Adaptive RPA UI Control Identification via Archived DOM
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current robotic process automation (RPA) systems fail to effectively identify and interact with web-based user interface control elements due to changes in properties associated with these elements over time, leading to broken scripts and inefficiencies, especially when dealing with legacy applications lacking public APIs.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive web-based RPA system that uses a current master data frame and an archived version of the user interface control element, leveraging Accessible Rich Internet Application (ARIA) properties and machine learning to identify and locate equivalent control elements, even when their identifiers or properties change.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If RPA systems use traditional identifier-based methods to locate UI control elements, then the identification process is simple and fast, but the system fails when UI properties change over time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by capturing and archiving the DOM structure of webpages before UI changes occur. This archived DOM serves as a reference baseline that enables the RPA system to identify control elements even when their identifiers change, thereby improving identification reliability without requiring complex real-time adaptation mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of actively tracking changing UI identifiers, the system inverts the approach by using a static archived DOM as the reference and comparing current UI elements against this archived version. This inversion allows the system to remain stable and reliable without continuously adapting to changes
2Adaptability or versatility
If RPA systems continuously monitor and adapt to UI changes, then adaptability improves, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the complex task of DOM capture and archiving in advance, before RPA execution begins. This preliminary action creates a reusable reference that eliminates the need for continuous monitoring and adaptation during actual RPA operations, thereby improving adaptability while minimizing processing time during execution
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of the DOM structure at a point in time and stores it as an archived reference. This copying approach allows the RPA system to compare current UI elements against the archived copy without needing to continuously analyze or adapt to changes, reducing processing time while maintaining adaptability
3Ease of manufacture
If RPA systems rely on DOM properties for element identification, then implementation is straightforward, but the system breaks when webpages undergo non-functional changes
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures and archives the DOM structure in advance, creating a baseline reference before any webpage changes occur. This preliminary archiving enables the system to detect and adapt to non-functional changes by comparing current DOM against the archived version, thereby maintaining script stability without complicating the implementation approach
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism by comparing current UI elements against the archived DOM and using this comparison to identify and adapt to changes. This feedback loop maintains script stability by automatically adjusting to non-functional changes while keeping the implementation relatively straightforward
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method can receive a request from a robotic process automation engine to identify a target user interface control element in a webpage represented by a current master data frame. The current master data frame comprises a current document object model (DOM). The method can determine that a target user interface control element identifier associated with the target user interface control element is absent in the current DOM. The method can retrieve an archived version of the target user interface control element from an archived master data frame of the webpage. The method can find an equivalent user interface control element within the current master data frame based at least on the archived version of the target user interface control element, and output an equivalent user interface control element identifier associated with the equivalent user interface control element.