Doubt about REFramework

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I have a doubt regarding how to build my automation using REF (with a queue). My automation consists of two parts:

  1. The first part involves web scraping from an online website. The steps I follow are as follows: I perform a custom search, and the robot waits for the download of an Excel file.
  2. In the downloaded file, the robot iterates through each row to perform the following actions: it copies the first column (a number code) from each row and searches for that code on the same online website. The website then redirects to a page with a lot of information. The robot scrapes the desired information from that page for each row in the previously downloaded Excel file.

Both the first and second parts are relatively straightforward to implement. However, my concern lies in integrating these parts into the REF template. I have a few questions that I am unsure how to address:

  • The first part should be located in the initialization stage, while the second part should be in the transaction data stage. But how does the robot know the location of the Excel file? Do I need to specify the file location in the transaction data, or does the robot automatically read the file and place it in the queue?
  • In the transaction data stage, do I need to iterate through each row of the Excel file, or do I only need to specify the actions the robot should perform? Please correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like the robot iterates through all the items in the queue without requiring a specific ‘for each’ or ‘while’ loop.

If someone could provide guidance and help me address these doubts, I would be extremely grateful. Thank you in advance.

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Hello @Carla_Munoz - With what you describe, you can do a Dispatcher and Performer robot since you want to use queues. Accurate Dispatcher and Performer Sample Project in UiPath - YouTube Both of these use the REFramework, slightly modified.

You can also take the no-queue approach (just using the Excel file): https://academy.uipath.com/courses/build-a-reframework-project-with-tabular-data-

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Hope this helps!

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I see two approaches possible, if you want to use queues do as @argin.lerit mentioned. Otherwise you can use the REF Documentation to change REF into DataRow and use your excel-file as a TransactionFile (the one you download).

You basically use the “GetTransactionData” to perform a one time action (all explained in REF-PDF Documentation), where you are downloading the Excel File and then provide that as TransactionData, so your TransactionItem becomes a DataRow instead a Queue Item.

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