Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

bharathwajrk — Thu, 22 May 2025 00:31:42 GMT

miguelangel.carnero / Appian Solutions / Appian Community

Team,

Failure in the first step while creating the Custom Code Development for Appian RPA, while creating the Maven project in my local. I have the settings.xml ready and no issues with that.

https://docs.appian.com/suite/help/24.4/rpa-9.16/maven-setup.html#create-the-maven-project

Could someone please help me with progressing on this?

PS: Also I am using my enterprise Appian environment

C:\Users\BharathwajRK\eclipse-workspace\ProcensolLibraries>mvn archetype:generate -B 
-DarchetypeGroupId=com.novayre.jidoka.robot 
-DarchetypeArtifactId=robot-archetype 
-DarchetypeVersion=3.7.0 
-DgroupId=com.appian.robot.procensolLibraries 
-DartifactId=rkb-test-robot 
-Dversion=0.0.1 
-DarchetypeRepository=https://procensoldemo.appiancloud.com/rpa/repo 
-Pjidoka-repo

[INFO] Scanning for projects...
[INFO] Downloading from central: https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/org/codehaus/mojo/maven-metadata.xml
[INFO] Downloading from jidoka: https://procensoldemo.appiancloud.com/rpa/repo/org/apache/maven/plugins/maven-metadata.xml
[INFO] Downloading from jidoka: https://procensoldemo.appiancloud.com/rpa/repo/org/codehaus/mojo/maven-metadata.xml
[INFO] Downloading from central: https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/org/apache/maven/plugins/maven-metadata.xml
[INFO] Downloaded from central: https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/org/codehaus/mojo/maven-metadata.xml (21 kB at 47 kB/s)
[INFO] Downloaded from central: https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/org/apache/maven/plugins/maven-metadata.xml (14 kB at 32 kB/s)
[INFO] Downloading from jidoka: https://procensoldemo.appiancloud.com/rpa/repo/org/apache/maven/plugins/maven-archetype-plugin/maven-metadata.xml
[INFO] Downloading from central: https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/org/apache/maven/plugins/maven-archetype-plugin/maven-metadata.xml
[INFO] Downloaded from central: https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/org/apache/maven/plugins/maven-archetype-plugin/maven-metadata.xml (1.1 kB at 33 kB/s)
[INFO]
[INFO] ------------------< org.apache.maven:standalone-pom >-------------------
[INFO] Building Maven Stub Project (No POM) 1
[INFO] --------------------------------[ pom ]---------------------------------
[INFO]
[INFO] >>> archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) > generate-sources @ standalone-pom >>>
[INFO]
[INFO] <<< archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) < generate-sources @ standalone-pom <<<
[INFO]
[INFO]
[INFO] --- archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) @ standalone-pom ---
[INFO] Generating project in Batch mode
[INFO] Downloading from central: https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/archetype-catalog.xml
[INFO] Downloaded from central: https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/archetype-catalog.xml (17 MB at 12 MB/s)
[WARNING] Archetype not found in any catalog. Falling back to central repository.
[WARNING] Add a repository with id 'archetype' in your settings.xml if archetype's repository is elsewhere.
[INFO] Downloading from jidoka: https://procensoldemo.appiancloud.com/rpa/repo/com/novayre/jidoka/robot/robot-archetype/3.7.0/robot-archetype-3.7.0.jar
[INFO] Downloading from central: https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/com/novayre/jidoka/robot/robot-archetype/3.7.0/robot-archetype-3.7.0.jar
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] BUILD FAILURE
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] Total time:  6.063 s
[INFO] Finished at: 2025-05-22T10:13:03+10:00
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ERROR] Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-archetype-plugin:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) on project standalone-pom: The desired archetype does not exist (com.novayre.jidoka.robot:robot-archetype:3.7.0) -> [Help 1]
[ERROR]
[ERROR] To see the full stack trace of the errors, re-run Maven with the -e switch.
[ERROR] Re-run Maven using the -X switch to enable full debug logging.
[ERROR]
[ERROR] For more information about the errors and possible solutions, please read the following articles:
[ERROR] [Help 1] http://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/MAVEN/MojoExecutionException

Thanks,

Bharathwaj RK

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

WillAppian — Wed, 21 May 2025 07:21:04 GMT

Hey! Great job getting through the Java component, that’s already a solid step forward. When it comes to integrating custom Java code into Appian RPA, the key is making sure your code aligns with Appian’s required structure and annotations.

