Open App

Makes sure the window this flow needs is on screen — launching the program only if it is not already there.

Only in Desktop Mode; in the emulator workspace, starting apps is the Dashboard's job and this node is not offered.

Requirements

A desktop flow. The node's own Execution Context describes which window counts as "there" — the same description every other node uses, so there is no second place for the two to disagree.

How this node runs

1. Check first. If a window matching the node's Execution Context already exists, route Success immediately — nothing is launched.
2. Otherwise start Executable with Arguments.
3. Wait — up to Timeout — for the described window to appear, then route Success.

Two details of that order matter more than they look:

• Checking first is not an optimisation. Without it, the second run of the flow would open a second copy of the application, and a window description that matched exactly one window on run one would be ambiguous by run two — failing every later node for a reason that looks nothing like its cause.
• The wait is for the window, not the process. Chrome, Explorer and the Office apps all start by handing off to an already-running instance and exiting — a node that watched the process it spawned would report failure while the requested window was opening in front of you.

Settings

Setting	Type	Range	Default	What it does
Executable	string	1–500 chars	—	Required. The program to start — a full path, or a name on PATH
Arguments	list of strings	≤ 32 entries	—	Command-line arguments, one per entry
Timeout	integer	1000–300000 ms	—	How long to wait for the window. Generous is free: the node returns the moment the window appears
Wait after	integer	0–60000 ms	—	Pause after the window is found — most apps need a beat before their UI is ready

Ports

Port	Taken when	Required
Success	The described window is on screen — found or freshly launched	Yes
Failure	The program could not be started, or the window never appeared (APP_LAUNCH_FAILED)	No
Cancelled	The run was stopped while waiting	No — never followed
Fatal	Invalid configuration	No — never followed

Basic example

Make sure Notepad is up before typing into it:

• Executable: notepad.exe
• Execution Context: Specific window, process notepad.exe

Every later node that names the same window can now assume it exists.

Common mistakes

Mistake	What happens	Fix
A window description that stays empty	Matches nothing — the node launches a fresh copy every run	Describe the window: a process name is usually enough
Describing the window by its exact title	Breaks the moment the app changes its title (a browser changes it per tab)	Match on process name or executable; use a title fragment only when one process owns several windows
Acting immediately after Success	The window exists but its UI is still loading	Set Wait after, or better, verify the element you need
A path that only exists on your PC	APP_LAUNCH_FAILED on every other machine	Prefer names on PATH, or keep the path in a Flow Input

Related nodes

• Click · Input Text — what usually comes next
• Find Image — verify the app is ready, not merely open
• Sub Flow — put Open App at the top of a reusable "bring the app up" routine