Thank you for joining our first Pega Community event for robotics.

About this event:

Simplify the bot building process so you can deliver product-ready automations at scale. Join our 60-minute webinar where Pega Robotics experts will take you on a tour of the re-designed Robot Studio.

So, what's next? 

We hope you understand we couldn't get to every question during our Q&A session, but we'd like to provide you with answers.

Check them out below: 

Q&A Session with Becky Blackwell (@Becky)

How will asset management be handled for the applications? Will they be stored in Pega and passed on when being used by RDA and RPA processes? 

At this point, all project files will still be kept on the local machine, as they are in v19. We do plan to use Pega for storage of projects in the future, but this is not in scope for v21.1. Packages will be deployed to repositories accessible from Pega Robot Manager. 

Can existing Automation from current Pega Robotics be automatically upgraded to the new version? 

While in the initial preview period v21.1, existing projects will not be automatically upgraded. However, we expect to be releasing this capability in the fall. 

I felt installing or setting up the Robotics studio or Visual Studio, etc. to be complex. Is this installation/set up simplified with v21, along with UI/UX design? 

Installing v21 is a breeze. There is still an installer that will need to be downloaded from Pega Digital Delivery, but the download is much smaller, the pre-requisites are fewer, and the installation is faster and more intuitive. We are very excited about this change.  

How do you make sure that the object exists? In this recording? Can we add this assertion automatically on the object internally with an exposed value of timeout? 

At this point, a WaitForCreate would need to be added to the automation surface manually. You can do this quickly by using the new functionality to drop a block onto a line of execution.  

We are innovating on two ideas to ease this process, and not sure which way we will go. Please let me know your thoughts on the two options below: 

• We are looking to add WaitForCreates automatically when the Recording Assistant notices a screen navigation. 
• We are considering adding a new line to automation block that can be used to trap/handle exceptions when the control is not yet available for use after an implicit Wait. 

Does this still need the TestHarness module, or is it inbuilt in v21?

The Test Harness was replaced in 19.1 by the Robot Inspector. This was originally released in 19.1.14. Most functionality available on the Test Harness is now available through the Robot Inspector without having to add any special components to your project... simply open the Robot Inspector from the Runtime tray icon and access the features. All Robot Inspector capabilities will be added into v21 through debugging tools. 

Can we remove from the Palette after adding? 

Yes. Anything that is added to the Palette can also be removed. 

Does the color or icon for Property, Method, and Events change in v21? 

The colors for PME’s are similar in v21 to those in v19, yet much more subtle. We kept event blocks and Entry points in a stand-out apple green color so that you can easily find where automations begin. But other blocks use more subtle shading to differentiate PME’s. 

Please let us know if there are any simplifications around debugging and log replay analysis, etc. 

There are lots of new capabilities here for debugging. Please check out the last five minutes of the demo to see them. There will be some new things coming for analyzing logs. Stay tuned and let us know if you have any ideas! 

Element Matching rules are tricky in the older version. Will this be simplified? 

Yes. Through X-ray Vision. Check out our webinar in August to learn more.

Are there any enhancements to OCR in the 21.1 studio? 

No. Nothing currently. We are investing in X-ray Vision. OCR techniques are slower and more intrusive to people using attending automation.

How do we add the reference DLLs in this new interface? 

You do not add reference DLLs in this version because you do not need to. Instead, when working with scripts that need references, you will add them through the script designer.  

Will the application cover the windows, web, and text adapter in v21? 

Yes. All adapters will now be referred to as applications. We will not deprecate any functionality that is currently in v19. We are just changing the name.  

Are multiple projects under single solution still possible?

No. Instead, your multi-project solutions will be converted into a single project that makes use of folders for separation of files. 

Are custom match rules available? 

Currently, the same match rules that are available in v19 are available in v21 preview. We are considering some enhancements. Stay tuned. 

Is it possible to create a kind of data structure like "customer" with multiple properties/attributes, and use those properties to map data into fields or vice versa?

No. Not yet. We will be coming out with great ways to do this in the future. Stay tuned. 

