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Markdown Notes

Markdown is a lightweight markup language with plain-text formatting. See: Markdown Guide

You can use Markdown in ThinkAutomation for outgoing email text, Teams Messages, Web Forms and Wait For User Response forms (headings, prompt text, help text). You can also use it with the Set Variable action. The Set Variable action has an option for converting Markdown to HTML and for converting CSV data to a Markdown table.

For example: If you set an outgoing plain text email or Teams message to:

# Order Received
Please find below your order:

Order: **1234**
Link: [View Order](https://mycompany.com/orders/1234.pdf)

The outgoing email HTML would convert to:

<h1 id="order-received">Order Received</h1>
<p>Please find below your order:</p>
<p>Order: <strong>1234</strong><br />
Link: <a href="https://mycompany.com/orders/1234.pdf" target="_blank">View Order</a></p>

For outgoing emails any converted HTML will be wrapped inside <html> & <body> tags. A basic CSS stylesheet will be applied. The CSS can be edited in the Server Settings - Default CSS.

Any of the standard Markdown formatting can be used. See: https://www.markdownguide.org/basic-syntax

Tables

For tables you can use Pipe format or Grid format.

Pipe Format

| abc | def | ghi |
|:---:|-----|----:|
|  1  | 2   | 3   |

Would convert to:

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
    <th style="text-align: center;">abc</th>
    <th>def</th>
    <th style="text-align: right;">ghi</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
    <td style="text-align: center;">1</td>
    <td>2</td>
    <td style="text-align: right;">3</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Or..

# Details

| Item    | Details           |
| ------- | ----------------- |
| From    | **%Msg_From%**    |
| To      | **%Msg_To%**      |
| Subject | **%Msg_Subject%** |

Would convert to:

<h1>Details</h1>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
    <th>Item</th>
    <th>Details</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
    <td>From</td>
    <td><strong>sender@test.com</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
    <td>To</td>
    <td>receiver@test.com</td>
</tr>
<tr>
    <td>Subject</td>
    <td><strong>Test Subject</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Pipe style tables must have a blank line before and after the table.

Grid Format

A grid table allows you to have multiple lines per cells and cells can span over multiple columns. For example:

+---------------+---------------+--------------------+
| Fruit         | Price         | Advantages         |
+===============+===============+====================+
| Bananas       | $1.34         | - built-in wrapper |
|               |               | - bright color     |
+---------------+---------------+--------------------+
| Oranges       | $2.10         | - cures scurvy     |
|               |               | - tasty            |
+---------------+---------------+--------------------+

Alignments can be specified as with pipe tables, by putting colons at the boundaries of the separator line:

+--------------:+:--------------+:------------------:+
| Right         | Left          | Centered           |
+==============:+:==============+:==================:+
| Bananas       | $1.34         | built-in wrapper   |
+---------------+---------------+--------------------+

For headerless tables:

+--------------:+:--------------+:------------------:+
| Right         | Left          | Centered           |
+---------------+---------------+--------------------+

For grid format, when using multiple lines per cell the column separators must line up.

Converting CSV Data To A Markdown Table

If you have CSV data you can use the Set Variable or Text Operation actions to convert CSV data to a Markdown table. Numeric columns will be right aligned and date columns will be center aligned.

Any URL will automatically be converted to a link. You can also use the syntax:

[Link Text](http://www.mysite.com)

Would convert to:

<a href="http:/www.mysite.com" target="_blank">Link Text</a>

For images you can use the syntax:

![Logo](http://www.mysite.com/assets/images/logo.png)

Would convert to:

<img src="http://www.mysite.com/assets/images/logo.png" alt="Logo">

Markdown document files or attachments (*.md) can be converted to PDF, Word & HTML files using the Convert Document action.

Returning Markdown

You can use use the Automation Return action to return Markdown text. If the Message Source is a Web Form or Web Chat then the Markdown will be automatically converted to HTML.

For manually executed Automations sent by users of the Desktop Connector or Studio (via the Send Message form) then any Markdown content in the Return value will be rendered.

