Why is the edit (pencil) icon missing from the templates in Template Manager and preventing template modification?
Issue Description
Unable to edit an existing template in the Form Extractor activity within UiPath Studio. In the Template Manager, the pencil icon (edit button) is missing, preventing updates to the template.
Scenario: The automation project is cloned from internal source control, and the correct permissions are in place. Templates are visible but not editable. This issue affects a Document Understanding project using Form Extractor in the automation.
Resolution
Approach 1
This issue typically occurs when the .local/PositionData directory is either missing or empty in the project folder found in Windows Explorer. The absence of this directory prevents the Form Extractor from enabling template editing, as it relies on the presence of associated position data files.
- Verify whether the .local/PositionData folder exists in the project directory using Windows Explorer.
- If the folder is missing or contains no files, locate a previous version of the project that includes the necessary contents and copy the relevant files and subfolders into .local/PositionData.
Note: The .local folder is excluded from source control by default. It is recommended to include all essential files and subfolders in source control to avoid similar issues. Review .gitignore or other ignore configurations to ensure they are not excluding critical project data.
Approach 2
Another possible cause is that the template was exported from a different project without including the original files. When such a template is imported into a new project, the corresponding PositionData files are not generated, making the template non-editable.
In this case, re-exporting the template with original files or restoring the missing data from the source project is necessary.