) mode for interrogation and automation in the Microsoft Edge browser. IE compatibility mode on Microsoft Edge makes it easy to access all of the sites your organization needs from a single browser. IE compatibility mode uses the Chromium engine for modern sites, and the legacy Internet Explorer 11 engine for legacy sites.

For more information, see Microsoft Edge (Chromium) Support in Pega Robotic Automation. 

Windows Server 2019 support

In April 2021, the Robotic Automation team verified support for Microsoft Windows Server 2019 in build 19.1.51 and later. You must also install Pega Native Foundation 10.1.13.2004 or later to use Windows Server 2019. Pega Package Server and Server Status Page 3.1.3.0, Pega Synchronization Engine 3.1.13.0, and Pega Synchronization Server 3.1.13.0 have also been tested with Windows Server 2019.

.NET Core update

Version 19.1.77 updates the Pega Synchronization Server, the Pega Package Server, and the Server Status Page to use Microsoft .NET Core 3.1. There is no change in functionality. For more information, see the 19.1 build notes.

ActiveX support

Version 19.1.76 adds support for ActiveX applications to the UI Connectors functionality. In addition to .NET support, since the initial release of this feature we have added Java, Java FX, and now ActiveX support to UI Connector functionality. For more information, including limitations, see Creating UI Connectors.

X-ray Vision

Build 19.1.73 introduces X-ray Vision, an exciting new technology that makes interrogating an application much easier. With X-ray Vision enabled, when you begin interrogating an application screen, Robot Studio scans the screen, identifies the controls on the screen, and assigns a PegaId to each control. These PegaIds then serve as the match rules for the controls. While you can still interrogate and set match rules as before, X-ray Vision can make the interrogation much faster and more effortless. For more information, see Using X-ray Vision in Pega Robotic Automation. 

Support for Microsoft Edge (Chromium)

Build 19.1.70 adds support for automating Microsoft Edge Chromium. Some things to keep in mind:

• Supports automating the Chromium version of Microsoft Edge.
• Uses the Universal Web Adapter (UWA) and is very similar to the existing Chrome support. To automate the Edge browser, you install an extension in the Edge browser and register our Messaging Host to that extension ID.
• Does not support pages running in Edge’s compatibility mode (which is actually Internet Explorer 11 functionality).

For more information, see Microsoft Edge (Chromium) support in Pega Robotic Automation.

Support for Pega Robot Manager™ 8.5.1 and later

Build 19.1.61 adds support for the latest Robot Manager release. Pega Robot Manager versions 8.5.1 and later include the following major enhancements:

• Get the most out of your bot-force with auto-balancing. Robot Manager monitors the work groups and work queues and dynamically shifts resources so you get the greatest benefit out of your robots and virtual machines. For more information, see Auto-balancing the workload of stand-by robots across work groups.
• Pega Robot Manager now supports repositories for package storage, removing the need to use Pega Package Server. For more information, see Storing robotic automation packages in Pega Robot Manager.

For more information about the latest updates in Pega Robot Manager, see What's new in Pega Robot Manager.

New variable components

Build 19.1.54 adds new variable components, which include methods that operate directly on the values that are contained in those variables. Here are some examples of the new methods that you can use:

• Equals, GreaterThan, Add, Multiply for numeric variables
• Concat, Contains, StartsWith, Replace for string variables
• Compare, Now, AddDays for datetime variables

These new variables replace the variables previously in use on the Toolbox. This change also updates the String utils and Datetime utils to support the additional methods that are added to the String and Datetime variables. You can use Pega Robot Inspector to read values from and assign values to these variables.

Windows 10 version 2004

Build 19.1.49 adds support for automating 32-bit applications when running the 64-bit version of Windows 10 version 2004.