Sentiment Analyzer Control Panel

The Sentiment Analyzer Control Panel is a stand alone application that can be used to test & train the ThinkAutomation Sentiment Analyzer. It can be started by clicking the Open Sentiment Analyzer Control Panel button on the Score Sentiment, Train Sentiment & Classify Sentiment actions or by running the ThinkAutomationSentimentControlPanel.exe application.

You must first login with your ThinkAutomation User Name/Password.

The current Class Names will be listed. Select a Class Name. You can add a new class using the Add button. To clear all training data for a class click the Reset button.

Test Or Train With Text

Select this tab to test or train the currently selected class name with manually entered text.

Enter or paste text into the box. Click the Test button to analyze the text. The sentiment score will be displayed along with Tokens Used and Tokens Scored.

Click Train Positive or Train Negative to add positive or negative training data for the entered text. Click Add Ignore Words to add all tokens from the entered text as Ignore Words. Click Tokenize to just display the extracted tokens without adding training data.

Test With Files

Select this tab to run multiple tests using local files. Select the Positive Files Path for the folder containing files that you expect to score positive and Negative Files Path for the folder containing files that you expect to score negative.

Enter the file Mask (eg: *.txt) or enter *.* for all supported file types. You can use txt, html, csv, eml or msg (Outlook Messages).

Click Run Test to start.

Each file will be scored - and the overall results displayed along with the overall accuracy percentage.

Train With Files

Select this tab to add training data using multiple local files. Select the Positive Files Path for the folder containing files that will be trained as positive and Negative Files Path for the folder containing files that will be trained as negative.

Enter the file Mask (eg: *.txt) or enter *.* for all supported file types. You can use txt, html, csv, eml or msg (Outlook Messages).

Click Run Training to start.

Each file contained in the selected folders will be read, tokenized and the tokens added as either positive or negative training data.

You can use the Test options to run tests after each training operation.

Training Strategy

For best results each Class Name should be trained with roughly the same number of positive and negative messages. Accuracy will improve with more messages trained.

For example, suppose we want to use the Sentiment Analyzer to flag up incoming messages as 'Sales Enquiry'. You would create a 'SalesEnquiry' class name. You then need to obtain roughly the same number of messages that ARE sales enquires and that are NOT sales enquiries. Save these to separate folders on your file system. You can save Outlook messages to these folders. Several hundred at least of each if possible.

Then use the Train With Files option to add the training data.

Now use the Test With Text option and enter some new text that you would consider a Sales Enquiry. The scored result should be POSITIVE. Enter some new text that you would consider NOT a Sales Enquiry. The scored result should be NEGATIVE.

You can also use the Train Sentiment Automation action to add training data. The benefit of the Automation Action is that you can link it to a Message Source to read folders from an email source. For example: You could create email folders for positive/negative messages and move respective email items to those folders. Then create ThinkAutomation Message Sources to read the folders and execute the Train Sentiment action. You can then add new email items to these folders whenever you want to update the training data.

Classification

Classification is the process of finding the most relevant Class Name for any text. For example: Suppose you have two Class Names: "SalesEnquiry" and "SupportEnquiry" and training data has been added for both. Classification can be used on some new text to indicate which Class Name is the most relevant. You can use the Classify button on the Test With Text tab to perform classification tests.

The ThinkAutomation Desktop Connector Application

The ThinkAutomation Desktop Connector is a stand-alone application that you can optionally install on multiple computers on your network. The number of ThinkAutomation Desktop Connectors that can connect to your ThinkAutomation Server at the same time depends on the Edition you have purchased (see: Editions).

Users can use the ThinkAutomation Desktop Connector to manually execute Automations by sending messages or by dragging and dropping files, attachments and Outlook Messages. For example, you may have an Automation that generates a quotation PDF, sends the quotation to the customer and records it in your CRM system. The ThinkAutomation Desktop Connector could be installed on all the sales team computers. Sales team members can then simply drag and drop quote request emails on to the relevant Automation. Automations are executed immediately by the ThinkAutomation server and the results returned back to the Desktop Connector.

