> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.abbyy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Use Skill activity

> Use Skill activity creates an ABBYY Vantage transaction from input files and returns a Transaction Id for downstream UiPath connector activities.

**Use Skill** is typically the first Vantage activity in a UiPath workflow. It submits a document to a Vantage skill and hands back a **Transaction Id**. Processing happens asynchronously inside Vantage. You pass the **Transaction Id** to the **Get Results** activity to fetch the results once processing finishes.

## Activity properties

| Group               | Property                            | Type                                    | Description                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Connection Settings | Skill Name                          | `String`                                | The name of the Vantage skill.                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Input               | Input Files                         | `IReadOnlyDictionary<String,InputFile>` | A Dictionary collection, where `String` is the file name and `InputFile` is the class describing the input file. Each `String` key must be unique, so you cannot add two files with the same name.        |
| Input               | Transaction Registration Parameters | `IReadOnlyDictionary<String,String>`    | A Dictionary collection of transaction registration parameters to pass the key and value of each parameter.                                                                                               |
| Output              | Transaction Id                      | `Guid`                                  | The identifier of the created transaction. This ID is then used as the **Transaction Id** input property of the **Get Results** activity to get the status of the transaction and the processing results. |

### InputFile

| Name                                    | Type                                 | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| fileStream                              | `Stream`                             | The contents of the file that will be passed to ABBYY Vantage. You can pass the stream of the file on a local disk as a value of this property (e.g. `System.IO.File.OpenRead("D:\images\Invoice1.pdf")`). |
| index *(optional)*                      | `Integer`                            | The index number of the file in the transaction.                                                                                                                                                           |
| fileRegistrationParameters *(optional)* | `IReadOnlyDictionary<String,String>` | A Dictionary collection of file registration parameters to pass the key and value of each parameter.                                                                                                       |

## Select a skill

<Warning>
  The **Use Skill** activity can only be used inside a configured **Vantage Scope** activity.
</Warning>

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/abbyy/Km9nwnkPeY8_wARd/images/vantage/developer/connectors/uipath/scope-activity-ui.jpg?fit=max&auto=format&n=Km9nwnkPeY8_wARd&q=85&s=2b7e647f2d8fa3cee76da860567c344b" alt="Vantage Scope activity with Vantage connection settings and a nested Use Skill activity showing the Skill Name drop-down and its reload button" style={{ width: "55%" }} width="756" height="1228" data-path="images/vantage/developer/connectors/uipath/scope-activity-ui.jpg" />
</Frame>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Set the credentials">
    On the **Vantage Scope** activity, set the **Password** or **Client Secret** property, depending on your authentication flow. This lets the connector retrieve the skill list. Once the workflow is configured, switch to the **Secure Password** or **Secure Client Secret** property. For more information, see [Vantage Scope activity](/vantage/connectors/uipath/activities/vantage-scope).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Load the list of skills">
    Click the button to the right of the drop-down list under **Skill Name**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the skill">
    Expand the **Skill Name** drop-down list and select the skill to use for document processing.
  </Step>
</Steps>

The **Skill Name** parameter accepts a UiPath `String` variable. Selecting a skill from the drop-down writes the new value to the variable. Expressions and references to other variables are not supported.

<Tip>
  Reduce the file size of large files to 30 MB or less to speed up document processing.
</Tip>

## Related topics

* [Vantage Scope activity](/vantage/connectors/uipath/activities/vantage-scope)
* [Get Results activity](/vantage/connectors/uipath/activities/get-results)
* [Map Fields activity](/vantage/connectors/uipath/activities/map-fields)