Explore development tools and techniques
The Work.AI platform brings together concepts, guides, and techniques to begin your development journey.
Check system requirements
Mind the following OS requirements:
- Microsoft Windows 8+ 64-bit is needed for development.
- Windows 10 is recommended. Mind that WorkFusion does not ship macOS and Linux versions.
The installation of Work.AI and recommended tools into Windows OS working under a virtual machine is out of product scope but is acceptable in exceptional cases.
Your workstation should have sufficient computation power to run multiple tools and build Java projects fast enough. Refer to the detailed requirements for the Work.AI Developer installation prerequisites. The requirements for a Windows VDI or a dedicated laptop or desktop are as follows:
| Parameters/Role | Automation Engineer or RPA Developer | Machine Learning Engineer | Data Analyst | BI Engineer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 4 CPU | 4 CPU | 4 CPU | 4 CPU |
| RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Hard Drive | 100 GB | 500 GB | 100 GB | 100 GB |
Do not run unneeded applications when working on large projects or using the Work.AI Developer's Recorder tool.
Install tools for Work.AI development
To be a productive Automation Engineer, you should have multiple tools in addition to Work.AI Developer and IDEA IDE if that is your personal preference. These tools depend on the role you perform and are as follows:
- Basics
- Standard
- Role-specific
- Advanced
- Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
- Google Chrome: default browser to access Work.AI web apps.
- Notepad++ or Sublime Text Editor.
- S3 Browser or CyberDuck S3 Browser: client utility to connect to WorkFusion File Storage used to store binary files.
- JDK Development Kit 21: to verify availability from the command line, use the
java -versioncommand. - Apache Maven 3.9.x: to verify availability from the command line, use the
mvn -versioncommand. - Git or another version control (VC) client: to centrally store code and development artifacts with version control; depends on the version control system used in the company. Developer's Eclipse comes with Git and SVN plugins out of the box. IDEA also has all major VCs integrated. Thus, a standalone VC client is needed if the one built in IDE doesn't satisfy needs or is missed.
- 7-Zip or WinRar: archiving tools.
For Automation Engineer (or RPA Developer) and Machine Learning Engineer:
- Work.AI Developer: a specific version is provided based on the version of the Platform installed; includes Eclipse IDE.
- IntelliJ Idea Community Edition: for those who select IDEA as a personal preference.
- Apache Maven Client 3.9.x.
For Data Analyst:
The choice of advanced and optional tools for troubleshooting or debugging depends on your role.
For Automation Engineer (or RPA Developer) and Machine Learning Engineer:
Postman or cUrl: to speed up development and simplify the analysis of issues. Postman is required to run direct API calls to Work.AI components. Some projects can include API integrations.
WinSCP: to copy files to and from Linux machines of the Work.AI setup.
ImageMagick: a free and open-source software suite for displaying, converting, and editing raster and vector image files. Some automations can require programmatic manipulations with images before OCR.
GhostScript: an interpreter for the PostScript language and PDF. Some automations can require programmatic manipulations with PDF.
To access the Work.AI database:
- SQL Management Studio.
- DBeaver with SQL Server driver as an alternative.
For details on connecting to local MSSQL, refer to Connect to local MSSQL.
For Data Analyst:
- Rons CSV Editor: for large CSV files.
For BI Engineer:
To access the Work.AI database:
- SQL Management Studio.
- DBeaver with SQL Server driver as an alternative.
For details on connecting to local MSSQL, refer to Connect to local MSSQL.
Get access to server environment
You should have a set of credentials to access the server environment:
- Web URLs and user credentials for the following web applications:
- Control Tower and Workspace
- File Storage or S3 Manager
- Mesos and Marathon (for MLE)
- Repository/API URL and credentials for:
- AutoML REST API
- OCR REST API
- Platform Nexus Repository
- Maven Central Repository (should be open)
To perform troubleshooting and reconfiguration, you shoul have access to:
- Linux servers via SSH
- RPA VDI or Windows Servers
Install Work.AI Developer
Install Work.AI Developer as a local (single desktop or laptop) development environment for the Automation Engineer persona who contributes to automation via Work.AI. Developer is recommended for usage as a development tool for the Low-Code Developer and Automation Engineer personas.
Get started in IDE of your choice
Choose the development environment to start an automation project:
- Eclipse IDE as a part of Work.AI Developer
- IDEA IDE
Use best development standard for delivering Bot Configs
Enjoy effective AI Agent automation and code reuse with the help of Open Development Framework 2 (ODF 2).
Enrich your developer experience with Work.AI components
Learn how to make the most of the following components in your automation projects:
Get certified with WorkFusion
To become a trained professional, select a WorkFusion Automation Academy course that suits your needs best:
- Automation Engineer certification for Automation Engineers who play a crucial role in ensuring the successful delivery of an automation project.
- Low-Code Developer certification for less technical users, Low-Code Developers, who want to get hands-on with automation projects.