Simulated Objects are part of the Captured Objects layer described in Layer 1: Captured Objects. Using Simulated Objects, you can:
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Capture objects from a client application that is not recognized by Real-Time Designer connectors. Using Simulated Objects, the Real-Time Designer ‘sees’ the application using visual elements only, instead of communicating via APIs or hooks.
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Capture objects remotely from a terminal server. In this case, objects are captured by Citrix VDI (Virtual Desk Infrastructure).
In all scenarios, Physical Objects is the preferred method. Specifically, when connecting to Java applications, we recommend using Scene Composer. Shape analysis is recommended when you cannot connect to the application (VDI is a classic use case).
From version 7.1, you can use Simulated Objects for attended automation as the User Input (keyboard press and mouse click) is disabled when any data is sent to a control.
What needs to be installed to use simulated objects?
Shape analysis utilizes ABBYY OCR to identify text on different controls. Simulated objects is part of our Advanced Cognitive Package for unattended automations.
To use Simulated Objects you must first install the ABBYY FineReader Engine. See Installing and Uninstalling the ABBYY FineReader Engine (for Advanced OCR).
How are the supported controls tested?
Each supported control (button, checkbox, etc.) is tested on several application and technologies.