We're excited to introduce the new version 23.9.0 of Robomotion RPA! The most significant update this month is the integration of our new Web Recorder. It is currently in its initial phase and will continue to improve as we receive more use cases from our community.

Additionally, we are actively working on our Add-On infrastructure, which will bring AI Credits, Proxy Requests, and Captcha Credits.

Furthermore, we have implemented a new Monitoring system that will notify you when a robot has been disconnected for a period of time and whenever your flow becomes unresponsive—indicating no node execution for a specific time.

Here is the Changelog for this release:

⚡️ [Added] Monitoring: We have introduced a new monitoring system capable of tracking and alerting you whenever a robot is down or a flow remains idle for a specific duration. This is our initial version, and we have a significant update in the works that will introduce Tags. Tags will allow you to create custom signals from your flows, enabling you to generate reports and build custom dashboards based on this data.

⚡️ [Fixed] Jobs: We have successfully addressed a race condition problem where flows that execute rapidly were at risk of being incorrectly labeled as "Failed," or in cases where a flow initiated and completed quickly, it might not have appeared in the jobs screen at all. This was a particularly challenging issue to diagnose, replicate and resolve. We will continue to closely monitor this condition.

⚡️ [Added] Web Recorder: We have developed and integrated version 2 of our Chrome Extension, transforming it into a recorder tool.

⚡️ [Fixed] Subflow Library: We have corrected a subflow library bug in which a library, utilizing a package dependency that the main flow was not using, was causing the robot to fail in downloading the dependency and initiating the flow.

⚡️ [Improved] Scrape Table: Added Vertical Html Table Scraping support to the Browser -> Scrape Table node. Just use the right selector to the table and check the Vertical option.

⚡️ [Fixed] Proxy: We have resolved a bug in our Open Browser Proxy functionality, specifically when attempting to access an HTTPS URL with a proxy that requires basic authentication. The issue was related to credentials not being passed to the proxy correctly, but this has now been fixed.

⚡️ [Fixed] Race Condition in Vaults -> Get Item Node: We have addressed a race condition issue within the Vaults -> Get Item node. In scenarios where it was utilized across multiple branches, a race condition was occurring, potentially leading to the corruption of the credentials.yaml file and even the inadvertent removal of injected secrets. This issue has been resolved now.

⚡️ [Improved] Flow Start Time: We have enhanced the handling of package start times by transitioning from sequential start processing to parallel execution, resulting in faster flow initiation.

We're excited to bring you version 23.8.1 of Robomotion RPA! This month, our team has been hard at work focusing on improvements to the new Web Recorder - which will be in Chrome Store in a week - and various packages like OpenAI, Leonardo.Ai, Data Table, and the CapMonster package. We've introduced new features, made enhancements, and fixed some bugs to make your automation experience smoother and more efficient.

Here is the Changelog for this release:

⚡️ Subflow Libraries: We understand that reusability is key in any automation process. With our new Subflow Libraries feature, you can now create subflows as if they were new projects and use these subflows in any flow.

⚡️ Browser -> Scrable Table & Scrape List Nodes: We have added 2 new nodes to the Browser package which helps in your scraping tasks. Web Recorder also will be using these new nodes while generating the recorded subflows.

⚡️ Excel -> Get Range "Raw Value" Option: We've added a "Raw Value" option to the Excel -> Get Range node. This allows you to retrieve the actual cell value, making it easier to sort and filter tables when using the Data Table package.

⚡️ Browser -> Switch Window Enhancements: The Browser -> Switch Window node now supports using the page title for window switching, and we've added regex support for more advanced use-cases.

⚡️ Web Recorder Updates: Our Web Recorder will be available in Chrome Store in a week. We have made the necessary updates to the Flow Designer.

Here is another update for more Chrome fixes.

Resolves the "failed to navigate: request unsuccessful: invalid session id" error that occurs when Chrome doesn't start. This error is caused by updates to the Chrome project which affect the automated chromedriver update feature of the Robomotion robots.

