Blocks#

Blocks are the main functional units of the software Robot.

The blocks that will make up the Process can be selected and dragged into the Process diagram by double-clicking with the left mouse button or by dragging. Some blocks are also created automatically if you use the "Record" tool in the top development panel of Sherpa Designer.

Conversion to Process#

To quickly extract (convert) selected blocks into a separate Process, and thus perform quick refactoring of the project, select the blocks so that the selected group of blocks has only one input and one output arrow (the number of arrows within the group that do not cross the boundaries of the group does not matter). Right-click on the selected area.

A context menu will appear with the following items:

1. Breakpoint — allows you to set a breakpoint for debugging the process in the selected block or group of blocks.​
2. Cut — removes the selected blocks and places them in the clipboard for later pasting elsewhere.​
3. Copy — copies the selected blocks to the clipboard without removing them.​
4. Copy Block ID — copies the unique identifier of the selected block for use in links or scripts.
5. Delete — removes the selected blocks from the diagram.​
6. Edit Block Comments — opens a window for editing text comments associated with the block.​
7. Enable/Disable — toggles the active state of the block (enabled/disabled).​
8. Enable/Disable Output Level — controls the display or hiding of the block's output data.​
9. Debug from Current Block — starts the debugging process from the selected block.​
10. Debug. Step into Block — performs step-by-step debugging, moving to the next block.​
11. Grouping — combines or separates selected blocks into a group for easier management.​
12. Order — allows you to change the order of blocks within the group.​
13. Set Default Size — resets the sizes of the blocks to standard values.​
14. Refresh Block — updates the content or state of the block, for example, after changing external data.​
15. Specify Expression for Breakpoint — opens a window to set the condition under which the breakpoint will trigger.​
16. Convert to Process — extracts the selected blocks into a separate subprocess, simplifying the structure of the main diagram and allowing for the reuse of this Process.

Select “Convert to Process” and in the pop-up window “Diagram Name,” specify the name of the new Process.

In place of these blocks, a “Process” block will appear, and the blocks themselves will be placed in the newly created diagram, which is referenced by this “Process” block.

Block Palette#

There are over a hundred blocks available that allow for a variety of actions in the operating system and other programs, manipulate data, perform calculations, and make decisions.

The complexity of the blocks ranges from a simple delay before a click to completely replacing all instances of one text with another within a Word document without losing the document's formatting.

The block palette is constantly being updated; if you did not find a suitable block for automating a business process - let us know, and we will suggest which blocks can be used in combination to solve your task (or we will add the block you need in the next program update).

