| name | uipath-tasks |
| description | Generates UiPath Tasks workflows — Form Tasks (CreateFormTask, WaitForFormTaskAndResume, GetFormTasks) with form.io schemas and FormData bindings, External Tasks (CreateExternalTask, WaitForExternalTaskAndResume) for system-in-the-loop patterns, and Task Management (CompleteTask, AssignTasks) for programmatic task operations. Self-contained skill with generators, lint rules, and scaffold hooks loaded via uipath-core's plugin system (plugin_loader.py). Use when the user mentions Tasks, form tasks, external tasks, human-in-the-loop approval, task assignment, task completion, recovery workflows, or any Persistence.Activities usage.
|
UiPath Tasks Skill
Generate Tasks workflows for human-in-the-loop, system-in-the-loop, and task management patterns in UiPath.
Plugin architecture: This skill's extensions/ directory is auto-discovered by uipath-core's plugin_loader.py. Generators, lint rules, scaffold hooks, namespaces, and known activities are registered at import time — no manual wiring needed. Core's generate_workflow.py, validate_xaml, and scaffold_project.py query the plugin registries at runtime.
Plugin API contract (v2)
This skill is the canonical example for out-of-tree plugin authors. The contract:
REQUIRED_API_VERSION = 2 must be declared at the top of extensions/__init__.py. Plugins on v1 (or with no declaration) fail to load with a clear API version mismatch error and any partial registrations are rolled back.- Registration entry points added in v2:
register_version_profile(package, profile_version, profile_dict) and register_band_profile_mapping(band, package, profile_version) — used by lint 122 (version-band drift). Call register_band_profile_mapping once per (band, package) pair. Registering after the lint module is already imported automatically invalidates the lint caches, so the new entries take effect on the next lint pass without any reload.
- Atomic commit: every
register_* call made during a plugin's load (including from submodules imported from __init__.py) is captured in the registry snapshot. If __init__.py raises before completing, all registrations from that plugin are reverted. The registry is never observed in a partially-loaded state by other plugins or by core.
- Out of scope for rollback: non-registry side effects (file writes, env vars, threads spawned at import time, monkey-patches). Confine those to lazy paths invoked after a successful load.
- Test that load succeeded:
assert plugin_loader.get_load_failures() == [] after load_plugins(). A plugin that raised during load surfaces in that list with its filename and exception.
Worked example: see uipath-tasks/extensions/__init__.py:34 (the REQUIRED_API_VERSION = 2 declaration) and :310-312 (the Persistence/1.4 profile + band-25/26 mapping calls).
Extensions (Plugin System)
uipath-tasks/
├── SKILL.md
├── references/
│ ├── tasks.md ← Form Tasks + form.io + Action Types Comparison
│ ├── external-tasks.md ← External Tasks (system-in-the-loop)
│ └── task-management.md ← GetFormTasks, CompleteTask, AssignTasks
└── extensions/
├── __init__.py ← Registers all AC components with plugin_loader
├── generators.py ← 7 generators (form, external, task management)
├── lint_rules.py ← AC-10, AC-11, AC-12, AC-26
├── scaffold_hooks.py ← enable_persistence_support
└── battle_test_grading.py ← 8 battle test scenario graders
What gets registered:
- 7 generators:
create_form_task, wait_for_form_task, create_external_task, wait_for_external_task, get_form_tasks, complete_task, assign_tasks
- 4 lint rules: AC-10 (Form Create/Wait mismatch), AC-11 (FormData key mismatch), AC-12 (External Create/Wait mismatch), AC-26 (persistence in sub-workflow)
- 1 scaffold hook: auto-enables
supportsPersistence when Persistence.Activities is in deps
- 3 namespaces:
upaf (FormTask), upae (ExternalTask), upat (Tasks)
- 7 known activities:
CreateFormTask, WaitForFormTaskAndResume, CreateExternalTask, WaitForExternalTaskAndResume, GetFormTasks, CompleteTask, AssignTasks
When To Read Which Reference
| Task | Read |
|---|
| Create a form task workflow | references/tasks.md → Create Form Task + FormData Bindings |
| Design a form.io form schema | references/tasks.md → Form.io Component Reference |
| Wait for human approval / resume | references/tasks.md → Wait for Form Task and Resume |
| Any PDD with "for each X" / "multiple X" / "batch of X" / N rows (default for N-item approvals, not advanced) | references/tasks.md → Shadow Task Pattern |
| Compare action types (Form vs External) | references/tasks.md → Action Types Comparison |
| Create an external task (system-in-the-loop) | references/external-tasks.md → Create External Task |
| Wait for external system resolution | references/external-tasks.md → Wait for External Task and Resume |
| Retrieve existing tasks (recovery workflow) | references/task-management.md → Get Form Tasks |
| Complete a task programmatically | references/task-management.md → Complete Task |
| Assign a task to a user/group | references/task-management.md → Assign Tasks |
| Escalation / reassignment patterns | references/task-management.md → Escalation Pattern |
| Task lifecycle states | references/task-management.md → Task Lifecycle States |
| Persistence constraints | references/tasks.md → Prerequisites (Main.xaml constraint) |
| Lint issues on AC workflows | references/tasks.md → Validation & Lint Rules + external-tasks.md → Validation |
| Scaffold a project with persistence | Scaffold hook in extensions/scaffold_hooks.py — auto-runs via core's scaffold_project.py |
| Validate AC workflow XAML | Lint rules in extensions/lint_rules.py — auto-run via core's validate_xaml --lint |
| Resolve NuGet versions | Use uipath-core's resolve_nuget.py for UiPath.Persistence.Activities + UiPath.FormActivityLibrary |
Ground Rules
- AC-1: Always use generators. Never write Tasks XAML by hand. Use generators via JSON specs or Python API (auto-loaded from
extensions/generators.py).
