Types of interactive elements
Dropdowns: Select menus that reveal options when clicked (product sizes, colors, locations).
Tabs: Horizontal or vertical navigation that shows different content sections.
Accordions: Expandable/collapsible sections that reveal content when clicked.
Toggle switches: Elements that show/hide content or change displayed data.
Radio buttons & checkboxes: Selection options that modify what's displayed on the page.
Training your robot for interactive elements
Basic approach: Record your interactions
With this approach, you'll simply load the page and click to navigate to display the content you'd like to extract.
Start training your robot in Robot Studio
Interact with elements before capturing data including:
Click dropdowns to open them
Select different options to reveal content
Click tabs to display hidden sections
Expand accordions or toggles
Wait for content to load after each interaction
Use Capture Text or Capture List on the revealed content
Repeat as many times as necessary to capture all of the content you need on that page.
Example: Extracting from a dropdown menu
Scenario: Product page with a size dropdown that shows different prices
Navigate to the product page in Robot Studio
Click the size dropdown to open it
Select a size option (e.g., "Large")
Wait for the price to update
Click Capture Text and select the price
Label it (e.g., "Large Size Price")
Repeat for other sizes if needed
The robot will perform these same clicks during extraction
Working with tabs and accordions
Extracting from tabbed content
With this approach, you'll simply load the page and click on the tabs to display the content you'd like to extract.
Start training your robot in Robot Studio
Click each tab during training to reveal its content
Capture the data you need from each tab
Label each piece of data clearly (e.g., "Specifications", "Reviews", "Shipping")
The robot will click through all demonstrated tabs during extraction
Handling accordions and expandable sections
Click to expand each accordion section you need
Wait for content to fully expand
Capture the revealed information
Repeat for all sections you want to extract
Best practices for interactive elements
Timing and waiting
Always pause after clicking interactive elements
Allow 1-2 seconds for content to load or update
Dealing with dynamic content
If content changes based on interactions, capture after each change
Label captured data clearly to indicate what interaction produced it
Consider creating separate robots for complex multi-step interactions
Handling element variations
Some dropdowns require clicking to open, others respond to hover
During training, interact naturally as a user would
The robot will learn your specific interaction pattern
Nested interactions
For complex interfaces with multiple dependent dropdowns:
Select from the first dropdown
Wait for the second dropdown to populate
Select from the second dropdown
Continue the chain as needed
Capture final data after all selections
Troubleshooting common issues
Dropdown won't open during extraction
The site may have changed its interaction method
Try retraining with more deliberate clicking
Some dropdowns require specific click positions
Content doesn't update after selection
Increase wait time after clicking
Ensure JavaScript is fully loaded
Check if the site requires specific interaction order
Robot selects wrong option
During training, click precisely on option text
Avoid clicking on dropdown edges or arrows
Make selections slowly and deliberately
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