Search

Adding the Search action An instruction within a botflow. to a botflow Automated steps that you can design for each bot that will run. selects a list from a target An element within an application Nintex RPA LE interacts with, such as a button, text field, or checkbox. and searches the list for a list item, folder, or Reckon APS software column. There are two Target Selector Allows you to choose the target element the botflow interacts with, such as a button, text field, or check box. settings available for the Search action:

Setting	Description	Best Used For
None	Default setting for the Target Selector.	Targeting lists. Targeting columns in Reckon APS software.
UIA Targeting Override	Optional setting available by selecting UIA Targeting Override under the Tools menu on the Menu Bar.	Targeting folders.

Searching lists

Using the Search action, you can search a list for a specific list item, which then returns a true or false value for if the item exists in the list. For example, you can drag the Target Selector onto the list of fonts in Notepad and search for the font, Tahoma.

Searching columns in Reckon APS software

Using the Search action when targeting Reckon APS software, you can target a column in a multi-column document to search for a specific column status. For example, you can drag the Target Selector onto a list of columns in Reckon APS software to search for a column with a Closed status.

Searching folders

Using the Search action with UIA Targeting Override selected, you can search a list of folders for a specific folder and then expand that folder with a double-click. For example, you can drag the Target Selector in UIA Targeting Override onto the Windows (C) folder in Windows File Explorer and search for the Users folder.

Use Nintex RPA LE with Microsoft UI Automation with the Search action

Microsoft UI Automation is an accessibility framework for Microsoft Windows and is available on all operating systems supporting Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). The Nintex RPA LE Target Selector also supports Windows applications based on Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML), Silverlight, and Windows Forms (WINFORM).

The differences between the Target Selector with and without the UIA Targeting Override option selected are:

• Not Selected: The highlighted area around the targeted element encompasses a number of list items, which is useful for targeting lists, such as a list of fonts in Notepad.



• Selected: The highlighted area around the targeted element may be smaller and more focused on a specific item, which is useful for targeting a specific folder in a list of folders, such as a list of folders in Windows File Explorer.

Add a Search action to a botflow

1. Drag the Target Selector () onto the target application to display the Target Preview.

   A preview image displays visually confirming what you targeted.

2. From the Data actions list, select Search.

   The Action Builder window for Search displays.

3. Set the Search Options/Settings:
• Text: Type a search term in the field or use the Expression Builder () to build the action settings using variables or other token values.
• Start at: Select the search starting point from the drop-down list.
  • First item: Starts the search from the first item in a list.
  • Current item: Starts the search from the currently selected item in a list.
• Column (only for Reckon APS): If the target has more than one column, the Column field and drop-down list display so that you can select a column to search.
• Ignore case: Ignores the search term letter case.
• Ignore surrounding spaces: Ignores any beginning or ending spaces surrounding the search term.
• Partial match: Returns partial matches based on the search term.
• Use wildcards: Allows for the use of wild card characters, such as an asterisk (*) or question mark (?), in the search term.
• Selection (only for Reckon APS): If the target has more than one column, the Selection field and drop-down list display so that you can select a column to search.
• Interaction: Select the required interaction from the drop-down list:
  • None (available for both UIA Targeting Override and for Reckon APS): Has no interaction. This is useful if you want to search for an item and verify whether or not the item was found.
  • Click: Clicks the search results.
  • Double Click: Double-clicks the search results.
  • Get Value (available for both UIA Targeting Override and for Reckon APS): Retrieves a column value, such as a status. This is useful when the status of a Reckon APS column is needed.
• Save to: Type a location to save the search results or use the Expression Builder () to build the action settings using variables or other token values.

Note: If the Search action fails and the Save to field is blank, the botflow stops.  If you saved the search results in a field or variable, that field or variable is updated with a False value and the botflow continues running.

4. If needed, adjust the Rules to modify how Nintex RPA LE finds the application target.
5. If needed, adjust the Timing Settings to fine tune how the action runs.
6. View the action Details.
7. If needed, adjust the Run Switch to add the action without running it.
8. (Optional) Add an action Note.
9. Click OK to add the Search action to the botflow.

Search action field and button descriptions