The Desktop Connector cannot be used to edit Automations or make any other configuration changes.

The Desktop Connector is installed as part of the main ThinkAutomation installation. A stand-alone Desktop Connector installer is also available here: Download ThinkAutomation Desktop Connector Setup (55mb).

When the Desktop Connector is started the user must login. You can create additional users using the ThinkAutomation Studio - Server Settings - Users tab. Multiple Desktop Connector users can login using the same username if required.

After login the Desktop Connector will list all Automations and Web Form Message Sources for the currently selected Solution. You can change the selected Solution from the drop-down list. You can restrict the Solutions available to a user using the Server Settings.

Sending Messages To An Automation

Click an Automation in the list. The right hand pane will display the Send Message form for the selected Automation. Enter a message and click the Send button (or press CTRL-Enter). You can also change the Subject, From and To addresses and add Attachments.

The message will be processed by ThinkAutomation and the return value (along with any Comments) will be displayed.

Dropping Files

You can drag and drop any file on to the Send Message form. These will be sent to ThinkAutomation for immediate processing. Any text files dropped onto the Desktop Connector will be converted into plain text emails. HTML files will be converted to HTML emails. Email messages (EML files) can also be dropped. Any other file types will be added as an attachment to a plain text email before being sent to ThinkAutomation. You can drag & drop multiple files in a single drag/drop operation. Each file will be treated as a separate message.

Dropping Microsoft Outlook Messages

For users of Microsoft Outlook (desktop version) you can select one or more messages from Outlook itself and drag & drop them onto the Send Message form. You can also drop specific message attachments. These will then be copied and sent to ThinkAutomation for processing and the results displayed. The original messages in Outlook are not changed.

Web Form Message Sources

Any Web Form messages sources for the selected Solution will also be displayed. Selecting one of these will display the the web form inside the Client. You can then complete the form and submit. ThinkAutomation will then process the form results.

Responding To Wait For User Response Actions

The Desktop Connector will display any Wait For User Response action forms. If the Send Request Via Studio & Client Users option is enabled on any Wait For User Response actions, the ThinkAutomation Server will send the validation request to users running the ThinkAutomation Studio or ThinkAutomation Desktop Connector. Studio and Desktop Connector users can complete the validation request from there. You can specify specific Usernames or leave this blank to send to any ThinkAutomation Studio or Desktop Connector users (connected to your ThinkAutomation Server instance).

Viewing The Message Store

The Desktop Connector can also be used to view the Message Store which shows a list of processed messages. Click the View tab. All Automations for the selected Solution will be displayed. Select an Automation to view processed messages. Double-click a message or click the Open button to view the message detail and Automation log.

The View tab will only be available if the logged-in user has the Can View Message Store right enabled.

The ThinkAutomation Desktop Connector connects to the ThinkAutomation Server using a secure websocket on port 9110. Ensure this port is open on the ThinkAutomation Server firewall. You will also need to add any network IP ranges to the Whitelist in the ThinkAutomation Server Settings.

Configuring Self Hosted API Gateway Server

The ThinkAutomation API Gateway Server allows inbound public HTTPS API requests and any public Web Form or Web Chat form responses to be sent to your local ThinkAutomation server. The gateway acts as a secure tunnel between public web requests and your ThinkAutomation Server. The Gateway listens for web requests (HTTPS port 443) and forwards valid requests to your ThinkAutomation Server. Your ThinkAutomation server makes an outbound connection to the Gateway using a secure websocket connection on port 80. You local ThinkAutomation server does not need to be public facing.

By default, ThinkAutomation connects to 'api.thinkautomation.com', which is a shared API Gateway Server hosted by Parker Software. This works out-of-the-box and requires no setup but provides a restricted number of messages per day (5000 for the Professional edition, 1000 for Standard, 500 for Starter and 250 for Community).

With the ThinkAutomation Professional Edition, you can also host your own instance of the ThinkAutomation API Gateway Server which has no messages per day restrictions and has its own DNS name and SSL certificate. For this you will need a separate Windows Server with a public IP address (or a virtual machine hosted in Microsoft Azure or any other cloud based provider) with its own DNS name and trusted SSL certificate.

