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ActionConfig Overview

Introduction​

ActionConfig is the new foundation for configuring automation actions in Brobot. It replaces the monolithic ActionOptions class with a more modular, type-safe hierarchy of configuration classes.

Why ActionConfig?​

The previous ActionOptions class had several limitations:

  • One size fits all: A single class tried to handle configuration for all action types
  • Type safety: No compile-time checking for action-specific options
  • Complexity: Many fields were only relevant to specific actions
  • Maintenance: Adding new actions required modifying the central ActionOptions class

ActionConfig solves these problems by:

  • Modularity: Each action has its own configuration class
  • Type safety: The compiler ensures you're using the right options for each action
  • Clarity: Each configuration class only contains relevant fields
  • Extensibility: New actions can be added without modifying existing code

The ActionConfig Hierarchy​

ActionConfig (abstract base)
├── BaseFindOptions (abstract)
│   ├── PatternFindOptions
│   ├── HistogramFindOptions
│   ├── MotionFindOptions
│   ├── ColorFindOptions
│   ├── TextFindOptions
│   └── VanishOptions
├── ClickOptions
├── TypeOptions
├── MouseMoveOptions
├── MouseDownOptions
├── MouseUpOptions
├── MousePressOptions
├── ScrollOptions
├── DefineRegionOptions
├── HighlightOptions
├── DragOptions
├── KeyDownOptions
├── KeyUpOptions
├── TimeOptions
└── PlaybackOptions

See ActionConfig Reference for detailed documentation of each class.

Key Concepts​

1. Builder Pattern​

All ActionConfig classes use the builder pattern for construction:

import io.github.jspinak.brobot.action.basic.click.ClickOptions;

ClickOptions click = new ClickOptions.Builder()
    .setNumberOfClicks(2)
    .setPauseBeforeBegin(0.5)
    .build();

2. Fluent Chaining​

Actions can be chained together using the then() method:

import io.github.jspinak.brobot.action.basic.find.PatternFindOptions;
import io.github.jspinak.brobot.action.basic.click.ClickOptions;

BaseFindOptions findAndClick = new PatternFindOptions.Builder()
    .setSimilarity(0.9)
    .then(new ClickOptions.Builder()
        .setNumberOfClicks(1)
        .build())
    .build();

See Action Chaining for advanced chaining patterns.

3. Composition Over Inheritance​

Shared configurations like MousePressOptions are composed rather than inherited:

import io.github.jspinak.brobot.action.basic.click.ClickOptions;
import io.github.jspinak.brobot.action.basic.mouse.MousePressOptions;
import io.github.jspinak.brobot.manageStates.mouse.MouseButton;

ClickOptions rightClick = new ClickOptions.Builder()
    .setNumberOfClicks(1)
    .setPressOptions(MousePressOptions.builder()
        .setButton(MouseButton.RIGHT)
        .build())
    .build();

Common Base Properties​

All ActionConfig classes inherit these properties from the base class:

  • pauseBeforeBegin - Delay before starting the action
  • pauseAfterEnd - Delay after completing the action
  • illustrate - Whether to create visual feedback for debugging
  • successCriteria - Custom success validation logic
  • subsequentActions - Chained actions to execute after this action

See ActionConfig Base Class for complete property documentation.

Getting Started​

To start using ActionConfig:

As of Brobot 1.1.0, the simplest way to perform common actions is through convenience methods:

import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
import io.github.jspinak.brobot.action.Action;
import io.github.jspinak.brobot.datatypes.primitives.region.Region;
import org.sikuli.script.Pattern;
import org.sikuli.script.Location;

@Autowired
private Action action;

// Direct actions without ObjectCollection
action.click(region);
action.type("text");
action.find(pattern);
action.move(location);

These methods handle the ObjectCollection creation for you. See Convenience Methods for details.

Option 2: Traditional ActionConfig Approach​

For more complex operations or when you need fine control:

  1. Choose the appropriate Options class for your action
  2. Use the builder to configure it
  3. Pass it to the action.perform() method
  4. Process the ActionResult

Example:

import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
import io.github.jspinak.brobot.action.Action;
import io.github.jspinak.brobot.action.ActionResult;
import io.github.jspinak.brobot.action.basic.find.PatternFindOptions;
import io.github.jspinak.brobot.action.basic.click.ClickOptions;
import io.github.jspinak.brobot.datatypes.state.stateObject.stateImage.StateImage;

@Autowired
private Action action;

// Define the button image to find
StateImage buttonImage = new StateImage.Builder()
    .withPattern(new Pattern("button.png"))
    .build();

// Find and click the button with custom similarity
ActionResult result = action.perform(
    new PatternFindOptions.Builder()
        .setSimilarity(0.85)
        .then(new ClickOptions.Builder()
            .setNumberOfClicks(1)
            .build())
        .build(),
    buttonImage
);

if (result.isSuccess()) {
    System.out.println("Button clicked successfully!");
}

See ActionResult Components for details on processing results.

Next Steps​