Provisional solution on a question several times asked, 'How to fetch current running *.xaml file name'

[van-der-kamp (KWHJ Ph.D.)]

For several years, several posters have been asking ‘burning’ questions like ‘How to fetch the current running Xaml file name?’, ‘How to retrieve the name of a *.xaml file dynamically?’ or similar ones.

Many ‘knowledged’ posters on this forum have stated; it isn’t possible or only in situations when an exception occurs using a TryCatch structure (these posts can easily be tracked)!

Projects become very easily pretty complex. After several times executing a debug session, it is so easy to lose track on ‘where we are’ ! Me too ! Therefore, I suggest a provisional ‘one-liner’ which actually helps me (may be you too!). I know upfront there will be a lot to argue about! Don’t! Better, come up with an upgraded version or a more sophisticated one.

As many of you know and use, implement a MessageBox (or LogMessage) to track ‘Where am I?’ to figure out ‘things’, e.g.! Nothing stupid about that! No, to me at least not! It does matter how find our way from ‘Cologne to Paris’, the other way around or use your own prefered city names whatever you like! Using such a MessageBox (or LogMessage) can be pretty helpfull to learn from in which workflow file ‘a problem/bug/misconception’ reside.

As stated, during a debug session, we are able to fetch the location of the executing assembly. From the executed assembly, we are able to figure out, on which particular spot we are. From the property (typed string) ‘Location’ on method GetExecutingAssembly() in class Assembly in namespace System.Reflection - which presentation is quite analog of a path to the file you currently asked the question ‘Where am I?’ - the workflow file name can be elucidated, the current project name can be determined. Much more interesting within the ‘location’ string is sub string ‘Expressions’. This sub string has been ‘glued in’.

The sub string ‘Expressions’ can be used to split the ‘location’ path. From the second (filtered) part, it is easy to track ‘Where we are !’. As allways, several remarks, comments or be aware off’s, e.g., need to be made;

1. the splitoff part contains ‘underscore(s)’ where we expect in a normal sub path ‘backslash(es)’,
2. the extension of the file is ‘dll’ not ‘xaml’, and
3. having a ‘main.xaml’ file (many of us don’t rename this starter *.xaml file) on the higest level in a project folder, the cutoff (second) part first character is an ‘underscore’ whereas having a ‘main.xaml’ file (as starter) in for example a ‘main’-folder (or whatever starter folder name you prefer) the cutoff (second) part first character is a ‘dot’.

See screens!

Anyway, the provisional one-liner

---

‘System.Reflection
.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly()
.Location
.Split("Expressions",2,StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)(1)
.Replace("dll","xaml")
.Remove(0,1)’

---

can be implemented during debugging to have an idea ‘where we are’!

[jeevith (Jeevith Hegde, Ph.D.)]

Hi @van-der-kamp,

Was very refreshing to see you make a good case and providing an alternative solution. This was a nice read.

There is also an inbuilt way to get the name of the executing file (.xaml). I think this was introduced sometime in 2022 or late 2021 version.

Here is an example for process name but the job info object contains many other keys and WorkflowName is one of them.

Get Process Name

Hi @Paulina_x, @Gokul001 and @postwick There is now a standard activity/object in Studio/robot which can get you the process name during runtime. Get Current Job Info activity returns a Object containing runtime related properties. [image] In your case, you are looking for ProcessName. JobInfo.ProcessName will get you what you want. [image] The process name in this case was "ModernClassicDemos" [image] We have used this across our automations, not failed us ever! We use it to get the cu…

This approach can be used in any invoked workflow and then can be passed on to the invoking workflow. Or a log message in the invoked workflow is another alternative. This way you always know where you are in a complex automation.

There is also a lot of goodies (code) discussed in this feedback post from @Konrad_Mierzwa and @Jon_Smith

GetCurrentJobInfo-->WorkflowFullPath as a property

An old ask was to get WorkflowName running Thankfully we now have GetCurrentJobInfo and it returns the WorkflowName as a property. [image] How about also getting the WorkflowFullPath as a property? This way teams can choose what they want to log or use. The ask stems from the post from @Emerald Thank you for you efforts and consideration.

Cheers!

[gorkemkocabey (Görkem Kocabey)]

first of all thanks for your great solution. i got an error while i was trying this code System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location, like this:
exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation

could you help me? have a nice day.

[van-der-kamp (KWHJ Ph.D.)]

Use it like this

… in a Log Message activity, like this

Debug/Run you project and look at the Output panel

What you are telling about that exception, I don’t have clue what you’re asking. I can’t cook any ‘potato’ out of it! I’m not a wizard of Os, gambling what you are doing.

Screenshots perhaps. Check your writing, did you copy it correctly? Somehow the ‘target’ you are calling elevated your trouble.

Cheers

[gorkemkocabey (Görkem Kocabey)]

i tried the method you explain.

1- i create string variable.
2- System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location.toString assign to variable.

i got the error like png 1.

thanks for your support of course i know youre not wizard

[van-der-kamp (KWHJ Ph.D.)]

@gorkemkocabey

System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location.toString assign to variable

Görkem Kocabey Please look carefully to picture 1, I submitted yesterday! Compare what you see with the text in your statement.

One, two three, you clearly see you’re missing a fairly large part of the presented ‘cup of tea’!

Just a test, nothing wrong, no weird errors!
Generic Values.xaml (10.6 KB)

NB If you’re playing around with splitting-off parts, perhaps replacing it with other smart substrings or whatever other ‘cookie’… tja, please do expect, there is always a little change you’re running into directions which are unknown. So, I encourage you to investigate what you’re trying to achieve and share you findings!
Cheers!

[gorkemkocabey (Görkem Kocabey)]

understand what you explain, but its already very easy to split text System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location.toString after writing this code. important thing is that code gives me an output as a string. I could get this output in the file you already attach, i think the problem is related to the system.activities version or UiPath version. thanks for your help and efforts. nice day.

edit: The reason for the problem is that my project is windows legacy.

[van-der-kamp (KWHJ Ph.D.)]

Tip!
Under the project settings you can find the option (I am almost sure you can find it listed in a menu context) to upgrade your project. Get rid of the legacy from the past. Did you miss the UI warning? Many examples from everywhere show a warning about legacy!