New Project Wizard

Build 19.1.43 adds the New Project Wizard, which you can use to create projects, add multiple project items, configure adapters, create global containers, and quickly add other standard objects to a project. With this wizard you can perform the following tasks:

• Right-click a project or a folder item to create new project items for all the projects and folders in your solution.
• Create templates for automations.
• Rename the project and project items.
• Delete project items.
• Drag and drop project items within the project.

For more information, see Using the New Project Wizard. 

PowerBuilder version 19.0

Build 19.1.42 adds support for PowerBuilder 19.0 applications. PowerBuilder is an Integrated Development Environment that is primarily used for building business applications.

Toast-style notifications

Build 19.1.38 adds a ToastNotification component to the toolbox so that you can display toast-style notifications. A toast notification is a nonmodal window element that you can use to display brief messages that automatically expire: 

In the toolbox, select Show to activate the ToastNotification component, and then enter the message and choose a severity icon to indicate whether this is an Info, Warning, or Error: 

For more information, see ToastNotification component.

PowerPoint Connector

Build 19.1.38.0 adds a Microsoft PowerPoint connector to the toolbox so that you can automate the process of creating PowerPoint presentations.

Whitespace options for Text properties

Build 19.1.38 adds the TrimRegionText property to the Text adapter. You can now choose to leave leading and trailing whitespaces for the Text property of a region or field. For more information, see Text adapter properties, methods, and events.

OCR parameters and methods

Build 19.1.38 adds new occurrence parameters to existing OCR methods and also adds the following new OCR methods:

• GetLocationByOcr - Returns the location of the text found.
• GetValueAtLocationByOcr - Returns the text at a specified location.

For more information, see Creating Automations Using the Screen OCR Feature.

Interrogation Form

Build 19.1.34 streamlines the interrogation process by providing the most common functions directly on the Interrogation Form. Robot Studio minimizes when you begin an interrogation, so that you can focus on the Interrogation Form and the application. You can rename controls, highlight controls, delete controls, modify properties, and test modifying target properties and methods directly from the Interrogation Form. Only when you need to perform the most advanced features such as editing match rules or working with the Windows, Web or Virtual controls tab will you need to return to Robot Studio.

The Interrogation Form also adds a new delayed interrogation feature. You can start a timer and then navigate the application. When the timer expires, the currently selected control is then interrogated. This makes it easier to interrogate controls that hide automatically when they lose focus.

The following figure calls out two convenient features of the Interrogation Form. 

Build 19.1.32 adds the Server Bot Framework to fully utilize the resources of a Windows Server when running Robotic Process Automations. A Server Bot is a robotic process automation (RPA) running in its own Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) session on a machine with Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2016. An RPA becomes a Server Bot when you deploy it on the Server Bot Framework. This feature allows you to:

• Run multiple Server Bots in the same workgroup at the same time
• Run Server Bots in multiple workgroups at the same time
• Start, stop, and assign work to Server Bots from Robot Manager

For more information, see Server Bot Framework.

Ask the Expert -- Pega Robot Manager

Join Angel Hermira, Product Manager, Robotics, to learn more about integrating your robotic automations with Pega Platform applications in this Ask the Expert session, which runs from 02 March to 13 March, 2020. Angel previously led the Robotics services team in Europe, where he helped clients  architect their solutions and extract the best of both Pega Platform and Robotic Automation capabilities to create truly intelligent automations. If you miss the session, you can learn from the questions and answers that are captured on the Collaboration Center.

Build 19.1.22.0 introduces a new Standard view of the Properties grid. By default, Standard view filters to show only the most commonly used properties for each control. The Standard view is displayed by default, but you can select the Advanced view when you need to see the full complement of properties using the dropdown list at the top of the Property grid.

Working with properties is the same as in previous versions, except that you can now tab through the list of properties in the Standard view.

Adding additional properties to the Standard view

To add an additional property to the Standard view, right-click the control in Advanced view and then select Add to Standard View:

To remove a property that you have added to the Standard view, right-click the control and select Remove from Standard View. You can only remove items that you have added.

Studio retains your choice of which view to display between editing sessions.