Common hiccups include dependency conflicts and missing annotations, so double-check those. Also, make sure your RPA agent has the right permissions and environment variables set up to run your script smoothly.

If you're looking for more support or to scale your automation efforts, Charter Global offers end-to-end intelligent automation services that could be helpful: https://www.charterglobal.com/services/intelligent-automation/

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

bharathwajrk — Tue, 20 May 2025 23:50:01 GMT

naveenkumar11800

Getting the same error with our organization's private appian environment. Also tried with archetype versions from 3.4.0 to 3.7.0 still receiving the same error. is there any step which I am missing or any pre-requisite?

Current maven version - 3.9.8

The above github sdk is resulting in 404 page not found error.

CC: miguelangel.carnero

[INFO] Scanning for projects...
[INFO]
[INFO] ------------------< org.apache.maven:standalone-pom >-------------------
[INFO] Building Maven Stub Project (No POM) 1
[INFO] --------------------------------[ pom ]---------------------------------
[INFO]
[INFO] >>> archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) > generate-sources @ standalone-pom >>>
[INFO]
[INFO] <<< archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) < generate-sources @ standalone-pom <<<
[INFO]
[INFO]
[INFO] --- archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) @ standalone-pom ---
[INFO] Generating project in Batch mode
[WARNING] Archetype not found in any catalog. Falling back to central repository.
[WARNING] Add a repository with id 'archetype' in your settings.xml if archetype's repository is elsewhere.
[INFO] Downloading from jidoka: https://procensoldemo.appiancloud.com/rpa/repo/com/novayre/jidoka/robot/robot-archetype/3.6.0/robot-archetype-3.6.0.jar
[INFO] Downloading from central: https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/com/novayre/jidoka/robot/robot-archetype/3.6.0/robot-archetype-3.6.0.jar
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] BUILD FAILURE
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] Total time:  2.608 s
[INFO] Finished at: 2025-05-21T09:37:32+10:00
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ERROR] Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-archetype-plugin:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) on project standalone-pom: The desired archetype does not exist (com.novayre.jidoka.robot:robot-archetype:3.6.0) -> [Help 1]
[ERROR]
[ERROR] To see the full stack trace of the errors, re-run Maven with the -e switch.
[ERROR] Re-run Maven using the -X switch to enable full debug logging.
[ERROR]
[ERROR] For more information about the errors and possible solutions, please read the following articles:
[ERROR] [Help 1] http://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/MAVEN/MojoExecutionException

Thanks,
Bharathwaj RK

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

naveenkumar11800 — Tue, 20 May 2025 16:22:42 GMT

Thanks for sharing that follow-up. You’re very close —

the switch to -DarchetypeRepository helped fetch the catalog, but the core issue is still Maven not locating the robot-archetype:3.7.0 inside the Appian Community repo.

This usually happens because the Appian Community Maven repository does not host archetypes like robot-archetype anymore — it's only available in private enterprise environments.

Summary of What's Happening:

You configured your settings.xml correctly with the jidoka server.
You used the correct -DarchetypeRepository flag.
But you're using Appian Community, which does not support custom robot archetype generation like enterprise/private Appian environments.

nxet steps

options 1: Use Appian's Latest Recommended SDK Setup

Appian Community users should now use:

The Robot SDK Template Project from GitHub**
This bypasses the archetype generation entirely.

Steps:

Go to: https://github.com/appian/robot-sdk-template
Click “Use this template” → create your own GitHub repo → clone it.
Open it in Eclipse/IntelliJ.
Update the pom.xml with your own groupId, artifactId, etc.
Build with:
bash
mvn clean install
Then upload the robot JAR file into Appian RPA console → Robots.

