Unable to Highlight Dropdown Elements in UI Explorer – How to Enable Highlighting?

[gayatri.kesalkar]

I am working on automating a dropdown in UiPath and trying to use UI Explorer to identify and select the entire dropdown element. However, when I attempt to highlight the dropdown element, the highlight option in UI Explorer is disabled. Is there a way to enable this functionality?

My main goal is to retrieve all the elements present in the dropdown. Any guidance on how to properly highlight and interact with the dropdown using UI Explorer would be greatly appreciated.

This is my uiexplorer window

Has anyone encountered this issue, and how did you resolve it?

[naveen.s]

@gayatri.kesalkar ,Use the select item or find children activity for this

[gayatri.kesalkar]

Hello @naveen.s ,

Thanks for responding,

I tried using both ‘Select Item’ and ‘Find Children’ activities. However, when using ‘Find Children’, I am getting an error like:

for Select item:

[naveen.s]

@gayatri.kesalkar

Based on the screenshots and the context provided, it seems you’re encountering issues when trying to interact with a dropdown using Select Item and Find Children activities in UiPath. Here are some potential solutions to address both methods:

Resolving Issues with Select Item

1. Check the Selector:

   • Ensure the selector for the dropdown is correctly configured. You can test it in UI Explorer by using the Highlight feature.
   • Look for attributes such as aaname, id, or other unique identifiers that can help to pinpoint the exact dropdown element.

2. Ensure the Dropdown is Expanded:

   • The Select Item activity requires the dropdown list to be open. Therefore, ensure you have a Click activity before Select Item that clicks on the dropdown to open it.

3. Use Dynamic Values:

   • If you are passing the item to be selected dynamically, ensure that the value matches exactly what is in the dropdown (case sensitivity, whitespace, etc.).

4. Run in UI Debug Mode:

   • Use UI Debug mode (with enhanced delays and visual indications). It helps in pinpointing issues when executing and can provide valuable insights.

Resolving Issues with Find Children

1. Specify the Correct Ancestor:

   • In the Find Children activity, ensure that the Scope property is correctly set. It should typically refer to the parent dropdown element where the items are children.
   • Use a Get Attribute activity to confirm that you are referencing the right parent control.

2. Validate the Selector:

   • Check the selectors you are using for both the Find Children and the parent element. Make sure there are no issues in identifying the dropdown accurately.
   • You can use wildcard characters (*) in the selector for parts that may change (like dynamic IDs).

3. Configure Filter Properly:

   • Make sure you are using the correct options under the Filter property to specify what type of child elements to find. You typically want to look for controls like ListItem or similar elements that represent the dropdown options.

4. Handle No Items Found:

   • If Find Children doesn’t find any items, make sure the dropdown is actually expanded at the time of execution. If it fails, you might need to add a retry mechanism to check or wait for children to appear.

Debugging Steps

• Add Logging: Use Log Message activities to log the selectors and other variables you’re using. This will help you understand whether your approach is set up correctly.
• Try With Other Elements: As a test, try using Find Children on other similar dropdowns or lists in your application to see if it’s an element-specific issue.

Additional Recommendations

• Step-by-step Interaction: Break down your workflow to include separate activities for clicking the dropdown, waiting for it to load, and then using Find Children. This method can help isolate where things may be going wrong.
• Update Dependencies: Ensure that your UiPath package is up-to-date and compatible with the libraries you are using for UI automation.

If All Else Fails

If you’re still encountering errors after verifying the above steps, please provide the specific error message you’re facing during these activities, along with any relevant details like the type of UI framework (e.g., WinForms, WPF, HTML) the dropdown belongs to. This information would clarify the context further and help diagnose the issue more effectively.

[Manisha_Ravindra]

Hi @gayatri.kesalkar,
which activity are you using currently? and did you get any error?

[ashokkarale]

@gayatri.kesalkar,

How’s your dropdown looks like? As per selectors it looks like UL. The ul tag defines an unordered (bulleted) list.

Thanks,
Ashok

[naveen.s]

Try clicking before selecting the drop down using the click activity

[gayatri.kesalkar]

Click activity…
In my flow I want to get all dropdown element in console

[gayatri.kesalkar]

I have multiple dropdowns where the second dropdown updates in real-time based on the selection in the first one, using an API.

For example, if I select a country in the first dropdown, the second dropdown will show the states based on the selected country

[gayatri.kesalkar]

I am using click activity for this actually first time for first dropdown able to get all values from dropdown…
at the same time for second dropdown facing issue

[naveen.s]

Use some delay for 10 to 20 seconds