For more information, see Properties Grid. 

SendKeys methods

Build 19.1.14.0 now includes support for the SendKeys method in both the Web and Universal Web Adapters. This works much like SendKeys in the Windows adapter. When you use this technique to create an automation, the system more closely mimics user interaction, so that you do not have to raise events to make the web page perform as expected. For more information about the new SendKeys methods, see the following topics:

• Universal Web adapter properties, methods, and events
• Web Adapter properties, methods, and events

PDF Connector 2.0

Build 19.1.14.0 greatly enhances your PDF processing capabilities. The new visual designer makes working with PDF files much easier because you can visually identify the items within the file that you want to automate. Once identified, these items appear in your Object Explorer so that you can use them directly in your automation. With this functionality you can now perform the following actions:

• Read and write to form objects (items that users can edit in a standard PDF editor) in your automation, similar to what you would do with an interrogated adapter control.
• Use Optical Mark Recognition (OCR) to detect whether an image-based document has any check marks, signatures, or both at known locations.
• Automatically detect tables within PDF files based on intersecting lines and extract the information in those tables into a data table for use in your automation.
• Use the reconciliation mode to quickly automate a workflow. In this mode, Runtime users can see the data elements that are extracted from a file and update those elements if required.

For more information, see Incorporating PDF files in your automation using Pega Robot Studio version 19.1.

Pega Robot Inspector

Build 19.1.14.0 introduces the new Robot Inspector for Pega Robot Runtime. The Robot Inspector lets you start and stop adapters, start automations with supplied parameters, provides live visibility into adapter matching, and lets you view and modify global variables, lookup tables and more.The Robot Inspector is available for every solution without having to add a component to the solution, and can be enabled through the Runtime icon menu.

For more information see Using the Robot Inspector.

Custom credentials provider API

Build 19.1.13.0 adds an API for connecting an in-house credentials provider to Pega Robotic Automation. Use this API to write your own C# extension to retrieve credentials. Pega provides a sample C# solution for you to use as a guide.

To set up a custom credentials provider, use the CredentialManager server options in the CommonConfig.xml file, and make corresponding entries in the CredentialManagerConfig.xml file.

For more information, see Common configuration settings.

Support for additional types of spreadsheets

Build 19.1.7.0 adds support for the following additional spreadsheet types when you use the Excel Connector:

• Microsoft Excel: .xlsx, xlsm, .xltx, .xltm, .xls, .xlt
• OpenDocument spreadsheet: .ods, .ots
• Character Separated Values: .csv, .tsv

This build also adds the following methods:

• FindRows
• FindColumns

Support for Adobe Flash and Adobe Flex applications

Note: Adobe ended support for Adobe Flash on December 31, 2020. For more information, see Adobe Flash Player EOL General Information Page.

Build 19.1.4.0 adds support for Adobe Flash® and Apache Flex applications that use the Google Chrome browser. The Adobe Flash and Apache Flex translator works with Universal Web Adapter. The Adobe Flash and Apache Flex (formerly Adobe Flex) software provides a development environment for building games and applications by using the ActionScript® language and the open-source Flex framework.

For more information, see, Adobe Flash and Flex application support.

What's new in the initial release

The initial release of Pega Robotic Automation 19.1 includes the following features:

Pega Synchronization Server

The Pega Synchronization Server is a new addition to the Pega Robotic Automation product suite that hosts the product repository, which stores bundled product versions. For more information, see the Pega Synchronization Sever and Package Server User Guide.

Pega Package Server

Version 19.1 includes enhancements to the Pega Package Server so that it works together with the new Pega Synchronization Server so you can easily distribute the automations that you create with Pega Robot Studio. For more information, see the Pega Synchronization Sever and Package Server User Guide.

CyberArk support

Version 19.1 adds support for CyberArk. For more information, see CyberArk support in Robotic Automation.

Microsoft Office 2019 support

Version 19.1 adds support for Microsoft Office 2019.