Getting Started with the Recorder – ACCELQ

This article gets you oriented in the Recorder: what you need before you start, how to open it, and what each part of the interface does. By the end, you will know your way around the panel and be ready to record your first steps.

Before You Start: The ACCELQ Agent

All recording and playback runs through a locally running ACCELQ Agent. The Agent manages the connection to your application, whether that is an embedded browser, a mobile device, or a document, and executes your statements during playback.

If the Agent is not running when you open the Recorder, you will see the prompt "Record/Playback requires a locally running Agent", with a Start Agent button, a link to refresh the connection, and installation instructions if you have not installed it yet.

For installation, refer to Installing Local Agent.

Opening the Recorder

The Recorder is part of the Logic Editor, your logic development workspace. The Logic Editor, with the Recorder in it, opens when you open:

An Action, which opens directly in the Logic Editor.
A Scenario, using Open in Design Studio, when building the flow end to end.

The Recorder opens as a panel on the right side, with the Logic Editor remaining on the left. Everything you record lands in the Logic Editor as statements, right where you can edit, play back, or continue typing by hand.

The Recorder Panel

Choosing the Recorder Type

The icon rail on the left edge of the panel selects the recorder type for your application: the Globe icon for web, the Phone icon for mobile, and further icons for PDF and Electron applications. Click an icon to switch; you can change recorder types at any time during a session, and statements from different recorder types coexist in the same logic.

Each recorder type has its own connection step: the Web Recorder asks for an application URL, the Mobile Recorder asks you to select a device and application. These are covered in each recorder type's Overview article.

The Recorder Toolbar

The toolbar at the top of the panel carries the session controls:

Recording mode control. Switches between OFF, Fluid, and Intent (or ON/OFF in the Mobile Recorder). An info message beside it always tells you what the current mode does, such as "Interact freely, not recording" or "Right-click on element to record".
Connection controls. The URL bar and navigation buttons in the Web Recorder; the device and application selectors in the Mobile Recorder.
Configuration access. Device and session configuration for the recorder type in use.
Expand. Enlarges the recorder to a maximized view for easier interaction with the application.
Close (X). Closes the Recorder panel. Your recorded statements stay in the Logic Editor.

The Recorder also gives you a persistent visual cue for the active mode, so you always know whether your interactions are being captured. The exact indicator varies by recorder type and is described in each recorder type's articles.

The Sidebar Panels

Below the recorder-type icons, the sidebar gives you three working panels. You will use these continuously as your logic grows:

VIEWS. The screens you have recorded from, captured as Views. Browse them, inspect their structure, and even record additional statements from a View when the live application is not available. See Views, Elements, and Identification.
ELEM. The Element Repository for the current Context: every element saved during recording, with its logical name and identification details. Open an element here to review or adjust how it is identified.
PARAM. The current Action's input and output parameters and local variables. Use this when parameterizing the values in your statements.

A Note on the Playback Console

Along the bottom of the workspace, the Playback Console logs everything that happens when your statements execute: status, messages, errors, and timing. You will meet it properly in Playback and Validation; for now, just know that this is where the recorder talks back to you.

Where to Go from Here

New to recording? Continue to Recording Fundamentals for the recording modes and the right-click menu.
Ready to connect to your application? Go to your recorder type's Overview: Web Recorder Overview or Mobile Recorder Overview.