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Primo RPA StudioToolsAutoDoc

AutoDoc (AutoDoc)

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AutoDoc is a command-line utility developed to automatically generate documentation for Primo projects (Robot Passport).

It allows you to generate detailed reports on variables, arguments, process structure, and diagrams, which will help in analyzing and maintaining projects. By default, AutoDoc is installed in the Plugins\AutoDoc directory in the Primo RPA Studio installation folder. The specific path may vary depending on the operating system and bitness, for example:

  • Windows (x64): C:\Program Files\Primo\Primo Studio x64\Plugins\AutoDoc
  • Windows (x86): C:\Program Files (x86)\Primo\Primo Studio\Plugins\AutoDoc

AutoDoc System Requirements

AutoDoc requires the .NET 6.0 platform to be installed.
Minimum requirements:

  • Microsoft .NET 6.0 LTS
  • Operating Systems:
    • Windows 11, Windows 10 (version 1607+), Windows Server 2019, Windows 8.1
  • Processor: x64, Arm64 or Arm32
  • Memory: Minimum 1 GB of RAM
  • Java Development Kit (JDK) (required for using the local renderer)

Main Launch Parameters

AutoDoc is launched via the command line using the following parameters:

PrimoAutodoc.exe -i/-input "folder with Primo-project" -o/-output "folder with documentation" [-t/templates "folder with templates"] [-word] [-local] [-oe]

Parameters in square brackets indicate optional command-line parameters.

Parameter description:

  • -i / -input: Path to the process or to the Primo project folder (required).
  • -o / -output: Path to the output folder where the documentation will be generated. (required)
  • -t / -templates: Path to the folder with custom templates.
  • -word: Generate documentation in Word format. HTML is used by default.
  • -local: Use the local renderer for Primo RPA process diagrams.
  • -oe: Console output encoding. Example: -oe 65001|| -oe utf-8. Note: The value can be a code page identifier or the current encoding name.
  • -?: Display help (Help)

Files and Templates Description

The Resources folder contains the main files and templates for generating documentation. It includes:

  • Templates: project files project.cshtml, process.cshtml, ActivityInfo.cshtml and files Template.uml and Template.docx for generating documentation.
  • Configuration files: files .csv, such as tags.csv, PropertiesDict.csv, and elements.csv for managing the display of names, types, and properties.
  • Subfolders: *assets and mazer for styles, scripts, and images used in the design of the output documents.

Detailed description of each template is available in the AutoDoc Templates section.

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Configuration

The appsettings.json configuration file is used to configure the program, which is typical for applications developed on .NET Core.
In it, you can specify the path to external programs for automatic processing of tags. Several programs can be specified at the same time, separated by a vertical bar (|).

Example content of the appsettings.json file:

{
  "UseCustomTagger": "False",
  "Tagger": ["D:\\DEV\\TaggerStub.exe | D:\\DEV\\Tagger_01.exe"]
  "OutputEncodingName":"utf-8",
  "Language":"ru-Ru"
}
  • UseCustomTagger — enables the use of external programs to process tags. If the value is set to True, the system will use external programs specified in the Tagger field.
  • Tagger — path to programs that assign tags.
  • OutputEncodingName - defines the encoding of messages in the console.
  • Language - defines the default language of console messages.

Local Diagram Rendering

To generate diagrams using the local renderer, you need to:

  1. Install Java Development Kit (JDK).
  2. Set the JAVA_HOME environment variable (preferably without spaces in the path).
  3. Make sure there is a plantuml.jar file in the program folder.

Note

AutoDoc does not have a graphical interface, but you can create a .bat file for convenient launch with the necessary parameters.

AutoDoc automatically assigns a name to the final file based on the project name. To see the result, go to the folder specified in the -o parameter and open the generated _.docx* (if -word was used) or _.html* file in the appropriate program.

Examples of commands

Examples of using AutoDoc:

1. Generate documentation (robot passport) by default.

PrimoAutodoc.exe -i "D:\Primo\PrimoProjects\HR001_Small" -o "D:\Primo\Docum"

D:\Primo\PrimoProjects\HR001_Small — project folder. Inside it there is a project.ltp file, ltw files and subfolders D:\Primo\Docum — output folder, a Proj_HR001_Small.html file and an HR001_Small folder with html documentation inside will be created.

2. Generate documentation (robot passport) using a custom template.

PrimoAutodoc.exe -i "D:\Primo\PrimoProjects\HR001_Small" -o "D:\Primo\Docum" -t "D:\Primo\Templates"

D:\Primo\Templates — folder of custom templates

3. Generate documentation (robot passport) in MS Word document format.

PrimoAutodoc.exe -i "D:\Primo\PrimoProjects\HR001_Small" -o "D:\Primo\Docum" –word

-word — with this parameter documentation is created in MS Word format. Without this parameter, documentation is created by default, in HTML format.

4. Force enable local rendering of Primo RPA process diagrams.

PrimoAutodoc.exe -i "D:\Primo\PrimoProjects\HR001_Small" -o "D:\Primo\Docum" –local

-local — use the local renderer for Primo RPA process diagrams. For this, you need:

  • install Java Development Kit;
  • install the JAVA_HOME environment variable (preferably without spaces in the path);
  • make sure there is a plantuml.jar file (11Mb) in the program folder By default, a remote renderer is used for diagrams, which requires internet access.

5. Change the text encoding of console output.

PrimoAutodoc.exe -i "D:\Primo\PrimoProjects\HR001_Small" -o "D:\Primo\Docum" -oe "utf-8"

utf-8 — the value of the installed encoding. As a value, you can use a string with the encoding name or a numerical code page identifier, for example, 65001. The default encoding can also be set in the application settings.

6. Get help.

PrimoAutodoc.exe -?

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