The following instructions assume that you have downloaded and installed Kofax RPA on one of your computers. See "Quick Start Guide" in the Kofax RPA Installation Guide to start using Kofax RPA.

1. Download the Kofax_RPA_DesktopAutomation_11.1.0_x32.msi installation file from the Kofax download portal. Make sure your devices meet the requirements listed in "Desktop Automation requirements and prerequisites" in the Kofax RPA Installation Guide.

2. Install and configure Desktop Automation Service on a remote computer that run the applications you wish to automate. If you only need to automate terminal applications, skip this step.

3. Open Design Studio.

4. Create a Desktop Automation robot.

   1. Click File > New Desktop Automation Robot.

   2. Specify a name for the robot and select a project. Click Finish.

      The new robot appears on a new tab in the editor window. As opposed to Web Automation robots that are identified by a blue icon , Desktop Automation robots are identified by a green icon .

      Note At this point, you can perform basic editing of the Desktop Automation workflow, such as add action steps, configure input values, set variables, and perform other actions that do not involve the use of external, real-time data and applications. To be able to automate external applications and interact with data as well as run a Desktop Automation robot, it needs to be called from a Web Automation robot.

5. Open an existing Web Automation robot or create a new one by clicking File > New Web Automation Robot.

6. To allow execution for the Web Automation robot, click Prepare Execution on the toolbar or in the Applications pane.

   Important Only one Web Automation robot at a time can have the execution privilege, so to take the execution privilege from one robot to another, open the tab with the required robot and click Prepare Execution. Also, a Web Automation robot cannot have the privilege to execute in both Design and Debug mode at the same time.

   When a Web Automation robot has the execution privilege, the editor tab of this robot is highlighted. When a Web Automation robot is calling a Desktop Automation robot, the tabs of both robots are highlighted for convenience as shown below. The robot where execution is currently located is marked with a red dot.
   
   

7. Insert a Call Desktop Automation Robot step in the Web Automation robot.

   1. In the Desktop Automation Robot drop-down list for the step, select the Desktop Automation robot created in Step 4.

   2. Configure input values, output mappings, and required devices. See Reference to Automation Device and Automation Device mapping. If you want to automate terminal applications only, skip the configuration for required devices.

8. When the execution is allowed, to start editing the Desktop Automation robot, execute the workflow to the Call Desktop Automation Robot step and then click Step Into DA Robot on the toolbar.

   The tab with your Desktop Automation robot is opened, and you can now perform full editing and execution of the robot.

9. If you are planning to automate external applications, specify the automation devices configured in Step 6 in the Devices box on the left. If you only need to automate terminal applications, skip this step.

   • The number of devices specified in the Web Automation robot and the Desktop Automation robot must match.
     
     

   • The devices names that you set in the Desktop Automation robot may differ from those in the Web Automation robot.
     
     

10. You can start designing your automation workflow. You can also run the workflow to see it in action.

11. Once you finish designing your Desktop Automation robot, you can run it to automate the devices.

    • To step out of the Desktop Automation robot and switch to working on the Web Automation robot, execute the entire Desktop Automation workflow and then click Step Out on the toolbar. In the Web Automation robot, the Call Desktop Automation Robot step is now shown as executed.

    • To close the robot without executing it to the end or returning a result, click Leave Robot on the toolbar. In the Web Automation robot, the Call Desktop Automation Robot step is now shown as not executed.