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Studio User Guide

Last updated May 29, 2025

Using the Data Manager

The Data Manager panel allows you to manage various types of data in your automation project. This data includes:

  • Variables - Store data of different types and pass it between activities in a project.
  • Arguments - Store data of different types and pass it between workflows.
  • Constants - Store global immutable values of basic types.
  • Resources - Activities that add resources such as files, email accounts, applications, or browsers to the project.
  • Connections - Links between your automation and external applications.
  • Namespaces - Define the scope of your expressions, variables, and arguments. Importing namespaces makes it easier to refer to elements from those namespaces.
The Data Manager has a grid-like structure and contains the following tabs:
  • Variables
  • Arguments
  • Namespaces
  • Connections


Variables

For additional information about variables, see Managing Variables.

To create a variable in the Data Manager:
  1. Navigate to the Variables tab.
  2. Select Create variable. Your new variable appears at the top of the list of variables.
  3. Indicate the name, data type, scope, and default value for the variable.

    The scope can be set to global (available in the entire project), the current workflow file, or any container activity within the workflow file. The default value is the current workflow file.

Note:
  • Global variables cannot be used in isolated workflows (files invoked using Invoke Workflow File activities configured with the Isolated option).
  • Global variables are not supported in library projects.
  • In C# projects, using a global variable or a global constant in activities requires following the format: GlobalVariablesNamespace.GlobalVariables.YOUR_GLOBAL_VARIABLE_NAME. In VB projects, you can reference the global variable or global constant by its name directly.
Inside the Variables tab, you can:
  • Select the Name column to sort variables by their name.
  • Search for variables by selecting the search icon.
  • Select the Data Type column to sort variables by their data type.
  • Select the Scope column to sort variables by their scope.
  • Select the Sync with active scope button. When an active scope is in focus, for example, a Use Excel File activity is selected, it only displays the variables with the matching scope assigned to them.
  • See the default value of variables in the Default Value column.
  • Edit the name, data type, scope, or default value of a variable. In the case of global variables, you can edit the value, but not the name, type, or scope.
Right-clicking a variable opens the context menu with the following options:
  • New > Global variable - Creates a global variable.
  • New > Constant - Creates a constant.
  • Create trigger - Creates a trigger from a global variable. Global variables are used in trigger-based attended automation to store data about user or application events. This data can then be used to trigger other activities or workflows (for example, when the value of a global variable changes). To learn more, refer to Trigger-based Attended Automation.
  • Convert to Argument - Converts the variable to an argument. The newly converted argument can be found in the Arguments tab.
  • Copy - Copies the variable. You can also use the CTRL + C keyboard shortcut.
  • Paste - Pastes the copied variable. You can also use the CTRL + V keyboard shortcut. When a variable with the same name already exists, a number is added to the duplicate's name. For example, if a variable with the name number already exists, the copied variable is renamed to number_1.
  • Delete - Deletes the variable.
  • Add watch - Adds the variable to the Watch panel. This is available only during debugging.
  • Annotations - Displays the options to work with annotations. Use annotations to provide context or just to better keep track of the purpose and contents of variables:
    • Add annotation - Creates a new annotation.
    • Edit annotation - Edits an existing annotation. Alternatively, you can edit annotations by selecting the annotation icon next to a variable and changing the text.
    • Delete annotation - Deletes an existing annotation.
  • Find References - Opens the Find references panel, which displays all references to the variable in the project.

Arguments

For additional information about arguments, see Managing Arguments.

Note: If you add or remove an argument from the Data Manager while the Arguments panel is open, the changes are only visible in the Arguments panel after you close and reopen the workflow file.
To create an argument in the Data Manager:
  1. Navigate to the Arguments tab.
  2. Select Create argument. Your new argument appears at the top of the list of arguments.
  3. Indicate the name, direction, data type, whether it is required, and the default value. By default, all new arguments are of String type and have an In direction.
Inside the Arguments tab, you can:
  • Select the Name column to sort arguments by their name.
  • Search for arguments by selecting the search icon.
  • Select the Direction column to sort arguments by their direction.
  • Select the Data Type column to sort arguments by their data type.
  • Indicate if an argument is required in the Required column.
  • See the default value of arguments in the Default Value column.
  • Edit any of the following: direction, data type, whether it is required, and default value.
  • Select multiple variables by clicking and dragging the mouse cursor over the variables or by using the CTRL + A keyboard shortcut.
Right-clicking an argument opens the context menu with the following options:
  • Convert to Variable - Converts the argument to a variable. The newly converted variable can be found in the Variables tab.
  • Copy - Copies the argument. You can also use the CTRL + C keyboard shortcut.
  • Paste - Pastes the copied argument. You can also use the CTRL + V keyboard shortcut. When an argument with the same name already exists, a number is added to the duplicate's name.
  • Delete - Deletes the argument.
  • Annotations - Displays the options to work with annotations:
    • Add annotation - Creates a new annotation.
    • Edit annotation - Edits an existing annotation. Alternatively, you can edit annotations by selecting the annotation icon next to an argument and changing the text.
    • Delete annotation - Deletes an existing annotation.
  • Find References - Opens the Find references panel, which displays all references to the argument in the project.
  • Select multiple arguments by clicking and dragging the mouse cursor over the arguments or by using the CTRL + A keyboard shortcut.