Option 2: Try an older working version (Optional, not guaranteed)

If you still want to try archetype generation, replace 3.7.0 with older versions like 3.6.0 or 3.5.0, e.g.:

bash

-DarchetypeVersion=3.6.0

…but even those might not be accessible unless you're on an enterprise Appian RPA instance.

✅ Recommendation

Go with Option 1: GitHub SDK Template — it's Appian’s current standard method for custom Java code in RPA.

Dont forget to upvote, thanks

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

bharathwajrk — Mon, 19 May 2025 23:07:05 GMT

naveenkumar11800

Thank you for detailed analysis. I have now removed the archetype server and repo, currently having only jidoka server and repo.

I think changing -Drepository to -DarchetypeRepository partially worked, i could see the archetype-catalog.xml downloaded but still same error not able to locate the robot-archetype:3.7.0

If you don't mind, could you please also share the settings.xml and your successful steps to create custom code?

PS: I am trying this in Appian community environment.

C:\Users\BharathwajRK\eclipse-workspace\ProcensolLibraries>mvn archetype:generate -B 
-DarchetypeGroupId=com.novayre.jidoka.robot 
-DarchetypeArtifactId=robot-archetype 
-DarchetypeVersion=3.7.0 
-DgroupId=com.appian.robot 
-DartifactId=RKB_Outlook 
-Dversion=0.0.1 
-DarchetypeRepository=https://us.appian.community/rpa/repo/ -Pjidoka-repo


[INFO] Scanning for projects...
[INFO]
[INFO] ------------------< org.apache.maven:standalone-pom >-------------------
[INFO] Building Maven Stub Project (No POM) 1
[INFO] --------------------------------[ pom ]---------------------------------
[INFO]
[INFO] >>> archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) > generate-sources @ standalone-pom >>>
[INFO]
[INFO] <<< archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) < generate-sources @ standalone-pom <<<
[INFO]
[INFO]
[INFO] --- archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) @ standalone-pom ---
[INFO] Generating project in Batch mode
[INFO] Downloading from central: https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/archetype-catalog.xml
[INFO] Downloaded from central: https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2/archetype-catalog.xml (17 MB at 9.6 MB/s)
[WARNING] Archetype not found in any catalog. Falling back to central repository.
[WARNING] Add a repository with id 'archetype' in your settings.xml if archetype's repository is elsewhere.
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] BUILD FAILURE
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] Total time:  3.380 s
[INFO] Finished at: 2025-05-20T08:55:33+10:00
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ERROR] Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-archetype-plugin:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) on project standalone-pom: The desired archetype does not exist (com.novayre.jidoka.robot:robot-archetype:3.7.0) -> [Help 1]
[ERROR]
[ERROR] To see the full stack trace of the errors, re-run Maven with the -e switch.
[ERROR] Re-run Maven using the -X switch to enable full debug logging.
[ERROR]
[ERROR] For more information about the errors and possible solutions, please read the following articles:
[ERROR] [Help 1] http://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/MAVEN/MojoExecutionException

Thanks,
Bharathwaj RK

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

naveenkumar11800 — Mon, 19 May 2025 14:09:28 GMT

bharathwajrk command syntax look well-structured overall. The HTTP 401 Unauthorized is the key issue here — it means your credentials to access the Appian RPA Maven repo aren't being accepted.

1. Verify the credentials

The username should be your Appian community username (case-sensitive).
The password should be your Appian RPA Maven Refresh Token, not your normal password.
- You can generate this from Appian RPA → Configuration → Maven Credentials.
- It's often labeled something like mavenSettingsRefreshKey.

2 Ensure the correct server ID

In <servers>, you used: <id>jidoka</id>

3. Archetype repo ID mismatch

Even though you've declared an id of archetype, the 401 is showing up from archetype, which suggests Maven is treating the archetype repo separately and doesn’t know to use the jidoka credentials.

To fix this, try removing the <repository id="archetype"> block and just keep the jidoka repo and credentials.