In this release, we've updated the method for auto-downloading the chromedriver for the 115 release and beyond. The latest PATCH release, .171, was experiencing update issues on Windows. More details can be found here:

 https://groups.google.com/g/chromedriver-users/c/9lOaX1JsVb8 

⚡️ [Fixed] Update issues with Chromedriver for the .171 PATCH release and subsequent versions on Windows.

⚡️ [Fixed] Proxy support in Chrome requiring Basic Authentication.

This is an emergency minor release fixing chromedriver problems for Chrome version 115.

There are 2 problems here. The auto downloads are not working anymore because chromedriver changed the download links. The update fixes this.

The second problem is chromedriver is actually not working for Mac. This is due to the breakage of chromedriver in Chromium project. So even if you download 115 chromedriver for Mac it is still problematic and not working, so we force download 114 chromedriver which is working for Mac. For Windows and Linux only fixing the downloads and fixing the auto download mechanism works.

The details of the issue is here:

 https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=1466427 

Here is the Changelog for this release:

⚡️ [Fixed] Chromedriver update problems. This was causing "invalid session id" errors especially on Mac. Mac chromedriver 115 version can not start Chrome so no session is created and Browser nodes fail. We have created a workaround for this. Also robot now downloads the ARM version of chromedriver if it is M1 or M2 processor. (Note: This is not solving the x86_64 simulated slow down problem. It is still in our roadmap.)

⚡️ [Fixed] The latest Windows Inspector was failing with a missing dependency, now it is fixed.

This release focused on Image Automation changes, Assistant improvements, Cloud Run enhancements, and bug fixes.

Here is the Changelog for this release:

⚡️ [Improved] In this release, we have removed the default Image and OCR nodes, resulting in the elimination of the OpenCV dependency of the robot. This change has led to substantial reductions in build times and maintenance issues for us.

Going forward, for Image Automation tasks, we have introduced the Image Automation package, which is now the designated solution. This package has been enhanced to handle both Image and OCR tasks with improved efficiency and reliability.

⚡️[Fixed] We resolved the issue with template subflow double-clicking. Previously, clicking a subflow in an opened template was failing; you could only view the subflow after importing the template. Now, you can seamlessly access and interact with subflows within the preview page.

⚡️[Fixed] We addressed the problem where global variables $FlowName$ and $FlowVersion$ were empty when a flow was triggered by Queue Insert. Both variables now function correctly, providing the required information as expected.

⚡️[Improved] We are introducing two new nodes to the Assistant package, enhancing the file management capabilities. The "Upload File" node now provides a convenient drag and drop region, enabling users to effortlessly upload files to the robot. On the other hand, the "Download File" node generates a link, allowing users to download the desired file generated or pushed by the flow/robot.

To prioritize security, both nodes utilize end-to-end encryption. This ensures that the uploaded and downloaded files are only readable within that specific chat session. Moreover, the session keys are retained solely within the client session window.

⚡️[Added] We are also introducing the new "Prompt" mode in Assistant, enhancing the interactive experience. You can easily switch to this mode by using the "Change Mode" node. With the "Prompt" node, you can now take user inputs.

⚡️[Improved] Flow limits are now visible in the Admin Console -> Dashboard scren. You can keep track of flow usage, which includes all flows created by workspace users.

⚡️[Fixed] The Windows Automation package's Windows Inspector tool bug was causing issues when trying to inspect elements on an RDP-connected machine. The problem was caused by the beep sound generated when CTRL+x is pressed, when the remote computer does not have the necessary system libraries to generate that sound the inspector was crashing.

⚡️[Fixed] Http Trigger creation bug from Admin Console -> Triggers screen. IP address setting now works correctly; robot no longer binds to localhost / 127.0.0.1 and no need for config.properties file to override this.

⚡️[Added] Improved Input Box node: Now can output the results into variables, not just the message object.

