RPA-Best Practices for Project Structure

Following are the few best practices…

1. Try to Create the Project Folder Name as per below Naming convention.

Starting with Client/Company Name followed by Application Name followed by Process Name to easily distinguish the Functionality of the Process.
Ex: SP_SAP_UserCreation

2. Helpful rule is to create a directory in the Temp folder (i.e. C:/Temp) which is common for all the Windows local machines and Servers.

Copy the Template files and Input files into the Project directory created in Temp Folder path which helps in quickly testing the code in different Environments.

3.Apart from Standard templates try to keep the Input and Output files in Shared drive accessible rather than project directory.

4.Use Delete activity to delete exception screenshot once it is sent as attachment over mail or Stored in a location other than the project directory(If stored inside project directory it will increase the package size and we face some issues while publishing it to Orchestrator)

5.Standardization of Naming conventions of variables and Arguments can make it easy to integrate the code from other team Members. We can define the rules for Naming Convention using the Regular expression patterns inside the Workflow Analyzer feature in UiPath Latest Edition.

6.Try to implement the Try catch functionality in the later part of the development cycle rather than at the beginning to better understand the Application behavior.

7.Try to use the IMAP/EXCHANGE/SMTP mail activities rather than Outlook which removes the requirement of Outlook to be available in Production Systems.

8.Check possibility for workbook activities to avoid the dependency of Excel application to be available in the Production Systems.

9.Try to Use the Simulate functionality in UI Automation activities wherever possible which helps in not using the System Cursor which is recommended for Unattended Robots

10.When Working with ERP Applications like SAP/Mainframes always try to soft close the applications rather than using kill process which causes issues if we try to start the process immediately.

(Ex: Mainframes Application gives us a session variable to access the elements of Application. If Kill process is used it will take some time to make a Connection to be immediately available. There is a possibility of Terminal Connection Exception)

11.When Working with SAP always check with Client about the Scripting parameter to be enabled both from Client side and Server Side.

Client Side can be enabled from developer’s end but to enable it from Server Side Organizations require to follow a big approval matrix to get it enabled in T-Code RZ10/RZ11.

12.Mailing and Login Modules for any applications should always be created as Reusable components to save time.

13.Last but not least never over commit and under deliver the things in any process.
Call out early if you are stuck anywhere in the Project Lifecycle.

14.Always Create a Test Xaml File in the Project which can be used to test individual activities or test the failed ones quickly rather than testing the entire process.

15.Giving Meaningful names to the activities and make use of Annotations at the start of workflow.

16.Annotation is a must for activity where complex logic is written to make it easy to understand for support team.

17.Suggestion: Always try to visualize the steps to be executed by bot in mind before proceeding for development to avoid re-work or change of approach.

18.Try to implement Garbage collector in the workflow to free up the memory.