- AC-2: Persistence activities MUST stay in Main.xaml.
WaitForFormTaskAndResume, WaitForExternalTaskAndResume, and all Wait*AndResume activities are persistence points — they serialize workflow state to Orchestrator. They ONLY work in the entry-point file. AC-26 enforces this.
- AC-3: Both NuGet packages are required for Form Tasks.
UiPath.Persistence.Activities (runtime) AND UiPath.FormActivityLibrary (form designer UI). External Tasks and Task Management only need UiPath.Persistence.Activities.
- AC-4:
supportsPersistence: true must be in project.json runtimeOptions when using Wait*AndResume activities. Scaffold sets this automatically.
- AC-5: FormData keys must match form.io component keys. (Form Tasks only.) AC-11 validates key presence.
- AC-6: Always include a submit button as the last form.io component. (Form Tasks only.)
- AC-7: Wrap Create*Task in RetryScope. Orchestrator API calls can transiently fail.
- AC-8: External tasks have NO form. Don't use FormLayout/FormData on CreateExternalTask — use TaskData dict.
- AC-9: Task Management activities are NOT persistence points. GetFormTasks, CompleteTask, AssignTasks can be used in sub-workflows.
- AC-Shadow: Shadow Task Pattern is the default shape for N-item approvals. When the PDD / workflow processes N items from a collection (DataTable rows, list, etc.) and each needs a human task, emit one
ui:ForEachRow / ui:ForEach that only calls CreateFormTask and appends the returned FormTaskData to a List(Of FormTaskData), followed by a second ui:ForEach (at the root-Sequence level) that runs WaitForFormTaskAndResume + decision handling per task. The List(FormTaskData) variable MUST be initialized — set Default="[New System.Collections.Generic.List(Of UiPath.Persistence.Activities.FormTask.FormTaskData)()]" on the variable declaration (or pass "default": "[...]" in the JSON spec). A null List throws Value cannot be null. (Parameter 'TargetObject') on the first InvokeMethod.Add. Never emit inline Create → Wait per item, and never unroll the loop into hardcoded If Rows.Count >= N / Rows(0..N-1) blocks. The inline form ties up the robot for the sum of all wait times instead of the max; the unrolled form additionally bypasses AC-27. See references/form-tasks.md → Shadow Task Pattern (default for N-item batches). Loop-nested case enforced by AC-27; unrolled case enforced by AC-34.
Capabilities
- CreateFormTask — Form task with form.io schema, FormData bindings (In/Out/InOut), storage bucket, task catalog, priority levels
- WaitForFormTaskAndResume — Long-running persistence, task action capture, updated FormTaskData output
- Form.io schema design — textfield, textarea, number, select, checkbox, datagrid (DataTable binding), htmlelement (Mustache templates), columns, button
- FormData direction bindings — In (read-only), Out (user-entered), InOut (editable pre-populated, DataTable ↔ datagrid)
- Shadow task pattern — Non-blocking multi-task orchestration
- CreateExternalTask — System-in-the-loop task for external systems (JIRA, Salesforce, ServiceNow)
- WaitForExternalTaskAndResume — Suspend until external system completes task via API
- GetFormTasks — Retrieve existing tasks from Orchestrator (recovery workflows, cross-process)
- CompleteTask — Programmatic task completion (escalation, timeout, batch operations)
- AssignTasks — Assign tasks to user or group (SingleUser, AllUsersInGroup)
- Validation — AC-10, AC-11, AC-12, AC-26
Reference Files
| File | Coverage |
|---|
references/tasks.md | Form Tasks — prerequisites, CreateFormTask, FormData, form.io, WaitForFormTask, patterns, lint, Config keys |
references/external-tasks.md | External Tasks — CreateExternalTask, WaitForExternalTask, TaskData dict, external system completion |
references/task-management.md | Task Management — GetFormTasks, CompleteTask, AssignTasks, recovery pattern, escalation pattern, lifecycle |
Quick Generator Reference
| Generator | Activity | Prefix | Key Args |
|---|
gen_create_form_task() | CreateFormTask | upaf: | task_title_expr, task_output_variable, form_layout_json, form_data= |
gen_wait_for_form_task() | WaitForFormTaskAndResume | upaf: | task_input_variable |
gen_create_external_task() | CreateExternalTask | upae: | task_title_expr, task_output_variable, task_data= |
gen_wait_for_external_task() | WaitForExternalTaskAndResume | upae: | task_input_variable |
gen_get_form_tasks() | GetFormTasks | upaf: | output_variable, filter_expr= |
gen_complete_task() | CompleteTask | upat: | task_id_expr, action_expr= |
gen_assign_tasks() | AssignTasks | upat: | task_id_expr, user_name_or_email= |
JSON spec "gen" values: create_form_task, wait_for_form_task, create_external_task, wait_for_external_task, get_form_tasks, complete_task, assign_tasks
Common Hallucinations
| Wrong | Right | Impact |
|---|
TaskObject= | TaskOutput= (Create) / TaskInput= (Wait) | Studio crash — property doesn't exist |
EnableDynamicForms="False" | EnableDynamicForms="True" | Form designer button does nothing |
| Persistence activity in sub-workflow | Move to Main.xaml | Runtime error — bookmark context unavailable |
Missing UiPath.FormActivityLibrary | Add explicitly alongside Persistence.Activities | "Install FormActivityLibrary" error in Studio |
"supportsPersistence": false | Set to true in project.json runtimeOptions | WaitFor*AndResume fails at runtime |
FormLayout= on CreateExternalTask | Use TaskData dict instead | Property doesn't exist on external tasks |
FormData on CreateExternalTask | Use TaskData dict instead | Property doesn't exist on external tasks |
