This feature is subject to licensing restrictions. Please see the licensing page for further information.

Java automation provides a series of specialised techniques for interfacing with applications written in the Java programming Language. To take advantage of these features, you should specify that your application is of type Java when running the Application Modeller Wizard. Alternatively, Java integration techniques are also available from within browser applications when the appropriate application parameter is selected in the Application Modeller Wizard.

Requirements and installation

Java Automation requires the Java Access Bridge to be installed. At the time of writing, the latest version available separately is 2.0.2. The most recent versions of the JRE include the Access Bridge as standard.

Blue Prism supports JAB versions 2.0.0 and 2.0.2 and beyond. Version 2.0.1 has a flaw causes issues working with Blue Prism, so avoid using this version.

Please consult the Java Access Bridge Installation Guide for details of how to install the Java Access Bridge for use with Blue Prism.

Usage

Java applications are accessed in the same way as any other application in Object Studio, using the spy tool from the Application Modeller. See the list of Java attributes returned by the spy tool for more information about identifying elements within your target application.

• Customers using a 32-bit operating system are able to use Java Access Bridge 2.0.0 or higher and applications can be set to launch in embedded or external 32-bit mode
• Customers wishing to use 64 bit operating systems must use Java Access bridge 2.0.2 or higher
• Business objects that model 64-bit Java applications must be set to use the external 64-bit mode

Java automations should not be run by runtime resources with elevated permissions as this will cause issues when interacting with the Java Access Bridge (JAB). The permissions of the runtime resources must match those of the JAB user context.

Limitations

Sun's Java Access Bridge has limited support for version 1.3.x of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). In particular text cannot be written directly to an edit field. However there are workarounds for each limitation, meaning that Java Automation continues to be a valuable tool for JRE 1.3. See also help topic 32808.

The Java Access Bridge does not allow interaction with modal dialogs. This fact is documented on Sun's mailing list. However, Blue Prism provides several other tools which allow interaction with modal dialogs, including bitmap recognition, font recognition, and the use of regions for basic user interaction (such as clicking of the mouse).

Troubleshooting

See Java automation troubleshooting.

Performance tips

When using 'descendtree' mode, significant performance gains can be achieved by using the AncestorCount, MatchIndex and MatchReverse identifiers to limit the scope of a query.