How are we going to handle Source Repository, (which we were able to handle using Visual Studio Plugin)? 

A built-in integration with a source control repository will not be available initially. However, you may use a source control provider that has a Windows shell extension or a standalone client. As in previous versions, we do not recommend merging for automation files. 

What challenges could we face while migrating from old solutions to the new version? If we have an existing web adapter in IE, is there any automated way to move it in Microsoft Edge? 

We currently do not have migration of old solutions built into the v21 preview. We are developing that now and plan to deliver it in the fall.     In reference to the migration of IE adapters to Edge, unfortunately, the internal structure of an IE web application and an Edge UWA application is quite different and automatic migration from IE->Edge cannot be automated to an acceptable level of success. The application must be re-interrogated in Edge, automations updated, and a thorough QA (Quality Assurance) process performed. 

Can we change variable value at the time of running (debugging) for testing? 

Not yet. We expect to add this soon though. Stay tuned. 

What changes for Robot Runtime with v21 Robot Studio? Do we need to upgrade Robot Runtime as well? 

Yes. There will be a v21 version of Robot Runtime and it will be required to run projects built in v21 of Robot Studio. 

Any changes to the DLL migration from Studio, to PackageServer, to Robot Runtime? 

Packages will still be deployed from Robot Studio to Robot Manager. However, the Pega Package Server will no longer be needed. In Robot Manager 8.5, we added the ability to use repositories accessible from Pega Platform for storage of automation packages. V21 will only support this technique for package storage.  

How easy will it be to upgrade existing projects from v19 to v21? Will it upgrade automatically, or will a few controls need to be rematched or reprogrammed? 

We currently do not have migration of old solutions built into the v21 preview. We are developing that now and plan to deliver in the fall. It is our expectation that this will be a seamless upgrade and no rematching or reprogramming will be necessary. 

How soon will there be a certification available in v21? 

Pega Academy modules are already well under way for v21 and will be available when the preview goes live (with more content to be added). Our initial focus for the new modules has been on new functionality. We will provide a link and instructions on how to access this content soon. The Certification Exam for v21 will be available when the full product is officially released (i.e., after the preview period).  

Will C# scripts execute the same way they did in v19? 

In v21, scripts will execute the same as in v19. The script editor, however, has enhanced functionality. Intellisense is enabled along with other helpful features such as line numbers, outlining, modified line markup, and many other useful features. Compiler errors will also display within the editor. 

Are there any updates to or suggestions for source control management strategies? 

A built-in integration with a source control repository will not be available initially. However, you may use a source control provider that has a Windows shell extension or a standalone client. As in previous versions, we do not recommend merging for automation files. 

Is there a personal edition of Robot Studio available? 

Version 21 of Robot Studio will only be delivered in a stand-alone edition. You will be able to access it through Pega Academy training courses and through Pega Digital Download. 

Will we be able to connect the Robot Studio to any source control such as TFS, SVN, etc.? 

A built-in integration with a source control repository will not be available initially. However, you may use a source control provider that has a Windows shell extension or a standalone client. As in previous versions, we do not recommend merging for automation files. 

Will v21 be compatible with Robot Manager 8.5.2? Can we upgrade from 8.0.sp1 to v20? 

V21 will be compatible with RM 8.6.  

Does this work only for web adapters? Will other adapters work the same way? 

I assume your question is about the Quick Start and the Intelligent Recording functionality. You can use Quick Start and Intelligent Recording with Windows desktop applications as well as web applications running in IE, Chrome, or Edge. We are planning enhancements to the text adapter for recording of green screen applications, but this will not be available until after the official release of v21 (i.e., after the preview period).  

We still need to configure web adapter (in this case banker insight) ahead of time, right? 

When using the Quick Start capability, the automation and application information is collected through the Quick Start and used to create those files automatically. Additionally, as you record, interrogation is occurring under the hood. There is no pre-configuration, just properly filling out the Quick Start wizard. 

Thank you again for attending, and we hope to see you at our upcoming events. 

You can find the full schedule on our Pega Community Events page.