Configuration Steps

Important: Firstly, ensure you have the latest ThinkAutomation Server installed. You should not use an old ThinkAutomation Server with the latest Gateway.

  1. Register a DNS name (eg: api.mycompany.com). Add a DNS 'a' record to point this DNS name to the public IP address of your ThinkAutomation Gateway computer.
  2. Obtain an SSL certificate with a common name matching the DNS name. Import this certificate into the Windows Certificate store, or save it as a PFX file.
  3. Download and install the ThinkAutomationGateway.exe setup (Parker Software can provide the download link). No other software is required for the Gateway to work (IIS should not be enabled). Ports 443 and 80 need to be open on any firewalls used or connected to this computer. Once the Gateway is installed, run the ThinkAutomation Gateway Configuration application to setup the gateway.
  4. In the HTTP External Address entry, enter the public DNS name (for example: api.mycompany.com). Click the Select Cert button to select the SSL certificate that is registered to the public DNS name. This can be a certificate selected from the certificate store, or you can select a path to a PFX file.
  5. Click Save to save the settings.
  6. Click the Install button to install the Gateway Service, then click Start to start it. If the service was already installed, you need to stop and restart the service after any changes are made.
  7. Now, go to your ThinkAutomation Server computer and start the Studio. Select File - Server Settings - Web API tab.
  8. Enable the Use Own API Gateway Server option.
  9. Change the Public Address and the Gateway Server Host to the public DNS name.
  10. Change the Gateway Server Host entry to the local IP address or host name of the computer running the Gateway Server.
  11. The Gateway Server Instances Port must match the Instances Connect On Port entry in the Gateway Configuration - ThinkAutomation Instance Connections tab. This defaults to port 80, but can be changed to any available port (ensure this is open on the Gateway computer firewall).
  12. Save the server settings.
  13. Your ThinkAutomation Server should now connect to the new Gateway (it may take a minute or so for your ThinkAutomation Server to reconnect to the new gateway - this can be speeded up by simply restarting your ThinkAutomation Server). You can verify this by checking the ThinkAutomation Server log. All your public ThinkAutomation Message Source API and webform URL's will now point to the new DNS name.
  14. Verify the new endpoints work by making a public API request, or by viewing a webform via it's public address.

Multiple ThinkAutomation Server's can use the same Gateway Server. You can lock down which ThinkAutomation Server's can connect to your gateway by enabling the Instance Connections Must Be In Whitelist option, and then specifying your ThinkAutomation Server's public address in the whitelist.

Viewing The Gateway Status Page

You can view the gateway status page using a browser at https:{gatewaydns}/index.htm (eg: https://api.mycompany.com/index.htm). This page will only be accessible on localhost, or via any IP address in the Gateway Whitelist. If you add IP's to the Gateway Whitelist you will need to restart the Gateway Service for the change to take effect.

Configuring Distributed Setup

The Professional Edition of ThinkAutomation allows the ThinkAutomation main service, Message Reader service and Message Processor service to be configured to run on separate computers. You can also run multiple instances of the Message Processor service on separate computers in a load-balanced configuration (additional license required).

Preparation

You first need to decide on the computer that will run the ThinkAutomation Main Service. Only one computer can run the ThinkAutomation Main Service.

Choose the computers that will run the ThinkAutomation Message Reader Service and the ThinkAutomation Message Processor Service. You can choose to run one or both of these on the same computer as the Main Service or separately.

Configuring The Main Service Computer

Run the ThinkAutomation.exe setup to install ThinkAutomation on the main computer. After the setup is complete the ThinkAutomation Node Configuration application will start.

Select the Distributed Services option and then select the services to run on this computer. The Main Service option must be selected on the main computer.

You should then run the ThinkAutomation Studio to complete the setup of the ThinkAutomation main service. This includes registering your product and completing the Message Store database configuration.

