Creating an Excel Robot Task

Use an Excel Task to pull Excel Cell data from a workbook and transfer it to a new/different workbook

Walkthrough Video

Instructions

Note

Depending on how your Windows Service is run, you may need to run the Excel Application as an Administrator in this exercise.

Set up the Excel Source and Target Files for the Exercise

Set Up the Excel Source File

1. Create a new Excel Workbook.
2. Name the Excel Workbook rpasourcebook.
3. In Cell A1 enter Bank.
4. In Cell B1 enter Rate.
5. In Cell A2 enter Amegy.
6. In Cell B2 enter 8.
7. Save the Workbook.

Set up the Excel Target File

1. Create a new Excel Workbook.
2. Name the Excel Workbook rpatargetbook
3. In Cell A1 enter Bank.
4. In Cell B1 enter Rate.
5. In Cell A2 enter Amegy.
6. Leave Cell B2 blank.
7. Save the Workbook.

Create the Robot Job

Create a New Job and a User Variable

1. Launch the VisualCron Tray Client.
2. Create a new Job and name it excel-robot
3. Navigate to the Main settings tab.
4. In the left hand corner of the Main Settings tab, click the Variables button.
5. In the Variables screen, click Add.
6. Name the Variable interest_rate.
7. Leave the Variable value blank.
8. Click the Add button.

Create the RPA Task to Get Cell Data

1. In the Edit Job screen, select the Tasks tab.
2. Select an Excel Cell - Get Cell task.
3. In the Get Cell edit screen, select the Excel - Get cell tab.
4. In the Select Excel file line, enter or click to select the file path for the desired Excel workbook - in this instance use the path for the rpasourcebook.xlsx file previously created.
5. In the Cell Coordinates section, select the desired cells by position, or reference - in this case use Cell reference B2.
6. Select OK in the bottom right hand corner to save the task.

Create the RPA Task to Set the User Variable

1. In the Edit Job screen, select the Tasks tab.
2. Select an Internal - Set User Variable task.
3. Click the checkbox for Translate value to constant in Variable when running.
4. In the Set User Variable edit screen, select the Set User Variable tab.
5. Set the name of the desired Variable (in this instance use interest_rate).
6. Set the value of the desired Variable (in this instance use {TASK(PrevTask|StdOut)}). This variable will call the value of the last task action in the Job, thus giving us the value of the cell retreived in the Get Cell action.
7. Select OK in the bottom right hand corner to save the task.

Create the RPA Task to Set Cell Data

1. In the Edit Job screen, select the **Tasks tab.
2. Select an Excel - Set Cell task.
3. In the Set Cell edit scren, select the Excel - Set Cell tab.
4. In the source tab, for the input value, enter the name of the user variable created previously - in this instance use {USERVAR(interest_rate)}.
5. Select the File filter subtab.
6. In the Include file mask line, enter or click to select the desired target workbook - in this instance use the rpatargetbook.xlsx file previously created. The Folder path about should be auto-populated once the file is selected.
7. Select the Target subtab.
8. Select the desired cell coordinated by position or reference - in this case use Cell reference B2.
9. Select OK in the bottom right hand corner to save the task.

Test the Robot

1. In the main Client tray menu, highlight the excel-robot job and click Run Job in the actions menu above the job list.
2. The Robot will run the sequence.
3. Each task should finish with an Exit code of 0.
4. Verify that the sequence has completed successfully by checking that the interest rate variable has been set in rpatargetbook cell B2 and that it matches the value in rpasourcebook cell B2.