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⚖️ Flow

Conditional Branching by Desktop UI Elements (Smart Desktop IF) in RunMacro

Applies to: RunMacro 3.x • Updated September 2026

Smart Desktop IF is a conditional branching command in RunMacro that evaluates whether desktop controls exist, match text, are enabled, or are checked.

Prerequisites#

Target desktop application is active on screen.
Workflow contains target Label anchors for branching.

Supported modes#

Desktop Mode — Probes UIA properties non-invasively without triggering mouse movement.

What it does#

The Smart Desktop IF command evaluates real-time UI element states via Microsoft UI Automation and branches macro execution accordingly. Supported conditions include: Element exists (element_exists), Element does not exist (element_not_exists), Text contains (text_contains), Text equals (text_equals), Is enabled (is_enabled), or Is checked (is_checked). When the condition evaluates to true, execution jumps to the designated Label or continues down the True block.

Screenshots & video#

RunMacro Smart Desktop IF command configuration dialog showing parameter fields — Configuration dialog and parameter fields for the Smart Desktop IF command in RunMacro.

When to use it#

Checking whether a confirmation popup or error dialog appeared so the macro can dismiss or confirm it.
Verifying whether a 'Submit' or 'Save' button is currently clickable (Enabled) or grayed out (Disabled) before issuing clicks.
Branching execution when an order status label reads 'Completed' versus 'Pending'.
Checking whether a 'Tax Invoiced' checkbox is checked to avoid duplicate invoice issuance.

When not to use it#

Evaluating web elements in browsers (use Smart HTML IF instead).
Pure variable comparisons unrelated to UI controls (use If Variable).

Configuration steps#

In RunMacro, open the Flow › Smart Desktop IF command.
Click 🎯 Pick Element and hover over the control to inspect.
Choose the Condition: Element exists, Element not exists, Text contains, Text equals, Is enabled, or Is checked.
If using a text condition, enter the target string in Condition Value (supports variables {var}).
Select destination labels in If Label and optionally Else Label.
Configure the Timeout (ms) probe duration (default 1500ms).
Click Save to insert the condition into the workflow.

Every option explained#

`🎯 Pick Element`#

Target picker overlay to capture UIA identifiers for conditional probing.

`Condition`#

Evaluation mode: element_exists, element_not_exists, text_contains, text_equals, is_enabled, is_checked.

`Condition Value`#

Comparison string when testing text_contains or text_equals conditions.

`If Label`#

Target workflow Label jumped to immediately when the condition evaluates to True.

`Else Label`#

Target Label jumped to if condition evaluates to False (leave empty to proceed to next command).

Expected result#

Execution flows immediately to the appropriate label based on live control state.

Real example#

Example: Auto-dismiss popup notice if present#

Add a Smart Desktop IF command.
Pick the 'Dismiss' button or header of the announcement popup.
Set condition to Element exists (element_exists) with 1000ms timeout.
Set If Label to lbl_close_popup, and Else Label to lbl_continue.
Under lbl_close_popup, place a Smart Click to dismiss the dialog.

Limitations and failure cases#

Apps elevated with Administrator rights require RunMacro to run elevated as well.

Tips & common mistakes#

For transient popup checks, set timeout between 1000–2000ms to allow sufficient time for window rendering.

Avoid excessively large timeouts (>10s) on elements that are rarely present to prevent pipeline delays.

Verification details#

commands/smart_desktop_if.py · verified 2026-09-30

← PreviousDelay Next →Smart Desktop Wait