The bind modifier in ParentIndent#

The definition of a selector and the structure of its rows are explained in Selector configuration.

The bind: modifier helps locate a control after preceding text or a container. A control's label is the text next to it. For example, the format list in Notepad's save dialog has the label "Тип файла:" (File type).

Each selector row continues the search from the control found by the previous row. The "ParentIndent" column moves the search up the UI tree to a parent. The bind: prefix then continues the search after the branch from which it started.

The diagram labels the common parent with its class name, PreviewBackground. The starting point is the text "Тип файла:". The ↑ 1 arrow leads to the common parent, and the next arrow leads to the list after the label.

The number specifies how many levels to move up:

• 1 — move up one level without binding. The search starts with the first matching child.
• bind:1 — move up one level and continue after the starting control.
• bind:2 — move up two levels and continue after the starting control's parent branch.
• bind:n, where n is a positive integer, — move up the specified number of levels. With bind:3, the search continues after the branch at the third ancestor's level. Choose the number using the actual UI tree.

An empty cell in the "ParentIndent" column does not move the search up. The screenshot highlights the column header and the empty cell in the selector's first row.

Opening Notepad's save dialog#

To test the selectors, prepare the standard Notepad save dialog. Create the project and document on your computer. No file downloads are required.

Prepare the document as follows:

1. Open the Windows Start menu, enter Блокнот, and launch the application. In the new document, enter Заявка 1042. Ответственный: Анна Смирнова..

   

2. In the "Файл" (File) menu, select "Сохранить как..." (Save as) to open the dialog for choosing the document name and format.

   

3. Enter Заявка 1042.txt in "Имя файла" (File name). Leave "Текстовые документы (*.txt)" selected in "Тип файла" and UTF-8 in "Кодировка" (Encoding). The destination folder is not part of the selector.

Example: the "Сохранение" dialog is ready for the document "Заявка 1042.txt", with TXT format and UTF-8 encoding. The screenshot uses the "Отчеты" folder. Leave the dialog open while testing selectors. Do not click "Сохранить" (Save): the diagram only reads control text.

Creating a project in Sherpa Designer#

To test the search, create an empty project for a diagram that reads text.

On the "Разработка" (Development) tab, in the "Файл" group, expand the list below "Создать" (Create) and select "Новый проект" (New project).

Example: in "Создать новый проект" (Create a new project), enter "Селекторы Блокнота" in "Имя проекта" (Project name). In "Расположение" (Location), choose a folder for the learning project on your computer. Keep "Создать каталог с названием проекта" selected and choose the "Пустого проекта" radio control. Click "Создать".

The "Главная" (Main) diagram opens with a "Старт" (Start) block. The created project is saved in the selected folder as Селекторы Блокнота.sherpa.

Setting up the text-reading diagram#

To display the found value in the log panel, add blocks that read the text and log the result.

On the "Блоки" (Blocks) tab, enter "Получить текст" in the search field. Drag the matching block from "Автоматизация приложений" (Application automation) onto the diagram below "Старт". The block with the same name in "Автоматизация браузеров" (Browser automation) is not used for Notepad.

Use the block search to add "Лог" (Log) and "Конец" (End) from "Основные блоки" (Main blocks). Connect the blocks in this order: "Старт" → "Получить текст" → "Лог" → "Конец". To connect two blocks, drag the lower output of one to the upper input of the next.

Use the following properties of "Получить текст":

• "Селектор" (Selector) — the path to the Notepad control. Its configuration is explained in Finding the file-type list without binding.
• "Тип значения" (Value type) — Text to read the file name and document type. The button example uses Name to read the button name.
• "Результат" (Result) in "Выход" (Output) — the $Result variable that receives the text.

Leave the other block properties at their defaults. In particular, do not assign $ProcessID in "ID процесса" before running: the selector identifies the application. Other parameters are described in the Get text block reference.

Example: select "Лог" and enter $Result in "Значение" (Value). The block will display the text read by the preceding action. Sending data to Orchestrator and taking screenshots are not used for this check.

Finding the file-type list without binding#

To determine the document format, the selector must find "Тип файла". The "Имя файла" field specifies the document name and does not provide its format. Both controls have the AppControlHost class, so the class name alone is insufficient.

To open the editor, select "Получить текст" and click the button in "Селектор" on the properties panel.

