Description

Select this action to have AutoMate™ launch a specific program. This program may be any .exe, .cmd, com, .bat, .pif or other executable file. (Special note to NT Service Edition users: this action will execute an application in the security context of the user that the task logged in as, which was set either by your default login settings or through a Login Step as the first step of your task. See the security notes on the NT Service Edition for more details.)

This action supports a number of basic parameters (located on the General tab) as well as more advanced functionality on the Advanced tab. The following parameters are located on the General tab:

Parameters (General Tab)

Command Line
The command line to execute to start the application. This is usually the fully qualified path to the application you want to start (for example, C:\WINNT\Notepad.exe”)

Default Directory
The directory the application should use as the default directory. Most applications, especially older ones, will use this directory to find support files it may need to execute properly. If you do not supply this parameter, AutoMate™ will use the path you supplied in the Command Line parameter as the application’s default directory.

Parameters
Any parameters that should be supplied to the application. AutoMate™ will automatically append this line to the end of the Command Line parameter.

Make this a deployable
Deployables are an advanced topic having to do with referencing filenames that are included as packages with a task that is being exported for use on another machine or deployed using AutoMate Enterprise Server. This checkbox appears on all actions that include a parameter for a filename. Click here for more on using Deployables.

Parameters (Advanced Tab)

Wait until application is ready for input before continuing
If this is selected, AutoMate™ will pause the task until the application you are trying to start informs the operating system that it is done starting up and is ready for user input. Use this action if you want to ensure the application is ready to take your input before moving on to the next step. For many applications, this will eliminate the need for a pause step following the start an application step before sending keystrokes to the application.

Wait until application to end before continuing
If this is selected, AutoMate™ will pause the task until the application closes. It also allows AutoMate™ to populate an AutoMate™ variable with the return code of the application, if you tell it to do so. See below for more details.

Place application return code in this variable
If this is selected, indicate which variable you want AutoMate™ to place in the application’s return code. You can then use the AutoMate™ variable testing actions to perform flow control of your task based on the return value of the application.

Window Startup
Allows you to select whether the application’s window should be normal, hidden, maximized, or minimized when it starts.

Related Topics:

Other Available Actions

Variables