Constants

Constants enable you to define fixed values that do not change during project execution. Constants are available globally and can be referenced in activity input fields throughout a project. For example, if a company name or department name is an input in multiple screens, you can store the name in a constant and reference it in the activities that interact with each screen.

After you create a constant, you can edit its value, but not its name, type, or scope.
Note:
  • Constants are not available in Windows - Legacy projects and are not supported in library projects.
  • Currently, you cannot change the name or data type of a created constant. You can only change the constant's default value.
  • Variables that do not have a global scope can have the same name as a constant. To distinguish between a constant and a variable with the same name, access the constant using its full name (GlobalConstantsNamespace.GlobalConstants.YourConstantName).
To create a constant in the Data Manager:
  1. Navigate to the Variables tab.
  2. Right-click a variable or constant.
  3. Select New > Constant.
  4. Provide the following information:
    • Enter the name of the constant.
    • Select the data type of the constant: Text, Number, True or False, Number with decimals, Date, or Duration.
    • Enter the value of the constant.
  5. Select OK. Your new constant appears at the top of the list of variables.
Right-clicking a constant opens the context menu with the following options:
  • New > Global variable - Creates a global variable.
  • New > Constant - Creates a constant.
  • Copy - Copies the constant. You can also use the CTRL + C keyboard shortcut.
  • Paste - Pastes the copied constant. You can also use the CTRL + V keyboard shortcut.
  • Delete - Deletes the constant.
  • Find References - Opens the Find references panel, which displays all references to the constant in the project.

Namespaces

For additional information about namespaces, see About Imported Namespaces.

To add a namespace:
  1. Open the Data Manager.
  2. Navigate to the Namespaces tab.
  3. Select Add namespace.
  4. A drop-down menu listing available namespaces is displayed. To filter through the list, use the search box at the top of the menu.
  5. Select the namespace to import it.

To remove a namespace, right-click the namespace and select Delete.

Connections

To view the connections used in a project:
  1. Open the Data Manager.
  2. Navigate to the Connections tab to view a list of connectors used in the project and their corresponding connections.
Note: Connections are displayed in the Data Manager for certain activities and only after you save the project.

Resources

In Windows - Legacy and Windows projects, you can navigate to the Variables tab in the Data Manager to view and manage the following resources in the current project file:

Managing Excel file resources (modern Excel activities)

After you add an Excel file with a Use Excel File activity, you can manage the resource as follows:

  • To configure the resource, right-click it in the Variables tab and select Configure. The Manage resource window is displayed.
    • Select Excel file - Browse to and select the Excel file.
    • And give it a name for later - Enter the name by which to refer to the file in the project (by the default, Excel). This is the name of the option that will be available in the Plus menu in children activities of the Use Excel File activity, allowing you to reference the Excel file.
    • Save changes - Select this option if you want the file to be saved at the end of the automation. Otherwise, the file is returned to the initial state after project execution. This option is selected by default.
    • Read only - Select this option if you want to open the file in read-only mode. This allows you to perform data extraction operations if the file is locked for editing or has an edit password. This option is not selected by default.
  • To remove the Use Excel File activity and all its children activities from the project, right-click the Excel resource and select Delete.
Connecting to an Excel file (Workbook activities)

In projects where you use multiple Workbook activities with the same large Excel file, you can achieve the best runtime performance by connecting to the Excel file from the Data Manager to add it as a resource. This ensures the file is loaded in the memory once for all activities at runtime. If you choose to provide the path to the Excel file in each Workbook activity, the file is loaded in the memory for each activity.

To add an Excel workbook as a resource:

  1. Navigate to the Variables tab.
  2. Right-click in the panel and select New > Connect to a new Workbook file. The Manage resource window is displayed.
  3. Configure the resource:
    • Select Excel file - Browse to and select the Excel file.
    • And give it a name for later - Enter the name by which to refer to the file in Workbook activities (by the default, the file name). This is the name of the option that will be available in the Plus menu of the Workbook property allowing you to reference the workbook file.
    • Password - Enter the password of the file, if applicable.
    • Scope - Select the scope of the resource. By default, the scope is set to the main container. To optimize performance, set the scope to the container closest to where the activities that use the resource are placed in the workflow.

After the resource is created, you can edit its configuration by right-clicking it in the Variables tab and selecting Configure. You can reference the resource in multiple Workbook activities by selecting the resource from the Plus menu.

Managing resources

To manage a resource from the Variables panel, right-click the resource and select one of the options in the context menu:

  • Open - Opens an Excel, PowerPoint, or Word file added as a resource.
  • Open file location - Opens the folder containing an Excel, PowerPoint, or Word file added as a resource.

    This option is not available when working with remote files (for example, SharePoint).

  • Configure - Opens the Manage resource window where you can edit the properties of an Excel resource.
  • Delete - Removes the resource from the project.
  • Variables
  • Arguments
  • Constants
  • Namespaces
  • Connections
  • Resources

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