Mouse automation acts as the "hands" of your automation. When standard UI elements are hidden or unresponsive, Octoparse AI can take physical control of the cursor to click, drag, and scroll just as you would. This guide will help you understand the "grid logic" of your screen and how to ensure your RPA bot always hits the right target, even if windows move or screen resolutions change.
Navigating the Screen Grid
Every screen is a giant grid of tiny dots called pixels. To move the mouse, Octoparse AI needs to know exactly where to go on this grid using Coordinates:
The Origin: The top-left corner of your screen is always
(0, 0).X-Axis: Moves the cursor to the right.
Y-Axis: Moves the cursor down.
Octoparse AI Feature Spotlight: Don’t waste time calculating numbers manually. Octoparse AI’s Coordinate Capture feature allows you to hover over any button and press Ctrl+Alt. The system will instantly record the coordinates, helping you build your workflow with pixel-perfect accuracy.
How to Fix the "Moving Target" Problem
The biggest challenge with mouse automation is that software windows aren't static. If you manually move a window, a command relying on "fixed" screen points will click on empty space.
To make your workflow more resilient, you can configure your commands using these two professional strategies:
Strategy A: Standardize the Stage
Before any clicking begins, add a Move/Resize Window command to your workflow. This forces the target application into a fixed position and size.
Why it works: It creates a controlled environment where the "Submit" button is always at the exact same pixel every time the Bot runs the task.
Strategy B: Use Window-Relative Coordinates
Instead of absolute screen points, you can set your Move Mouse action to be relative to the Window Origin.
Why it works: This creates a digital "anchor." If the window is dragged to a different spot on the screen, Octoparse AI’s "inner map" stays locked onto the app's corner, ensuring the action remains accurate.
Essential Mouse Actions
Once you’ve mastered positioning, you can drag various commands into your workflow to perform specific tasks:
Click mouse: Choose between a single click, a double-click for opening files, or a right-click to trigger context menus.
Move mouse: Glide the cursor smoothly to a point. This is often used to trigger "hover" effects before performing a click.
Scroll mouse: Use the mouse wheel to navigate long forms. This action is essential when the button you need is currently "below the fold."
Putting It Into Practice: Building Your First Flow
To build a reliable mouse-driven workflow, follow this sequence:
Map the Logic: Identify your target and capture its coordinates. Decide whether to fix the window (Strategy A) or use relative anchoring (Strategy B).
Configure Commands: Add the Move and Click actions. Always include a small "Wait" or a "Deterministic Pause" to give the UI time to respond.
Execute the workflow: Once your workflow is ready, just test-run and refine it.
Validate the Result: Watch the Octoparse AI perform the actions. If a click fails due to a laggy interface, retry or recapture within your workflow to increase resilience.
Summary: Accuracy and Resilience
By mastering screen coordinates and choosing the right anchoring strategy, you turn the mouse into a precision instrument. Whether you are automating a legacy accounting system or a complex web form, Octoparse AI gives you the features to build professional workflows that the Bot can execute with 100% reliability.