Configuring Node Computers

On a separate computer, run the ThinkAutomation.exe setup again to install ThinkAutomation. After setup is complete the ThinkAutomation Node Configuration application will start.

Select the Distributed Services option and the un-select the Main Service option and select either (or both) the Message Reader Service or Message Processor Service.

You must then enter the IP address of the Main Service computer. Click the Verify button to verify that the computer can connect to the ThinkAutomation main service.

Important

The Message Reader and Message Processor services use ports 9110 and 9899 to communicate with the ThinkAutomation Server. Ensure these ports are open on any firewall on the ThinkAutomation Server computer. Ensure any remote computer IP addresses are added to the ThinkAutomation Server Settings Whitelist.

Configuring A Failover Server

The ThinkAutomation Professional Edition can be configured to act as a failover server for another ThinkAutomation instance. If the main ThinkAutomation Server goes offline, the failover server takes over message processing until the main server is back online.

Preparation

  • Your main ThinkAutomation server should be installed, configured and running.
  • You must use SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL or MongoDB as your Message Store database.
  • The database must be available to the computer that will run the failover instance of ThinkAutomation. The database server would normally be on a separate computer to the ThinkAutomation main server.
  • The Backup Solution Settings In Message Store option must be enabled in the main ThinkAutomation server settings.
  • On the main ThinkAutomation server ensure the failover server IP address is in the Whitelist (Server Settings - Clients - Whitelist IP Addresses).
  • On the main ThinkAutomation server ensure port 9899 is open for inbound connections (from the failover server) on any firewalls.

Setting Up

On a separate computer, run the ThinkAutomation.exe setup again to install ThinkAutomation. After setup is complete the ThinkAutomation Node Configuration application will start.

Select the Failover Server option and click Next. You will then need to register this instance. Enter your registration details and serial number and click Next. You cannot use the same serial number that has been used to register the main ThinkAutomation instance.

You must then enter the computer name or IP address of the main ThinkAutomation computer. Click the Verify button to verify that the computer can connect to the ThinkAutomation main service.

Enable the Automatic Failover option if you want this instance to automatically monitor the main ThinkAutomation Instance.

How It Works

The failover ThinkAutomation server connects to the main ThinkAutomation server every few seconds to verify that it is running. If the main server cannot be reached (after a couple of retries) the failover server restores all current Solution and global settings from the Message Store database backup and starts processing. Once the main server comes back online it stops processing and reverts to its waiting state.

During failover you can use the Studio to connect to the failover server to view processing status and to view the Message Store - however you cannot make changes to any settings.

Manual Failover

If the Automatic Failover option is not enabled then the failover instance of ThinkAutomation will not start processing if the main server cannot be contacted. You must enable the failover server manually. To do this, start the ThinkAutomation Studio on the failover server. After logging in you will be asked if you want to enable the failover. The failover server will still stop processing if the main server comes online even if Automatic Failover is disabled.

Note: If you use any Counter or Embedded Data actions in your Automations then you must configure a shared location for the embedded database files. This is done using the EmbeddedStorePath registry key. This should be set to a path that is accessible by both the main ThinkAutomation Server and the Failover Server.

Parker Software can assist you in setting up a fault-tolerant, load-balanced ThinkAutomation implementation with failover. Please contact our Professional Services team for more information.

Installing The ThinkAutomation Studio On Remote Computers

You can install and use the ThinkAutomation Studio on any remote computer that can access the ThinkAutomation Server.

Run the ThinkAutomation.exe setup on the remote computer.

When the ThinkAutomation Node Configuration starts after installation, select Studio Only.

Start the ThinkAutomation Studio and set the ThinkAutomation Server to the IP Address or computer name of the ThinkAutomation Server computer.

The number of Studio & Client users that can be connected to the ThinkAutomation Server at any one time depends on the edition. Standard Edition supports 2 active Studio users, Professional Edition supports up to 10.

Important

If you will be connecting to the ThinkAutomation Server from an external host (for example, if your ThinkAutomation Server is hosted on a cloud virtual machine) you will need to add the remote IP address to the ThinkAutomation Server Whitelist. This needs to be done on the ThinkAutomation Server computer. Use the Studio on the server computer - Server Settings - Clients - Whitelist IP Addresses. Add the External IP addresses for any ThinkAutomation Studio or Client users.