⚡️[Improved] For Each node: Current index output available for use within the flow. Iteration log now records the current iteration number. Enhancing flow control and tracking.

⚡️[Improved] Introducing Cold Start option for Cloud Run! Prior to this, running an Assistant Bot with Cloud Run required it to be kept running continuously, leading to excessive cloud credit consumption. Now, with the Auto-Start option available during Bot creation, you can Stop your robot after a period of inactivity.

When someone tries to access the link, if the Auto-Start option is checked, the bot instance will start automatically, allowing the bot to function seamlessly. This improvement helps optimize cloud resource usage and ensures your bot remains responsive while minimizing unnecessary expenses.

This release is an emergency update for the Http Request node. We have updated a JSON library on which we depend, and it had a vulnerability. However, the latest version broke header and cookie updates of the Http Request node, so we needed to release a fix for this issue.

Here is the Changelog for this release:

⚡️[Fixed] Http Request node's "net/http: invalid header field name" error that was caused by the JSON library dependency version update.

⚡️[Fixed] Flow Designer "Import" option required a page refresh after successfully importing a previously exported flow; otherwise, an empty canvas would be displayed.

This release primarily focused on bug fixes, with two notable ones: a Vault Secret Injection issue that resulted in the deletion of old Vault Secrets on the machine, and fixing the "Stdout already set" error, which was preventing the flow from starting.

Here is the Changelog for this release:

⚡️[Fixed] Pending schedules should be deleted when a published flow, schedule, or the published flow version is not found.

⚡️[Fixed] The issue was that copied subflows with the same GUID were overriding each other. This problem occurred due to a copy-paste error, leading to confusion when clicking on an updated subflow but encountering a different subflow instead.

⚡️[Fixed] The copy-paste function did not retain the selected nodes for the Goto and Catch nodes.

⚡️[Fixed] When a new dialog or window is opened, it should lock the flow board to prevent accidental deletion of nodes. However, in some scenarios, the keyboard lock was being released, causing the nodes on the flow board to be unintentionally deleted when deleting text inside the Function text editor or an input box.

⚡️[Fixed] The updating of the output port properties for the Switch node was slow, and at times, the last few characters were not being saved.

⚡️[Added] The "Skip TLS Verification" option has been added to the FTP Connect node for both FTPS and sFTP connections. This addition allows users to connect to hosts with invalid SSL certificates.

⚡️[Fixed] The flow export feature allows you to save a flow as a file. However, the import option for creating a flow was causing issues with UTF-8 characters, breaking their encoding.

⚡️[Fixed] The "Inject Vault Secret" option is functioning properly when a single robot is connected at the machine, and the secret is saved on that machine. However, when another injection is attempted to another robot, the robot fails to read the updated data. As a result, the new injection overwrites the data with the information that was initially read when the robot first started. Consequently, this issue causes the previously injected Vault Secret Keys to be deleted with the new injections.

⚡️[Fixed] Application nodes require a WebSocket connection for the Bot Console. However, when the WebSocket connection is lost, a reconnection should be established. The issue was that the Application nodes were not reconnecting with a valid token, resulting in a loop of reconnection attempts without successfully reconnecting.

⚡️[Fixed] Robomotion packages are essentially single binary executables. However, the behavior of this feature varies depending on the programming language. In the case of .NET and Python, the executable is extracted into a temporary folder and then executed before the flow begins. However, for certain packages, this process was taking too long and resulting in a timeout during the node initialization process. As a consequence, an error message stating "Stdout already set" was occuring, causing the flow to fail to start.

Web Automation package is here. It is written from scratch on top of Selenium. It is a separate package and not embedded in the Robot. It supports Chrome, Headless Chrome, Firefox, Headless Firefox, Internet Explorer, Edge, Brave and soon will support Safari.

Here is the Changelog for this release:

⚡️[Fixed] Bot instances in Bot Console was not responding after some time. It doesn't matter you disconnect-connect the robot again, the instance start was not trigerring the App In node. The problem is fixed now.