To populate the rows without entering each cell manually, copy this entire XML and click "Вставить из буфера обмена" (Paste from clipboard) in "Селектор - Редактировать селектор":

<Selector>
  <Process Name="notepad" Descendant="0" />
  <UIElement Name="*Блокнот" ClassName="Notepad" />
  <UIElement Name="Сохранение" ClassName="#32770" />
  <UIElement ClassName="DUIViewWndClassName" />
  <UIElement Name="Тип файла:" ClassName="CIDLabel" />
  <UIElement ClassName="AppControlHost" ParentIndent="1" />
</Selector>

The selector searches row by row:

• The Process row finds the notepad application. 0 in "Descendant" limits the search to the specified levels.

  

• The next row finds the Notepad window by the Notepad class and *Блокнот name. * allows any document name before the application name.

  

• The row with the name "Сохранение" and class #32770 finds the open save dialog.

  

• The DUIViewWndClassName row finds the dialog content containing the file name and type.

  

• The row named "Тип файла:" with class CIDLabel finds the text beside the format list.

  

• The final row, with ParentIndent = 1, moves to the common parent. The search for AppControlHost starts with the first matching control and finds "Имя файла", which precedes the format list.

  

Leave "Index" empty. Keep the other unfilled cells empty as well.

Example: click "Проверить" (Verify). A green mark confirms that a control was found, not that it meets the task. Here, the selector finds "Имя файла" instead of "Тип файла".

To check the text read, click "OK", then "Сохранить" in the "Файл" group, and press F5. The "Главная" diagram runs from Sherpa Designer. The "Лог" panel displays "Заявка 1042.txt": the document name instead of its format.

Finding the file-type list with bind:1#

To read the document format, continue searching after "Тип файла:", skipping the preceding file-name field.

In the selector editor, change only the final row: replace 1 with bind:1 in "ParentIndent". Keep the other rows unchanged and leave "Index" empty.

The bound search works as follows:

• The starting control is "Тип файла:", found by the CIDLabel row.

  

• bind:1 moves up one level to the common parent of the text and list. Binding retains the position of the starting text and continues after it.

  

• After the text, the search finds the "Тип файла" list with class AppControlHost. This list replaces the file-name field as the search result.

  

Example: click "Проверить", then "Подсветить" (Highlight), and make sure the format list is highlighted. To read its value, click "OK", save the diagram, and press F5. With value type Text, the "Лог" panel displays "Текстовые документы (*.txt)".

Without bind:, the same conditions return the document name, as shown in Finding the file-type list without binding.

Finding the Save button with bind:2#

To check the control that completes document saving, find "Сохранить". The starting point is a text control inside "Кодировка". Two tree levels separate this text from the button's common parent.

Keep the first three selector rows: the application, Notepad window, and "Сохранение" dialog. Replace the three rows starting with DUIViewWndClassName with rows that find the encoding list, its nested text, and the button.

The ComboBox row finds the encoding list directly in the save dialog. The Text row specifies the nested starting control, and the last row moves the search outside the list to the button. Keeping the old rows would continue searching for "Тип файла", not the Save button.

The complete modified selector is:

<Selector>
  <Process Name="notepad" Descendant="0" />
  <UIElement Name="*Блокнот" ClassName="Notepad" />
  <UIElement Name="Сохранение" ClassName="#32770" />
  <UIElement Name="Кодировка:" ClassName="ComboBox" />
  <UIElement ControlType="Text" />
  <UIElement ClassName="Button" ParentIndent="bind:2" />
</Selector>

Paste the entire XML using "Вставить из буфера обмена" and click "Проверить". Leave unfilled cells, including "Index", empty. The selector with bind:2 successfully finds the button.

Open the found control's tree using "Открыть в Sherpa Explorer" in the selector editor. To view the children, double-click the second "Кодировка:" node under "Сохранение". This node has class ComboBox. The search follows these steps:

• The row with class ComboBox and name "Кодировка:" finds the encoding list.

  

• The ControlType = Text row finds a child text control named "Кодировка:" in the list's tree. The upward movement starts here. The selected UTF-8 value is not this node's name.

  

• The first upward step leads from the nested text to "Кодировка". The "Сохранить" button is not at this level.

  

• The second upward step leads to "Сохранение", the common parent of the list and button. Binding continues the search after the encoding-list branch.

  

• The Button row finds "Сохранить", which follows the list.

  

After viewing the tree, close Sherpa Explorer with Alt+F4 and return to the selector editor. Replacing bind:2 with bind:1 keeps the search inside "Кодировка". Verification cannot find a button with class Button, so one level is insufficient.

To read the button name, restore bind:2 and click "Проверить", "Подсветить", and "OK". In the properties of "Получить текст", select Name in "Тип значения". The Text setting used for the document fields does not return this button's name.

Example: save the diagram and press F5. The "Лог" panel displays "Сохранить". The button is found but not clicked. The document remains in the open save dialog.