Open App

Open App

Type: open-app  ·  Package: Desktop Activities v1.0.0  ·  Output: number

Launches an application or Windows process. It is usually the first step of a desktop automation: open the program that you are going to automate. Returns the PID (process identifier). You can optionally wait for the process to finish before continuing.

How it works

Runs the path program, optionally with arguments (args) and a working directory (workingDir). By default, it continues the flow immediately (no waiting). If you put waitForExit = true, the flow stops until the process finishes (useful for command line tools).

After opening the app, a Win Attach usually follows to connect to your window.

Required parameters

Parameter	Editor	Description
path	expression	Path to the executable or command to launch. Ex: C:/ERP/erp.exe.

Optional parameters

Parameter	Editor	Description
args	expression	Command line arguments.
workingDir	expression	Work directory. By default, that of the executable.
waitForExit	boolean	Wait for the process to finish before continuing. By default false.
timeout	expression	Maximum waiting time in ms if waitForExit = true. 0 = no limit.

Output

Returns a number with the PID of the launched process.

Example

Open App   path = "C:/ERP/erp.exe"   → output: pid
Win Attach   selector = (ventana "ERP — Login")
 └─ body:
      ... automatizar el ERP ...

If the app is already open

If the program is already running, you don’t need Open App: go directly to Win Attach to connect to its window. Open App is for launching it when it is not yet open.

Wait for the window to be ready

Open App returns control as soon as the process starts, but it may take a moment for the window to appear. Therefore, after Open App, a Win Attach (which waits until timeout for the window to exist) or a Win Wait For is advisable.

Related activities

• Win Attach — connect to the open app window.
• Win Close — close the application when finished.