⚡️[Added] For a better experience of the Bot Store, the Free plans now include 1 Application Robot and 30 minutes of cloud run to make this experience possible => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7JqhfmgntU 

⚡️[Improved] Some Flow Designer slow-down problems are solved. We will work on more optimizations.

⚡️[Added] Most of the missing jsScope options are added to the Input properties of the default packages. jsScope is great if all you need is a one-liner. So instead of using a Function node you can use jsScope for dynamic content.

⚡️[Added] Process -> Get Env Variable node is added. It returns the requested Environment Variable's value from the robot process context.

⚡️[Fixed] Stop node has an option to mark the flow as Success/Failed. The Failed option takes a reason string and should stop the flow with an error message that is also recorded in the Jobs screen. But there was a race in the older robot versions that causes to record it as success or failed randomly. This is fixed. With 23.6.0 Stop Failed Race bug is fixed now.

⚡️[Added] Web Automation is added. Includes every Browser node and more. Supports all the browsers. (* Currently only the Edge for Windows and Chrome drivers are auto downloaded - other drivers has to be installed and extracted into the robot's /bin folder - will add support for auto download in later releases ).

⚡️[WIP] Our plans for the default Browser package is to make it only support Chrome but add much more advanced features on it that is only possible with a direct access to the Chrome DevTools Protocol that Selenium automations can not do. This will allow you to interact with various aspects of the browser, including manipulating the DOM, handling network requests, accessing performance metrics, and more. You will also be able to listen the direct events inside Chrome like loadingFinished, requestWillBeSent, responseReceived, dataReceived etc.

Bot Store is finally here! 🎉 We have also created a new package for Windows Desktop Automations. 🦾 So with our new inspect tool and the new Windows Automation package, Windows Desktop automations are now very possible.

Here is the Changelog for this release:

⚡️[Fixed] Windows folders can not contain a colon(:) in their names, in Linux and Mac they can. This was a problem for custom package repositories. The cache folders are named with the url like cache/repository/packages.robomotion.io/stable. But if you have a custom repository at localhost:8000 Windows could not create a cache folder. This is fixed now.

⚡️[Fixed] a problem in Bot Store installation. In Bot Console you can buy and use a bot from the Bot Store. This is practically running a flow created in another workspace on your robot. The permission and download problems are fixed.

⚡️[New] Windows Automation package is here! 🎉 We have rewritten the whole Windows Automation from scratch. This time it is working very well. The old Win Access package is now DEPRECATED with also the Desktop Inspect GUI application. All you need now is to click the "Inspect Element" menu item in the node and press CTRL + X to capture the Desktop element. The syntax for the selectors are XPath. So you can use contains or match functions in the XPath query. There are two selectors: One for the main window and second for the element itself.

⚡️[Added] In Admin Console -> Bots Publish to Bot Store screens are improved.

⚡️[Fixed] Bot Store icon is now enabled in the Bot Console.

⚡️[New] Bot Store web site is now live at https://store.robomotion.io.

Here is the Changelog for this release:

⚡️[Improved] Added JS Scope to Application package nodes.

⚡️[Fixed] The error trace for package nodes is fixed, was only working for the default robot nodes.

⚡️[Improved] "Wait Timeout" option is added to every Browser node that expects an XPath or CSS Selector. The default value is 5 sec. There is no need to use a separate Wait Element node now. Wait Element node can be used for more advanced cases like, waiting for appear, disappear or appear and disappear of an element separately.

⚡️[Fixed] A long time standing bug for <textarea> element is fixed. Set Value and Get Value can now be used on a textarea element without getting a "not an input element" error.

⚡️[Fixed] Trace error for system console and ERROR.txt logs are fixed for package nodes.

⚡️[Improved] The misleading and confusing error message "unexpected end of JSON input" is changed now. This is the case where the Vault Secret Key is not injected and a package node tries to read a Vault Item.