Mouse Sequence

The Record Mouse tool creates a Mouse Sequence that records your mouse activity as actions An instruction within a botflow. and then adds the Mouse Sequence to a botflow Automated steps that you can design for each bot that will run..

Using the Record Mouse tool to create a Mouse Sequence, you can record the following mouse actions:

Some examples of using the Mouse Sequence action are:

  • Automate multiple mouse clicks to perform a task, such as the clicks needed to select the content in a spreadsheet.
  • Expand a web page menu to select the required menu option.

  • Retrieve data from a system needed to interact with the botflow that retrieved the data from that system.

  • Add click actions to botflows using interactions such as If clauses.

Note: 

For best results when using the Mouse Recorder to add a Mouse Sequence action to a botflow, be sure to set your browser and system settings as follows:

  • Browser zoom to 100%.
  • Microsoft Windows Display Scale and layout to 100% (Settings >System >Display).
  • Microsoft Windows Display Make text bigger to 100% (Settings > Ease of Access > Display).

Jump to: 

Add a Mouse Sequence action to a botflow

  1. Click Tools in the Menu Bar Provides a variety of menus allowing you to use the commands in Nintex Foxtrot RPA. and select Record Mouse.
  2. Use your mouse to perform mouse actions:
    • Click: Adds a Click action to the Mouse Sequence action.
    • Right-click: Add as Right Click action to the Mouse Sequence action.
    • Hover: Adds a Hover Mouse action to the Mouse Sequence action.

      • Note: The Stop Mouse to record hover message applies to the Hover mouse action.

  3. Perform the following actions, as needed: 

    • Click Stop on the Recorder window to complete the recording when all required mouse actions have been recorded.

    • Click Pause to temporarily pause the recording and click Resume to continue with the recording.

    • Click Cancel to cancel the recording.

The Mouse Sequence is added to the botflow and can be further adjusted.

Adjust a Mouse Sequence action in a botflow

  1. Navigate to the Mouse Sequence on the Build Pane.
  2. Click the Mouse Sequence edit (pencil) icon.
  3. Select the required recorded mouse action:

    4. Tip: Click Test to test the recorded Mouse Sequence.

  4. If needed, adjust the Rule settings to modify how Nintex Bot finds the application target.
  5. If needed, adjust the Run Error Task settings and Timing settings to fine tune how the action runs.
  6. View the action Details settings.
  7. (Optional) Add an action note.
  8. Click OK to save the Click, Right Click, or Hover Mouse action changes to the Mouse Sequence.
  9. Click Return to Task when all adjustments are complete to return to the botflow.
Field or button Description
Mouse Sequence options/settings Click

The Bypass the mouse for a faster click option increases the speed of your botflow, if supported by the target application.

Nintex Foxtrot RPA uses your mouse to click a target. Enabling the Bypass the mouse for a faster click option clicks the target without using the mouse. Applications responding to changes submitted by an actual mouse click will not support the Bypass the mouse for a faster click option. Perform the Click action in the botflow to confirm the expected actions are made by the Click action. Clicks resulting in a pop-up window are not supported.

If the selected target is a check box, you will have the option of choosing how the check box is displayed.

  • Click to Check: Selects the check box if it is unchecked.
  • Click to Uncheck: Clears the check box if it is checked.
  • Click to Toggle: Selects the check box if it is unchecked or clears the check box if it is checked.

Hover Mouse

  • Hover (secs): Enter the time in seconds to hover the mouse over the target or use the Expression Builder to build the action settings using variables or other token values.
Rules

Some actions have rules required to locate a target and vary based on the targeted application. Rules of a targeted application element are configured and saved with the action. The rules are then used to locate the proper targeted element, such as a Microsoft Excel workbook. Other notes about rules:

  • Some targets provide no rules.
  • Most targets provide at least the text of the target, such as 'Log in' for a log-in screen action.
  • Some targets provide a name to identify the target (a unique developer-defined control name).
  • Some targets provide an ID (a unique identifier that locates an item based on how it appears in the target).
  • Some rules include parents to aid in finding the targets.
  • All targets use the following rules:
    • Ignore: Ignores the value of the selected rule.
    • Exact Match: Uses an exact match when considering the value of the rule.
    • Best Match: Uses a best match when considering the value of the rule and uses a variety of information to locate the target.
    • Left Match: Uses leading characters when considering the value of the rule based on a specified number of leading characters.
    • Right Match: Uses trailing characters when considering the value of the rule based on a specified number of trailing characters.