You may also need to configure any firewalls on the ThinkAutomation Server computer to accept inbound requests on port 9110 and 9899.

Changing The User Context

By default the ThinkAutomation Message Processor service runs under the local SYSTEM account. By default this account will not have access to any network resources (Printers, Network Drives, Remote paths etc).

Therefore, if you want an Automation to update files, save attachments or access any network resource you need to do one of the following:

  1. Use the Login As User Automation action within your Automation flow. This temporarily elevates automation execution using the user login specified. Any actions following this will execute as that user. When the automation completes, the user context reverts to the default.

  2. Run the ThinkAutomation Message Processor service under a different user.

Changing The Default User For The Message Processor

To configure the default user for the ThinkAutomation Message Processor, first stop the ThinkAutomation Services (click the Windows Start button and search for 'services' - select the Services app). Scroll down to ThinkAutomation Message Processor. Select and right-click and click Stop.

Right-click the ThinkAutomation Message Processor service and select Properties. Click the Log On tab. Un-select the Local System Account option and select This account. Select a local user account that has access to the network resources that you want ThinkAutomation to be able to access. Enter the password and confirm it.

Click OK.

Restart the ThinkAutomation Message Processor service. It should now be able to access network resources during Automation execution.

TACopy Command Line Utility

The TACopy.exe utility is a command line application that can be used to send messages to ThinkAutomation for processing. It can be run from the command prompt or executed from other applications (such as Windows Task Scheduler, PowerShell, Batch Files or Macro Playback software etc). TACopy can be run on any network computer that can access the ThinkAutomation Server.

TACopy can send plain text messages, files, emails and Outlook messages. Multiple files can be sent in a single operation - with each file being sent to ThinkAutomation as a separate message.

Usage

tacopy {command} [parameter] [/m messagesourceid] [/a automationid] [/w]
                             [/s "subject text"] [/f fromaddress] [/t toaddress] [/b "body text"]
                             [/i serverNameOrIP[:port]]

The /i switch is used to specify the IP address or computer name of the computer running the ThinkAutomation Server. If this is not specified then localhost is assumed.

Commands

Command Details
status Displays the ThinkAutomation Server status.
list Displays a list of Message Sources & Automations along with their ID's.
send Sends messages to ThinkAutomation for processing.

The Send command can be used to send a plain text message - by specifying the body text as part of the command line, or it can read and send files. For plain text or HTML files the content of the file is used as the body of the message. For email files (.eml) and Microsoft Outlook messages (.msg) the complete email is sent including attachments. For any other type of file will be sent as an attachment to a plain text email.

The /m switch must be specified followed by a valid Message Source Id. The message will then be processed by the default Automation assigned to the Message Source. You can optionally also specify an Automation Id (/a) if you want to execute a specific Automation (within the same Solution). You can find the Message Source/Automation Id's using the list command, or they can be viewed in the ThinkAutomation Studio.

For send commands you can optionally include the /w switch. If the /w switch is included then TACopy will wait for the Automation to complete before showing the Return Value.

Examples:

tacopy SEND C:\Files\document.pdf /m 60e2f87a13d7e5074c1e05a8 /t sales@mydomain.com /i 192.168.1.1 /w

Will create a plain text message with document.pdf added as an attachment and a To Address of 'sales@mycomain.com' and send it to ThinkAutomation for processing and display the Automation return value. If no /s subject switch is supplied then the message subject will be set to the filename.

tacopy SEND /s "Subject Text" /f someone@mydomain.com /t sales@mydomain.com /b "Plain text body" /m 60e2f87a13d7e5074c1e05a8

Send a plain text message with the Subject, From Address, To Address and Body specified.

tacopy SEND C:\Emails\*.msg /m 60e2f87a13d7e5074c1e05a8

Sends all Outlook Messages (*.msg) in the folder C:\Emails to ThinkAutomation. The messages will be the full email messages including attachments.

tacopy SEND C:\Files\Body.txt /s "Subject Text" /f someone@mydomain.com /t sales@mydomain.com /m 60e2f87a13d7e5074c1e05a8

Send a plain text message using the contents of C:\Files\Body.txt as the body content.

