Automate SAP GUI for Windows Application Using the Recorder

What is the Recorder?

You can automate complex workflows easily using the Recorder in SAP Build Process Automation application. It automatically captures applications and designs automations accurately at the same time. The Recorder records the steps you perform across the screens of an application. Then you can export the recording in the automation designer of the SAP Build Process Automation application where a workflow is built.

Make sure your screen display settings (Scale and layout) are set to 100%.

1. Switch to your desktop, right-click and select Display Settings.

   

2. Select 100% in Scale and layout.

   

   Create a project and use Recorder to record a SAP GUI for Windows application.

1. Navigate to SAP Build lobby and create a project by choosing Create.

   

2. Select Build an Automated Process.

   

3. Select Task Automation.

   

4. In the Create a Task Automation project window, please give the project the name: Create Sales Order and the description: Automate sales order creation in SAP GUI for Windows and choose Create.

   

   You will be directed to the newly created project.

5. Please select the version of the agent installed on machines that will execute the automation and choose Confirm.

   

6. A pop-up window asking you to create an automation will appear, please choose Cancel.

   What is going on?

   As you will be using the Recorder feature, you do not need to create an automation but an application.

   The next step would be to create your application within your project.

Before recording the steps of a workflow, please open the SAP GUI for Windows application without minimizing the screen.

1. In the Overview tab of your Create Sales Order project, choose Create, then choose Application.

   

2. In the Create Application window, name your application: Create Sales Order and choose Create.

   

3. Select the SAP GUI screen to record and choose Next.

   What is going on?

   SAP Build Process Automation starts detecting the applications and their screens currently running on your local machine. When it’s done, you’ll see a list of screens in the picker panel on the left.

   

   You have the option to select either Recorder type or Manual Capture type. This tutorial will show you how to use the Recorder.

4. Select Recorder as type and choose Record.

   

   Please note that the technology that you will be recording is SAP GUI.

After the dependencies have been successfully added, SAP Build Process Automation application is locked and you will be directed to the SAP GUI for Windows application you want to record.

The Recorder widget will appear. In this tutorial, you will learn how to use a new feature in the Recorder: Automatic Capture Mode.

In earlier versions of the Recorder, when the screen changed in the application, the Recorder showed a capture hint. This reminded the user to capture the screen where you had to click on the camera icon to capture the screen. Now, the Recorder is enhanced such that, as soon as any screen changes are detected, it automatically initiates the capture and captures the screen.

1. Capture SAP login page

   • Choose Record

     
     to initiate the recording.

   You can see the Automatic Capture Mode is on.

   

   You can select the drop down menu to view the different available capture modes such as:

   • Automatic Capture Mode
   • Manual Capture Mode
   • Capture on Hover
   

   This step involves recording the setting of the login values.

   • Select Client and enter your credentials.

   • Choose Enter

     

   

2. Capture: SAP Easy Access

   Once a new screen appears, the Recorder detects the screen change and initiates the screen capture immediately. First, the Recorder waits for the screen to load. Once the screen loads completely, the Recorder starts capturing the screen data with green border around the application and capture progress in the Recorder.

   CAUTION: Please wait until the new screen is fully captured and the Recorder loads the new screen’s elements. Once the new screen is captured, it will appear in the Recorder.

   • Enter the Sales Order transaction ID: VA01.

   • Choose Enter

     

   

   You can notice that the Recorder generates the corresponding activities from the previous screen.

3. Capture: Create Sales Order: Initial Screen

   • Fill the following values for order type:

   Field Name	Value
   Order Type	AVC
   Sales Organization	0001
   Distribution Channel	01
   Division	01

   • Choose Enter
     
   

   You can notice that the Recorder generates the corresponding activities from the previous screen.

4. Capture: Create Standard Order: Overview

   • Now you will set the order detail values:

   Field Name	Value
   Sold To Party	ITAG01
   PO Number	42
   Material	HW-1761
   Order Quantity	10
   Customer Group	Industry
   Price Group	Bulk Buyer
   Price List	Retail
   Storage Location	0001

   

   You can notice that the Recorder generates the corresponding activities from the previous screen.

   • Choose Enter
     
   
   • Choose Save to complete the process of recording the sales order application.
   
   • Choose Stop to stop the recording.
   

Select Export to export the recording to your project.

As a result of your recording:

• A screen is captured in SAP Build Process Automation.
• An automation is generated in the SAP Build Process Automation.

Your Project now consists of an application named Create Sales Order and an automation named Create Sales Order Automation.

In the automation you will have the choice to customize your automation as per your requirements.

The password is recorded as asterisks. You need to change its value to the real password.

1. Find and select the activity Set Element Password that sets the password value.

2. Change the value to the real password and select the text in quotes.

3. Save your automation.

CAUTION: Please note that the best practice would be to create an environment variable of type password and map it to the value field. How to do this will be covered in the next tutorial.

The automation is ready to be tested.

Before testing, please log off from your SAP GUI application. To test your automation, choose Test.

SAP Build Process Automation starts the automation by calling the Desktop Agent using the SAP Build Process Automation Extension.

The process operates as follows:

1. SAP ERP system is opened, enters the credentials and navigates to sales order transaction to create a sales order.

2. The Desktop Agent fills all the details in the screen.

3. Information is validated to move to the next detected screen.

4. These steps are repeated for all the screens that were captured.

5. The sales order is created successfully.