As part of our commitment to maintaining supported software versions, Appian is updating to Java 17. This indicates that the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) or Java Development Kit (JDK) to Java 17 must be upgraded on all host machines running RPA agents. This required upgrade ensures the Java Virtual Machines (JVM) that run RPA agents are updated and will continue to function seamlessly.
In order to ensure enough time to adapt to this new change, starting with RPA 9.10, Appian RPA agents will now support Java 17 apart from the usual Java 8. From RPA 9.12 onwards (release date: August 2, 2024), Java 8 will no longer be supported, and all RPA agents' JVM are expected to be running on Java 17.
The JRE/JDK to Java 17 must be upgraded on all host machines running RPA agents. For custom-made Java robotic tasks, upgrading to Java 17 should not present any problems, as most of the code written for earlier versions of Java is compatible with Java 17. The Appian RPA SDK will be compatible with this new version, but please ensure that the various libraries/frameworks that may have included in the robotic tasks are compatible with this version of the JVM.
Java 17 can be downloaded from Oracle or any OpenJDK vendor. To determine the current version of Java installed, this can be found in the Java Control Panel on Windows and Mac. For more detailed instructions on finding the Java version, please see the following documentation.
For developers who are only using low-code methods in their robotic tasks, there is no need to review the robotic tasks. The following section is intended for developers who have robotic tasks developed in Java, automate processes in internet browsers, and use the Appian RPA SDK (IWebBrowserSupport interface).
With the release of Appian RPA 9.12, Appian will update the version of Selenium used for the automation of processes on internet browsers. The new version of Selenium 4 allows us to deploy the latest security patches as well as use the latest capabilities provided by this framework.
There are two main points to keep in mind for the upgrade:
findElementByClassName
findElementByCssSelector
findElementById
findElementByLinkText
findElementByName
findElementByPartialLinkText
findElementByTagName
findElementByXPath
If the answer is yes, for more information on how to adapt your code, please see the following documentation.
If the answer is yes, the code may need to be updated to use the new objects like FirefoxOptions, ChromeOptions, EdgeOptions, etc. For more information, please consider the following the documentation here.
For a more detailed outline on the Selenium 4 upgrade procedure, visit their official documentation.
For further assistance with Appian RPA Java and Selenium upgrade procedures, please open open a case with Appian Support.
This article applies to all versions of Appian using RPA.
Last Reviewed: June 2024