Using TACopy On Other Computers

TACopy.exe is installed with the main ThinkAutomation Setup and the ThinkAutomation Desktop Connector setup. You can copy it to other computers if you need to send messages via the command line from networked computers.

TACopy does not require installation if you want to use it on its own.

Copy the following files from the ThinkAutomation Program Files folder:

  • TACopy.exe
  • GemBox.Email.Dll
  • Newtonsoft.Json.Dll

Copy these files into a folder of your choice. TACopy can then be executed from there. You should add the folder to the Windows Path environment variable if you want to execute TACopy from any other folder on your system.

TACopy communicates with the ThinkAutomation Server using https on port 9898.

You need to ensure that any remote IP's are added to the ThinkAutomation Whitelist in the ThinkAutomation Server Settings and ensure that port 9898 is open on the ThinkAutomation Server firewall.

Backing Up Your Settings

MetaData

All of your Solutions, Message Sources and Automations (referred to collectively as 'metadata') are stored in an encrypted document store database called 'MetaData.db' located in the settings folder:

\ProgramData\Parker Software\ThinkAutomation.NET\

You can open this folder using the ThinkAutomation Studio - File Tab - Open button next to the Data Path setting.

You can make a copy of the MetaData.db file at any time to backup your settings.

Important: The metadata file is encrypted using your ThinkAutomation system administrator user password. If you re-install ThinkAutomation on a new computer and copy an existing MetaData.db file to the settings folder - you will need to use the same password when setting up the System Administrator user - otherwise the metadata file will be inaccessible.

Server Settings

Server settings are stored in a json file called ServerSettings.json located in the settings folder. You can make a copy of this file at any time.

Library

All Custom Action settings and Automations saved to the library are stored in a document store database called Library.db also located in the settings folder.

You can make a copy of this file at any time.

Counters

If you use the Update Counter action, then any counter values are stored in a database file called counters.db also located in the settings folder.

You will need to stop the ThinkAutomation Service before making a copy of this file.

Embedded Databases

If you are using the Embedded Data Store or Embedded Files Store actions the database files will be stored in a sub-folder of settings folder called EmbeddedStore.

You can make a copy of these files at any time, however you should ensure that no Automations are executing that would update any embedded databases during the copy (or stop the ThinkAutomation service to be sure).

Backing Up The Message Store Database

How you backup your Message Store Database will depend on the Message Store Database Type (SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB or SQLite).

If you are using the built-in SQLite database then the database file will be located in the settings folder (with a default name of ThinkAutomationMessageStore.sqlite). You can make a copy of this file when the ThinkAutomation Service is not running (copying the file when the ThinkAutomation Service is running may result in a corrupted copy).

For other database types you need to follow the database backup instructions depending on the database being used. For example, for SQL Server see: Create a Full Database Backup - SQL Server | Microsoft Docs

Examples

See: Example Automations

Community Edition

The ThinkAutomation Community Edition is available free of charge for individuals, small businesses and non-commercial use. With support for up to 10 Message Sources and 250 processed messages per day, the Community Edition lets you build and test real automations in your own environment, with no time limits. When you’re ready to scale up, upgrading to a full license is quick and seamless - all your workflows, settings, and data stay intact.

The Community Edition includes forum/community support only.

A "small business" is defined for the purposes of the Community Edition license as any organization with annual gross revenue of less than five million U.S. dollars (USD $5,000,000) or equivalent in local currency. The Community Edition may not be used for commercial purposes by any organization exceeding this revenue threshold, nor may it be redistributed or incorporated into commercial offerings. By requesting or using a Community Edition serial number, you agree to these terms and certify that your use qualifies under this definition. Parker Software reserves the right to revoke or restrict use of the Community Edition if these terms are violated.