How to upload a File from Select File Button

[acerNZ]

Hi Experts,

Please may I know, how to select a a particular file in Web Automation 

I have "Select File" button so I used that as UI element but that has no parameters 

I am thinking, I must use get file or something but unsure how to link ?

The actions are 

1. Select File  - > Click   the output is a windows explorer connecting me to local folder 

The following actions I do manually

I click the "Download" folder and select a particular .xlsx file and click upload 

repeat the same for 10 more time for 10 different files .

Any help would be appreciated 

[sakula1996]

Hi @acerNZ ,

I would do something like this:

1. Press button on webpage action to open that file explorer

2. Set the variable with exact file path

3. If you don't know the exact file path use File/Folder actions in RPA to get the file path

4. Use "Populate text field in window" action select the address bar(UI element) of the file explorer

Note: Use the above action from UI automation section not Web automation

5. Use the file path variable in "Populate text field in window" action

6. Then use "Press button in window"  action

Note: Use the above action from UI automation section not Web automation

Hope this helps 🙂

Thanks

[acerNZ]

@sakula1996  Thank you, I suddenly got blank, I don't see UI automation anymore, I never used it. I remember seeing that in the PAD menu on the top along with Web Recorder, Desktop Recorder but not anymore. Please can you help me how to invoke it so that I get the file path and come back to my flow to add that path to populate..

2.  Another point:

But what I did was to run the flow with just "Press Button" step, Ideally when I manually click "Select File" I get a windows explorer allowing me to select a file. But nothing happens, seems like "Press button on web page " has no impact. Please can you help me out.

[sakula1996]

Hi @acerNZ ,

I think, I might know the issue. Could you please send me the screenshot of your PAD development canvas.

Thanks,

[acerNZ]

Hi @sakula1996 Here is my PAD screen, 

[sakula1996]

@acerNZ 

I can see UI automation and Desktop recorder there:

Expand UI automation section, you should see all relevant actions

[acerNZ]

@sakula1996  Thank you. Sorry My mistake, I was looking for "UI automation " menu, which somehow I remember seeing it. I am not sure, If I did what you wanted in steps but I still do not see "Press Button on Webpage" prompting me to select file like I do manually.  So have no chance to test "Populate text field in Window" 

Note: The web automation is not recording the "Select File" click for some reason and when I automated the file selection, I have what you have suggested "Populate text field in Window" with embedded file path input.

Strangely, only one step is recorded along with browser link attached to record automation.  When I run this is failing.

More Information: This is an i-Frame and xpath is //input[@class='gwt-FileUpload'] but I think I can do xpath only in xml file. 

Please can you guide me

This Needs to be Clicked, "Press Button fails"Fail script

[acerNZ]

Is this a limitation of the way this website designed/limitation of power app or some stupid mistake of me? Please can some one help me. Once I get through this, I have working in tabs to sort out

[CharlesS]

Hello @acerNZ ,

I am having exactly the same problem as you. I tried many things to solve this problem

• Tried both Chrome and Edge (Chrome works better)
• Cannot get it to work with Web recorder (will not record the step to click on the Choose File button)
• Tried manually defining the UI element as a Web element, but it won't recognize the Choose File button)
• Tried using UI Automation to click on the button. This actually works if I "Run from here" half way through my automation but it does not work when I run the flow from the start. Really weird. 

Here is the button I'm trying to click on:

Here is a copy of my flow:

Does not work when I start from Step 18 or before, but it works fine if I run it from step 19.

All the Wait instructions and Chrome instances are there for debugging purposes. This is driving me crazy, holding back my project and starting to have a negative effect on my married life (lol, writing this at 10pm). Why would it work when starting from one step and not from the next?

Also, it isn't giving me an error, it just keeps running and running...

Any advice would be appreciated.

Keep 'em flowin'

Charles

[fraenK]

Looks like your Chrome window is not in the foreground. Don't use this. Better start a new Chrome session and use this.

[CharlesS]

Hello @fraenK !

Thank you for your reply, however that is not the issue. I can confirm that the window is indeed in the foreground. When it isn't, I get an error. And why would my flow work just fine from step 19 and not from step 18 is that was the issue? Do you have any other ideas?

Much appreciated!

Keep 'em flowin'

Charles

[fraenK]

Does 18 open a link from an application in a browser? Maybe PAD can't get control over this one. Is it the default browser? Did you try to get the browser window by title or url?