Just like in Vinyasa Yoga and using best practices to structure the flow of your class from one pose into the next, there are best practices on how we structure our automation workflows to seamlessly automate any number of business processes. Here are the best practices for passing arguments from one workflow to another within UiPath, along with descriptive examples for each:
Use clear and descriptive argument names: When naming your arguments, use descriptive names that clearly indicate the purpose of each argument. For example, instead of naming an argument "arg1", name it "employeeName" to clearly indicate that it is the name of an employee.
Use appropriate data types: Use appropriate data types for each argument to ensure that the correct data is passed between workflows. For example, if you are passing an employee ID, use an integer data type instead of a string.
Validate argument values: Before passing an argument, validate its value to ensure that it meets the desired criteria. For example, if you are passing a date, validate that it is in the correct format and falls within a specified range.
Document the argument usage: Clearly document the expected data type, range, and purpose of each argument to make it easier for other developers to understand the workflows. For example, if you are passing an employee ID, document that it is an integer data type representing the unique identifier for an employee, and that it should be between 1 and 100,000.
Use variables instead of hardcoded values: When passing arguments, use variables instead of hardcoded values. This makes it easier to modify the workflows and reduces the likelihood of errors. For example, instead of hardcoding a date format, use a variable to store the date format.
Use activities that allow for dynamic argument passing: Use activities that allow for dynamic argument passing, such as the "Invoke Workflow File" activity, instead of activities that only allow for static argument passing, such as the "Call External Workflow" activity. This makes it easier to modify the workflows and reduces the likelihood of errors.
By following these best practices, you can improve the reliability and maintainability of your workflows and ensure that arguments are passed correctly between workflows. Now take a look at the example workflow created by following the above best practices.
Employee Onboarding Verification Workflow
Create a new workflow in UiPath Studio.
Add a "Sequence" activity to the design surface, which is used to group multiple activities and run them in a specific order.
Add a "Message Box" activity to display a prompt for the user to enter the employee name.
Add an "Input Dialog" activity to allow the user to enter the employee name, and store the input in a variable called "employeeName".
Add another "Message Box" activity to display a prompt for the user to enter the employee ID.
Add an "Input Dialog" activity to allow the user to enter the employee ID, and store the input in a variable called "employeeID".
Convert the value of "employeeID" from a string to an integer using the "Int32.Parse" method.
Add a "Scope" activity to allow for the validation of the employee ID.
Within the "Scope" activity, add an "If" activity to check if the employee ID is between 1 and 100,000.
If the employee ID is valid, display a success message using a "Message Box" activity.
If the employee ID is not valid, display an error message using a "Message Box" activity.
Add another "Message Box" activity to display a prompt for the user to enter the start date.
Add an "Input Dialog" activity to allow the user to enter the start date, and store the input in a variable called "startDate".
Convert the value of "startDate" from a string to a date using the "DateTime.Parse" method.
Add another "Scope" activity to allow for the validation of the start date.
Within the "Scope" activity, add an "If" activity to check if the start date is within the current year.
If the start date is valid, display a success message using a "Message Box" activity.
If the start date is not valid, display an error message using a "Message Box" activity.
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