You may or may not be aware of the inline variable shortcuts that exist within the A360 bot editor. For instance, if you want to convert a number variable to a string so you can display it in a message box, you could add a “Number: To string” action into your task, like so:

You just added 1 additional action and 1 additional variable to your task.

However, you could simply skip this step altogether and just type the following straight in your message box: “myNumberVar.Number:toString”. Voila! You just eliminated a line of code and an extra variable that would otherwise clutter your task.

Pretty great right? I think so.

The only issue I have with this concept is that Automation Anywhere does not seem to have a comprehensive list and or explanation of these variable shortcuts anywhere. Users are left to figure these out on their own. I have found only one page which only covers Boolean, String, and Numbers here, but there are also shortcuts for File and Legacy Automation actions at least.

Admittedly, it’s not exactly a showstopper, but it really makes me wonder why there is not an AA page devoted to these in their documentation. They are really quite amazing ways of increasing code efficiency, but they are not always straightforward. For instance, I assume these inline shortcuts effectively mimic their counterparts in the Actions list, however, it’s not really explained if they are exactly the same or if they have any differences. I do have to wonder why the documentation is silent on these features.

Now that I have gotten that off my chest, I want to ask You, the Community, whether you have had any difficulty sussing out these shortcuts? Has anyone compiled a comprehensive list of them? Is there actually a page in the AA documentation somewhere and I just missed it?