Documentation

Open Desktop Application: OPENDESKTOPAPP

The Open Desktop Application action is used to launch a Windows-based application within an automation workflow. This action allows users to open and interact with desktop applications by specifying the application’s executable file path.

Once the application is launched, users can add further steps to automate interactions like clicking buttons, entering text, or navigating menus, etc.

Steps to Configure (for HuLoop Driver):

1. Open the automation you want to work on and add a new step.
2. Select Open Desktop Application from the Action dropdown menu.
3. Enter the required details in the Parameters section using the following format:

appPath=Path to the executable file of the application,driver=huloop, serverUrl=http://localhost:8099

Where:

• Application EXE Path (appPath) – The full path to the executable file of the application.
• Driver (driver) – Always set to huloop (default for all applications).
• Server URL (serverUrl) – Always set to http://localhost:8099 (default HuLoop server connection).

For example, appPath=C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16,driver=huloop,serverUrl=http://localhost:8099

Note: The EXE path depends on the target application, but the driver and server URL remains the same for all automation cases.

4. Click Save to launch the application.

Steps to Configure (for WinApp Driver):

1. Open the automation you want to work on and add a new step.
2. Select Open Desktop Application from the Action dropdown menu.
3. Enter the required details in the Parameters section using the following format:

appPath=Path to the executable file of the application,driver=winapp

Where:

• Application EXE Path (appPath) – The full path to the executable file of the application.
• Driver (driver) – Set to winapp to indicate use of WinAppDriver.

For example, appPath=C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\EXCEL.EXE,driver=winapp

4. Click Save to launch the application.

Note: The example above assumes WinAppDriver is running on the default IP (127.0.0.1) and port (4723).
If you are using a custom IP or port, update the parameter using the following format:

appPath=Path,driver=winapp,serverUrl=http://<your_ip>:<your_port>

For example: appPath=C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\EXCEL.EXE,driver=winapp,serverUrl=http://10.10.32.10:4725

Where:

10.10.32.10 is the custom IP address, and 4725 is the custom Port.

Expected outcome on Execution: Target application launches automatically using the specified EXE path and is now ready for further automation.

Note: Unlike web automation, Desktop Automation does not automatically generate locators because desktop applications do not use standard web-based HTML elements. Instead, locators must be identified using tools like UISpy, Inspect, WinAppDriverUIRecorder, etc. to interact with UI components effectively.

Before adding further commands to create the script, ensure that the locators are already defined. See here for instructions on defining a locator.