Retrieval of Hidden Characters (Zero-Width Spaces) in the Username Using the UiPath Get Credential Activity

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Why does the Username retrieved from the Get Credential activity contain extra characters like '​' or fail authentication even though it looks correct?

Symptom:

When using the Get Credential activity to retrieve a Credential Asset from Orchestrator, the retrieved Username variable contains extra, unexpected characters.

  • Expected Value: prd.4
  • Actual Value: prd.4​ (or prd.4 followed by an invisible character)

Impact:

  • Authentication failures when using the retrieved username to log into external systems (e.g., SAP, Salesforce, Legacy Apps).
  • String comparison operations fail (prd.4 ≠ prd.4​).
  • Logs appear visually correct, but the automation fails due to the hidden payload.

Resolution & Troubleshooting Approaches

Follow the steps below in order (workaround first, then permanent fix).

A. Immediate Workaround (Code-Level)

If you cannot edit the asset immediately, clean the username variable using a Regex Assign activity.

  1. After Get Credential, add an Assign activity.
  2. Use the following expression to remove zero-width characters:
cleaned_username = System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex.Replace(out_username, "[\s\u200B-\u200D\uFEFF]", "")

Where out_username is the output variable from the Get Credential activity.

Why out_username.Trim() approach fails in the RPA automation:

Trim() only removes spaces, tabs, and new lines (\s). It does not remove Zero-Width Spaces (\u200b).

B. Permanent Fix (Clean the Credential Asset in Orchestrator)

This resolves the issue at the source so no code cleaning is required.

  1. Navigate to Orchestrator → Folder containing the credential asset.
  2. Go to Assets → Locate the impacted Credential Asset.
  3. Click Edit.
  4. Delete the current username entirely.
  5. Type the username manually (e.g., prd.4). Do NOT copy/paste.
  6. Enter a completely different password (e.g., change Password1 to TempPass123). This forces a hard update in the backend database.
  7. Click Update.
  8. Edit the asset again and revert the password to the original correct value. Leave the username untouched.
  9. Click Update.

C. Verification

  1. In Orchestrator (API/Inspect -> Network): Re-run the GET API call. Confirm \u200b is no longer present.

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2. In Studio: Run a test sequence with Get Credential and a Message Box/Log message activity displaying the username length.

    • Expected length for "prd.4": 5
    • If length is 6: Hidden character still exists.

Best Practice Recommendation

DoDon't
Manually type usernames directly into the Orchestrator UI form.Copy/paste usernames from browsers, Word, Teams, or Outlook.
Use the Regex cleaning method above if assets are created via API.Rely on .Trim() to clean invisible characters.
Inspect raw API responses (/odata/Assets) when usernames behave unexpectedly.Assume the UiPath Robot is corrupting the decryption.

Root Cause

The username stored in the Orchestrator Credential Asset contains a Zero-Width Space (ZWSP) character at the end of the string.

Technical Details:

  • Unicode Character: U+200B (Zero Width Space).
  • Visual Representation: The sequence ​ appears when the ZWSP is interpreted via UTF-8/ANSI encoding mismatch (Mojibake).
  • Source: Orchestrator does not allow trailing spaces via the UI, but it does preserve hidden Unicode characters injected via REST API calls or copy/paste from rich-text sources (Web pages, Teams, Outlook, Password Managers).

Evidence via Orchestrator RestAPI

Using the Orchestrator API endpoint below, the JSON response shows the raw stored value:

GET https://cloud.uipath.com/ORG_ID/TENANT_ID/orchestrator_/odata/Assets(ASSET_ID)?$expand=UserValues

{
...
"CredentialUsername": "prd.4\u200b"
...
}

The \u200b confirms the Zero-Width Space.

Note: This is not a decryption bug or a UiPath Robot defect. The activity is correctly returning exactly what is stored in the database.

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