Alternatively, set the archetype repo ID to jidoka both in command line and settings.xml to unify credentials usage.

mvn archetype:generate -B \
-DarchetypeGroupId=com.novayre.jidoka.robot \
-DarchetypeArtifactId=robot-archetype \
-DarchetypeVersion=3.7.0 \
-DgroupId=com.appian.robot \
-DartifactId=RKB_Outlook \
-Dversion=0.0.1 \
-DarchetypeRepository=https://us.appian.community/rpa/repo/ \
-Pjidoka-repo

Use -DarchetypeRepository (not just -Drepository) to ensure it targets the right one.

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

bharathwajrk — Mon, 19 May 2025 07:54:50 GMT

naveenkumar11800

Thank you for your response. still facing some weird error. not sure why.

My settings.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<settings xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/SETTINGS/1.0.0"
          xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
          xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/SETTINGS/1.0.0 https://maven.apache.org/xsd/settings-1.0.0.xsd">
  <pluginGroups>
  </pluginGroups>
  <proxies>
  </proxies>

  <servers>
	<server>
	  <id>jidoka</id>
	  <username>appianUsername</username>
	  <password>rpaMavenRefreshKey</password>
	</server>
  </servers>
  <profiles>
	<profile>
		<id>jidoka-repo</id>
		<repositories>
			<repository>
				<id>jidoka</id>
				<url>https://us.appian.community/rpa/repo/</url>
				<releases>
					<enabled>true</enabled>
				</releases>
				<snapshots>
					<enabled>true</enabled>
				</snapshots>
			</repository>
			<repository>
				<id>archetype</id>
				<url>https://us.appian.community/rpa/repo/</url>
			</repository>
		</repositories>
	  <pluginRepositories>
		<pluginRepository>
		  <id>jidoka</id>
		  <url>https://us.appian.community/rpa/repo/</url>
		  <releases>
			<enabled>true</enabled>
		  </releases>
		  <snapshots>
			<enabled>true</enabled>
		  </snapshots>
		</pluginRepository>
	  </pluginRepositories>
	</profile>
  </profiles>
  
  <activeProfiles>
    <activeProfile>jidoka-repo</activeProfile>
  </activeProfiles>

</settings>

CMD Used - Tried with and without -Pjidoka-repo

mvn archetype:generate -B 
-DarchetypeGroupId=com.novayre.jidoka.robot 
-DarchetypeArtifactId=robot-archetype 
-DarchetypeVersion=3.7.0 
-DgroupId=com.appian.robot 
-DartifactId=RKB_Outlook -Dversion=0.0.1 
-Drepository=https://us.appian.community/rpa/repo/ -Pjidoka-repo

Response:

[INFO] --------------------------------[ pom ]---------------------------------
[INFO]
[INFO] >>> archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) > generate-sources @ standalone-pom >>>
[INFO]
[INFO] <<< archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) < generate-sources @ standalone-pom <<<
[INFO]
[INFO]
[INFO] --- archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) @ standalone-pom ---
[INFO] Generating project in Batch mode
[INFO] Downloading from archetype: https://us.appian.community/rpa/repo/archetype-catalog.xml
[WARNING] Could not transfer metadata /archetype-catalog.xml from/to archetype (https://us.appian.community/rpa/repo/): status code: 401, reason phrase:  (401)
[WARNING] failed to download from remoteorg.eclipse.aether.transfer.MetadataTransferException: Could not transfer metadata /archetype-catalog.xml from/to archetype (https://us.appian.community/rpa/repo/): status code: 401, reason phrase:  (401)
[WARNING] No archetype found in remote catalog. Defaulting to internal catalog
[WARNING] Archetype not found in any catalog. Falling back to central repository.
[WARNING] Add a repository with id 'archetype' in your settings.xml if archetype's repository is elsewhere.
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] BUILD FAILURE
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] Total time:  2.214 s
[INFO] Finished at: 2025-05-19T17:49:35+10:00
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ERROR] Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-archetype-plugin:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) on project standalone-pom: The desired archetype does not exist (com.novayre.jidoka.robot:robot-archetype:3.7.0) -> [Help 1]
[ERROR]
[ERROR] To see the full stack trace of the errors, re-run Maven with the -e switch.
[ERROR] Re-run Maven using the -X switch to enable full debug logging.
[ERROR]
[ERROR] For more information about the errors and possible solutions, please read the following articles:
[ERROR] [Help 1] http://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/MAVEN/MojoExecutionException

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

naveenkumar11800 — Mon, 19 May 2025 07:40:57 GMT

I’ve been through this rabbit hole myself—setting up custom Java code for Appian RPA can feel a bit like taming Outlook itself 😅

From the error log, it looks like Maven can’t locate the robot-archetype:3.7.0 from the Appian RPA repository. That usually means the custom repository isn’t properly recognized.