To set up the most common rules:

  1. Click Rules on the Build Pane Area to add new actions and edit existing actions. The Build Pane displays after you select a targeted element in a Windows application. The center of the Build Pane is referred to as the Task Editor Pane. or Action Builder Provides access to the tools needed to add and modify actions or instructions within a botflow. Located on the left side of the Nintex Bot window. .

    2. The Rules window displays the rules available for the selected targeted application.

  2. Select Use Smart Targeting to enable smart targeting with up to six rules. With this feature, you can:

    • Select to Ignore or find an Exact Match for rules.

    • Click the arrows next to the rules to change the order and priority in which the rules are followed. After the target has been found, the rest of the rules are ignored.

    • Manually edit rules. This is an advanced feature should only be used if you know how Google Chrome queries work.

    • If tables can be bridged, select Yes or No next to Table Bridge to turn on or off this feature. Bridging web table searches allows you to search, move highlight, get list, and complete other actions across multiple tables on a web page that have the same number of columns. It also improves targeting on web pages and apps (for example, in Salesforce and Navigator).

    • If you want to enable legacy smart targeting rules, select Apply Fallback Legacy Targeting. This option allows you to enable old targeting rules when the Nintex Bot Target Selector fail to find the target. Nintex Bot will fail the action instead of using the Best Match rule. The default is deselected.

  3. Adjust the available rules, as required.
  4. Select Ignore Invisible Elements to turn on a legacy targeting rule that ensures that Nintex Bot only considers visible elements (elements that can be seen) and disregards all invisible elements (elements that have "visible:hidden" and/or "display:none" style properties) during action execution. When selected, this setting disregards all cached/invisible elements in the dom as these elements can be the original target (the target element used to create the action). Selecting this setting can improve reliability during the action execution when interacting with elements that look identical but are actually overlaid. Note that this feature is only available for targeting using Google Chrome technology (Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge).
  5. Click OK to save the rules.
Preview All actions created using the Target Selector include a preview of the targeted element.
Details

When directed by Nintex Support, click Details from the Preview Panel of the Action Builder. If needed, Nintex Support will supply additional information.
Timing Settings

Some actions have timing settings and vary based on the targeted application. The timing settings of a targeted application element are configured and saved with the action. The timing settings are then used to control how long the browser action waits for the target element to exist or not exist on a web page. After Nintex Bot waits for the browser to complete loading all of its frame documents based on the configured browser settings, it waits for the target element to exist or not exist, based on the timing settings.

  1. Click Wait up to 1 sec.
  1. Open the Time drop-down list and select the required setting:
    • Do not wait: Immediately attempts to execute the action and applies any error settings or rules.
    • Wait up to: Waits up to one (1) second to execute the action and continue the botflow, per any configured rules. The browser action will keep trying to find the target element until the time you specified, after which it will display an error based on the error settings. Time units include numeric settings for seconds, minutes, and hours.
    • Wait forever: Waits until the target application is in a ready state and applies any error settings or rules.
  1. Click X to close the drop-down list and save the setting.
Run error task
  1. Click Run error task.
  2. Open the On Error drop-down list and select the required setting:
    • Run error task: A botflow containing an error task automatically runs the error task in the event of an error. If the botflow does not contain an error task, the botflow stops in the event of an error.
    • Stop on error: The botflow stops in the event of an error.
    • Ignore errors: The action is skipped in the event of an error and the botflow attempts to execute the next action.
  1. Click X to close the drop-down and save the setting.
Note

(Optional) Type a Note to document any special instructions or functionality.    
OK/Cancel Click OK to save the action or click Cancel to discard the action or any changes.