No.	Interface Element	Description
1.	button “Robots for Windows”	Allows you to select the development mode for Robots for Windows or Linux. Depending on the selected mode, the set of blocks available in the project will differ.
2.	text field “Type the block name to search”	Allows you to find the desired block by name.
3.	My Blocks	A group of blocks created by the User.
3.1.	button	Allows you to create and configure a new custom block.
4.	Main Blocks	A group of main blocks for building a Robot diagram.
5.	Application Automation	A group of blocks for configuring actions for application automation when building a Robot diagram.
6.	Browser Automation	A group of blocks for configuring browser automation when building a Robot diagram.
7.	Invisible Browser (HTTP)	A group of blocks for configuring actions of the invisible browser (HTTP) when building a Robot diagram.
8.	OCR Automation	A group of blocks for configuring OCR automation when building a Robot diagram.
9.	Orchestrator	A group of blocks for performing actions with the Orchestrator when building a Robot diagram.
10.	SAP	A group of blocks for configuring SAP actions when building a Robot diagram.
11.	Dialogs	A group of blocks for configuring actions with dialogs when building a Robot diagram.
12.	Word	A group of blocks for configuring actions with Word when building a Robot diagram.
13.	Excel	A group of blocks for configuring actions with Excel when building a Robot diagram.
14.	Outlook	A group of blocks for configuring actions with Outlook when building a Robot diagram.
15.	Exchange	A group of blocks for configuring actions with Exchange when building a Robot diagram.
16.	R7 Office Automation	A group of blocks for configuring standard office actions in R7 Office.
17.	ODS/ODT Automation	A group of blocks for configuring work with office files in OpenDocument formats: ODS spreadsheets and ODT text documents.
18.	File System	A group of blocks for configuring actions with the file system when building a Robot diagram.
19.	Clipboard	A group of blocks for configuring actions with the clipboard when building a Robot diagram.
20.	Lists and Dictionaries	A group of blocks for configuring actions with lists and dictionaries when building a Robot diagram.
21.	Data Tables	A group of blocks for configuring actions with data tables when building a Robot diagram.
22.	Date and Time	A group of blocks for configuring actions with date and time when building a Robot diagram.
23.	Email	A group of blocks for configuring actions with email when building a Robot diagram.
24.	PDF	A group of blocks for configuring actions with PDF files when building a Robot diagram.
25.	Text	A group of blocks for configuring actions with text when building a Robot diagram.
26.	FTP/SFTP	A group of blocks for configuring actions with FTP/SFTP when building a Robot diagram.
27.	Processes/Services/Windows	A group of blocks for configuring actions with processes/services/windows when building a Robot diagram.
28.	Terminals	A group of blocks for configuring actions with terminals when building a Robot diagram.
29.	Registry	A group of blocks for configuring actions with registries when building a Robot diagram.
30.	1C	A group of blocks for configuring actions with 1C when building a Robot diagram.
31.	Databases	A group of blocks for configuring actions with databases when building a Robot diagram.
32.	Google Sheets	A group of blocks for configuring actions with Google Sheets when building a Robot diagram.
33.	Remote Desktop RDP/Citrix	A group of blocks for configuring actions with Remote Desktop RDP/Citrix when building a Robot diagram.
34.	Working with Archives	A group of blocks for configuring actions with archives when building a Robot diagram.
35.	Business Functions	A group of blocks for configuring actions with business functions when building a Robot diagram.
36.	Images / Video	A group of blocks for configuring actions with images when building a Robot diagram.
37.	Max	A group of blocks for configuring actions with Max when building a Robot diagram.
38.	Telegram	A group of blocks for configuring actions with Telegram when building a Robot diagram.
39.	Credentials and Security	A group of blocks for configuring actions with Windows credentials and CyberArk when building a Robot diagram.
40.	Machine Learning	A group of blocks for configuring actions related to machine learning when building a Robot diagram.
41.	Text Analysis (NLP)	A group of blocks for configuring actions related to text analysis (NLP) when building a Robot diagram.
41.	S3 Storage	A group of blocks for configuring actions related to object storage (S3): uploading, reading, deleting, and organizing files.
42.	SSH	A group of blocks for configuring actions related to secure remote connection to a server (SSH) and executing commands on it.

> A detailed description of each block is presented in the “Block Reference” and in the Sherpa Designer program.

Updating Blocks in the Palette#

To update blocks in the selected palette, right-click on the name of the desired palette and select the menu item “Update blocks from this palette”.

Automatic Insertion of Blocks into an Existing Connector#

Automatic insertion of a block into an existing connector simplifies diagram editing and allows for faster integration of new elements into an already constructed scheme.

Connector is a line or link between blocks on the diagram that shows how process elements are connected to each other and in what order the logic is executed.

When adding a block to the area of an existing connector, neighboring blocks are automatically pushed apart. If the selected block can be inserted into the connector, it is highlighted in green, which helps to identify a valid insertion point.

Automatic Replacement of Blocks#

Automatic replacement of blocks allows you to replace a diagram element with a suitable equivalent without manually reconstructing the scheme. In this case, the connections and structure of the process are preserved, and the update is performed faster and with less risk of errors.

If, while dragging, one block is hovered over another block of the same size and with the same number of outputs, it is highlighted in blue, indicating the possibility of replacement.

Next, a prompt for replacement appears.

After confirming by pressing the “Yes” button, the new block takes the place of the old one while preserving all connections.