Here are a few quick things to check:

1. Make sure `settings.xml` is updated

You need to add the Appian Community repo explicitly in your Maven settings.xml. Here’s what it should include:

<profiles>
  <profile>
    <id>jidoka-repo</id>
    <repositories>
      <repository>
        <id>archetype</id>
        <url>https://us.appian.community/rpa/repo/</url>
      </repository>
    </repositories>
  </profile>
</profiles>

<activeProfiles>
  <activeProfile>jidoka-repo</activeProfile>
</activeProfiles>

2. Try without the -Pjidoka-repo flag initially
Sometimes Maven can behave better if you just include the repo in settings.xml and leave out the profile flag from the command.

If everything is set up right and you still hit a wall, let me know—happy to share a working settings.xml snippet or my own successful setup steps.

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

bharathwajrk — Mon, 19 May 2025 07:09:30 GMT

miguelangel.carnero motoyay3833 rsimarro

Tried to create a new maven project using the command from https://docs.appian.com/suite/help/24.4/rpa-9.16/maven-setup.html

command used

mvn archetype:generate -B -DarchetypeGroupId=com.novayre.jidoka.robot 
-DarchetypeArtifactId=robot-archetype -DarchetypeVersion=3.7.0 
-DgroupId=com.appian.robot -DartifactId=RKB_Outlook 
-Dversion=0.0.1 
-Drepository=https://us.appian.community/rpa/repo/ -Pjidoka-repo

Received Response

[INFO] Scanning for projects...
[INFO]
[INFO] ------------------< org.apache.maven:standalone-pom >-------------------
[INFO] Building Maven Stub Project (No POM) 1
[INFO] --------------------------------[ pom ]---------------------------------
[INFO]
[INFO] >>> archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) > generate-sources @ standalone-pom >>>
[INFO]
[INFO] <<< archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) < generate-sources @ standalone-pom <<<
[INFO]
[INFO]
[INFO] --- archetype:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) @ standalone-pom ---
[INFO] Generating project in Batch mode
[WARNING] Archetype not found in any catalog. Falling back to central repository.
[WARNING] Add a repository with id 'archetype' in your settings.xml if archetype's repository is elsewhere.
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] BUILD FAILURE
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] Total time:  2.922 s
[INFO] Finished at: 2025-05-19T17:07:32+10:00
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ERROR] Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-archetype-plugin:3.4.0:generate (default-cli) on project standalone-pom: The desired archetype does not exist (com.novayre.jidoka.robot:robot-archetype:3.7.0) -> [Help 1]
[ERROR]
[ERROR] To see the full stack trace of the errors, re-run Maven with the -e switch.
[ERROR] Re-run Maven using the -X switch to enable full debug logging.
[ERROR]
[ERROR] For more information about the errors and possible solutions, please read the following articles:
[ERROR] [Help 1] http://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/MAVEN/MojoExecutionException

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

bharathwajrk — Mon, 19 May 2025 01:46:49 GMT

yeah, that is where I am stuck, I was able to build the jar using Maven, but not sure how to deploy this code back to RPA designer.

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

David Jimenez — Fri, 16 May 2025 07:13:42 GMT

Did you see this part of the documentation?

docs.appian.com/.../deploying-code.html

Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

Summary of What's Happening:

nxet steps

options 1: Use Appian's Latest Recommended SDK Setup

Option 2: Try an older working version (Optional, not guaranteed)

✅ Recommendation

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

1. Verify the credentials

3. Archetype repo ID mismatch

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

1. Make sure settings.xml is updated

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

RE: Appian RPA - Custom Code developer [RPA Beginner]

1. Make sure `settings.xml` is updated