Read from Screen: Value Type

A Nintex Robot reads specific types of values from the fields on the screen (e.g., identifying numbers/dates, recognizing free-form texts, determining whether a field or checkbox is empty, etc.). For each Read from screen action, the robot reads one type of value.

Selecting the Read from screen value type

To select the value type for the selected Read from screen core action:

1. Go the Properties tab of the Properties Pane

2. Select the value type from the Read dropdown list

The additional properties to be specified vary based on the value type selected.

Number

The robot uses Nintex's visual technology to read a number or date from the specified field, recognizes it using optical character recognition (OCR), and places it into a variable.

• Accepted input:

  • The numbers 0 - 9

  • The characters \ + - / . ,

• If the first or last character is not an accepted input (e.g., currency sign), the wizard removes it and places the resulting number in the variable

  • For example: €12.3 or 12.3% becomes 12.3

• If any character other than the first or last is not an accepted input, the variable is returned as empty

 

1. Tick this checkbox if the field to be read contains a visible or flashing cursor when selected

Text: Native

The robot reads any text from the specified field and places it into a variable.

Support for the Text: Native value type depends on the behind-the-scenes technology of the target application/web browser. In order to work, it requires that the target application expose its memory processes. Some applications and web browsers do, while others don't. This must be tested during the content development process.

Known technologies that do NOT support Text: Native:

• Java

• Microsoft Silverlight

• Adobe AIR

• WebKit

• Google Chrome

• Mozilla Firefox

1. By default, if the text field at the target location contains a table or a tree, the entire table or tree will be returned in the variable. Tick this checkbox to limit the returned text to just the cell or line at which the field box is located.

Text: OCR

The robot uses visual technology to read any text from the specified field, recognizes it using OCR, and places it into a variable.

1. Tick this checkbox if the field to be read contains a visible or flashing cursor when selected

2. The current OCR engine is Tesseract

3. Select the language of the text to be recognized

Text: Predefined values

The robot uses visual technology to read any text from the specified field, uses OCR to match it to a value within a predefined list, then returns the matched value into a variable.

1. Condition dropdown: In the list of predefined values 2, you can enter either all or part of each possible value. In this dropdown list, select whether you want the wizard to match and return:

EXAMPLE

Let's say –

• your expected values include South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama

• the value appearing on screen is North Carolina

  • If you select Equals from the condition dropdown list → no exact match (see 3 for an explanation of the value that will be returned in the variable)

  • If you select Ends with from the condition dropdown list → the value returned in the variable will be Carolina (note that the value returned will NOT be North Carolina)

• the whole value (Equals); or

• a part of each value (Starts with, Ends with, Contains)

2. Expected Values:

• Enter the list of possible values with which the robot will attempt to match the value read from the screen – one value per line

  • Acceptable values include any combination of:

    • individual items using Latin, Cyrillic, or Hebrew alphabets; and

    • variable(s) whose values are predefined lists

3. Full/partial list dropdown:

   • If, in the list of predefined values (2), you provide ALL possible values, select This is the full list

     • The value returned in the variable will ALWAYS be the closest match from the list (whether or not there is an exact match)

   • If you provide only SOME of the possible values, select This is a partial list. The match threshold slider (4) will then appear.

     • The value returned in the variable will the closest value from the list IF it is within the match threshold you specify. If the closest value is not within the match threshold, the returned variable will be empty.

4. Match threshold slider (appears ONLY if This is a partial list is selected in 3):

   Specify the accuracy the robot should require when comparing the value read from the screen to the list of predefined values 2

   • The higher the match threshold percentage, the closer the match required

   • If the closest value in the list does not meet the specified match threshold, the returned variable will be empty

5. Tick this checkbox if the field to be read contains a visible or flashing cursor when selected

Is Empty

The robot determines if the specified field is blank or contains a value of any type, and returns TRUE or FALSE into the variable as follows:

• Empty field = TRUE

• Non-empty field = FALSE

1. Tick this checkbox if the field to be read contains a visible or flashing cursor when selected

Is Checkbox Selected

The robot determines if the specified checkbox is ticked or cleared, and returns TRUE or FALSE into the variable as follows:

• Ticked checkbox = TRUE

• Cleared checkbox = FALSE

Is Radio Button Selected

The robot determines if the detected radio button is selected or cleared, and returns TRUE or FALSE into the variable as follows:

• Selected radio button = TRUE

• Cleared radio button = FALSE

Does color match

The robot determines if the color at the field value location at wizard runtime matches the designated color, and returns TRUE or FALSE into the variable as follows:

• Color matches within the specified threshold = TRUE

• Color does NOT match within specified threshold = FALSE

1. Displays the color at the current field value location. This color is determined by:

   • the color that existed at the field value location when the wizard was recorded; or

   • the color at the field value location after editing (if the field value location was moved)

   If the field value location is moved, the color displayed here changes accordingly.

2. Set the slider to the precision of the color match required in order for the robot to return a value of TRUE :

   • The higher the percentage, the closer the color match required

   • Default threshold = 85%