Recording Fundamentals

Recording in ACCELQ means building your automation logic by working with the live application. As you interact with the application, or choose commands for its elements, the corresponding statements take shape in the Logic Editor. Combined with Playback, which executes those statements back on the application as you go, this gives you a tight develop-and-verify loop: every step you add can be proven working before you move to the next.

This article covers the recording essentials: the recording modes that control what gets captured, the right-click menu you use to choose commands and Actions, how to complete your statements, how to insert steps into the middle of existing logic, and how elements are saved for you as you record.

Recorder-type specifics (browser behavior, mobile gestures, and so on) are in each recorder type's own articles.

Recording Modes

The recording mode determines what happens when you interact with the application: whether your steps are captured automatically, only on request, or not at all. Choosing the right mode for the moment is the main skill of working with the Recorder, and you will typically move between modes many times in a single session. Switch modes at any time from the recorder toolbar.

The Mobile Recorder supports OFF and Intent (its ON state), and the PDF Recorder supports OFF and Intent (Fluid is not available for PDF). Web and Electron support all three modes. The recorder always shows you which mode is active through a status message and a visual indicator; these are described in each recorder type's Getting Started article.

OFF: Interact Freely

With the recorder OFF, the application behaves normally, and clicks go to the application itself. Use OFF to reach the screen you want to record from, or any time you want to interact without adding statements. Turning the recorder OFF is also the safest way to avoid unwanted steps while reviewing existing logic.

Fluid: Record by Doing

In Fluid mode, you simply use your application. Click a button, type into a field, pick a dropdown value, and the matching statement appears in the Logic Editor, complete and ready. There is nothing to fill in afterward.

A few kinds of steps are never recorded automatically, by design: verifications, wait (synchronization) commands, mouse hovers, and certain keyboard operations. To add these, right-click the element and pick the command from the menu. The right-click menu is always available in Fluid mode; you do not need to switch to Intent.

Intent: Record by Choosing

In Intent mode, you decide exactly which steps get recorded:

1. Hover over an element. A tooltip shows how ACCELQ identifies it.
2. Right-click to open the menu.
3. Pick a command from the Commands tab, or invoke a reusable Action from the Actions tab.

4. The statement appears in the Logic Editor.

   

The statement arrives with the element and command filled in. You then provide any argument values (the text to enter, the value to verify) directly in the Logic Editor. If Auto Playback is on, the statement runs on your application as soon as you finish it, so the application stays in step with your logic. See Playback and Validation.

The Right-Click Menu

Right-click any element (in Fluid or Intent mode) to open the command menu.

Header. Shows what ACCELQ recognized: the element type and its technical identity (an HTML tag, a native mobile class). The header also holds the element save options (see "ELEMENT" dropdown in the above image) and a help link.

Commands tab. Every command that applies to this element type, with the most likely one pre-selected. The command library is extensive; two features help you find your way:

• Search. Type what you want to do. The search matches related terms and synonyms, so you do not need to know the exact command name.
• Command help. Click the (i) icon beside any command for a full description, its arguments, and usage examples.

Actions tab. Your project's reusable Actions, with the most relevant ones for the current screen highlighted at the top. Invoking an Action records a call to it, letting you compose flows from building blocks you already have instead of re-recording steps.

Completing Your Statements

What a statement needs from you depends on how you recorded it:

• Fluid: nothing. The statement arrives complete.
• Intent commands: fill in the argument values in the Logic Editor. The editor offers inline editing and auto-completion for every argument type.
• Actions: provide values for the Action's input parameters.

If a step produces a value (for example, reading a field's current value, or an Action with output parameters), ACCELQ asks whether to ignore it or store it in a parameter. Storing it lets you use the value in a later step, such as reading an account balance and verifying it after a transaction.

Inserting Statements at a Specific Position

New statements normally append to the end of your logic. To insert them somewhere else:

1. Create a blank line in the Logic Editor where you want the new steps.
2. Click in the margin beside that line. A marker shows the recording position is locked.

3. Record. Every new statement now inserts at that position.

   

Click the marker again to release the lock. This works in both Fluid and Intent modes, and is the standard way to add a verification between existing steps.

Saving Elements

You normally do not manage elements while recording; ACCELQ handles it:

• With repository-based identification (Smart Locator, XPath), the element is saved automatically to the Element Repository with a generated name, along with a View of the screen. Recording on the same element again reuses the saved entry.
• With Locator-Free identification (Web, PDF, and Electron Recorders), the element's label is embedded right in the statement. There is nothing to save or maintain.

To name an element yourself, or to save it as a replacement for an existing element (after a UI change, or to create an Element Instance), use the element save options in the right-click menu header.

See Views, Elements, and Identification for the full picture of Views, the Element Repository, and identification strategies.

Practical Tips

• Keep the recorder OFF while navigating; turn it on only when ready to capture.
• In Fluid mode, glance at the Logic Editor as you go, and prune anything extra.
• Use Intent plus the position lock to add verifications to an established flow.
• Recorded and typed statements are identical. Use whichever is faster for the step at hand.