Installing previous PAD version to fix UI element recognition

[cthomasElan]

This past week I installed the current version of Power Automate, shown below, but several desktop flows of mine now don't work.

I've sifted through several different feeds and saw many folks found solutions by installing the previous version.

My main issue is that detection of UI elements that previously worked no longer do, which then skips essential if statements given that PAD can't find the UI elements and returns false. When the flow was first failing, I ran it step by step to trouble shoot and realized this was the error, so I attempted to add UI elements, but when hovering over them in the application, there was no indication of UI elements at all.

Below are two pictures depicting that problem of highlighting UI elements after stopping a run versus adding after closing the application and then renavigating to the same place where the flow got caught. In both cases, I'm hovering over the ALL FIELDS dropdown.

I believe that there could be some internal  PAD change that occurred and causes its interaction with the app to act differently in the new update and was hoping to try and troubleshoot more by getting an older version in order to see if it's caused by the current version.

Thanks so much for any help in advance, and happy St. Paddy's Day!!

[VishnuReddy1997]

Hi @cthomasElan ,

As per my understanding you want to downgrade the PAD.

consider downgrading from the latest version 2.41 to version 2.39 to see if it resolves the issue. Many individuals have reported encountering similar UI elements errors with version 2.41 in the past few week, and most of them were able to resolve it by reverting to version 2.39.

Give this approach a try first, and if the issue persists, you can then raise a ticket with Microsoft for further assistance.

Link for download version 2.39 - SetUp.Microsoft,PowerAutomate 

(Note:- if you got your solution you can mark as solution and gives kudos)

Thanks & Regards

Vishnu Reddy

[Agnius]

It seems like @VishnuReddy1997 didn't really read your post before replying, and also seems like they copied a reply by someone else that was valid several weeks ago, but does not really apply to you.

Please note that downgrading isn't always possible, as some updates introduce changes to the core behind PAD, as well as syntax of some actions. If you have modified your flow with the latest version, you may not be able to edit it anymore in an older version. But, of course, you can always try.

There is no official MS link to download an older version however. If you trust 3rd party sources, you might ask someone in the community to provide you with one. But the safest way to get it is to contact MS support and ask for it. Also, report the issue you're experiencing, too, so they might be able to help you.

[Deenuji]

@cthomasElan 

I agree with @Agnius comments.

Simply downgrading the current version may not address all environmental issues.

One observation I've made across various RPA tools is that it's generally advisable to stick with a stable older version rather than upgrading to the latest one. While new features are introduced in the latest version, they may occasionally disrupt existing functionalities. For personal exploration, experimenting with the new version is fine, but for official automation projects, it's best to exercise caution.

To troubleshoot, try creating a new workflow with the same application and inspect the reported element. If it's not functioning and isn't generating an error, please escalate the issue to Microsoft.

Thanks,
Deenuji Loganathan
🤖 Automation Evangelist
Deenuji - Follow me on LinkedIn

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If I've helped solve your query, kindly mark my response as the solution ✔ and give it a thumbs up!👍 Your feedback supports future seekers 🌟

[cthomasElan · Accepted solution]

I've found the issue!

Since my goal was to have the flow run with monitors off, I was testing and in an attempt to troubleshoot a certain section of the flow, I used Simulate Action on a press button in window step. This was the final step in a separate desktop flow that I called to in order to log into the application I was attempting to automate steps in.

For some reason, when logging in with a simulated button press, once the actual window of the application opened, power automate no longer recognized any UI elements within the window and thus broke all of the subsequent steps.

Changing the login flow to NOT have the simulate action toggled on then allowed the original flow to work again because power automate recognized all of the UI elements.

The below was found at the documentation page for simulated actions:

My belief is that the portion above; Therefore, UI elements will not be brought into the foreground is the key to why the remaining UI elements aren't able to be recognized. I am thinking that maybe Windows then opens the application in a different state which may be less intensive on either memory or the CPU, which allows it to run "in the background", but keeps that window open perpetually in that state, which prevents UI based automation.

I apologize for not giving more context, but hopefully this will help someone else when troubleshooting!