This topic explains how to modify the user actions simulated by a web scenario.
Sections include:
User Actions Configuration Overview
To view and modify the action taken by a specific scenario step:
- Double-click the scenario step whose actions you want to configure.
- In the configuration panel that opens in the right side of the GUI, open the User Actions tab.
- Review the existing actions (initially, the ones captured during recording) and modify the settings as needed to specify the actions you want performed. You can choose from the available pre-set actions, or define a custom one.
Using Data Sources to Parameterize User Actions
You can use data sources to parameterize user actions—for instance, to have a type action iterate through a set of different values stored in an Excel spreadsheet.
Identifying Elements Associated with User Actions
The element that is the source of a user action will be highlighted with a solid blue border in the scenario step’s Pre-Action Browser Contents tab.
Changing the Target of a User Action
To quickly change the target of a user action, right-click the related element in the Pre-Action Browser Contents tab, then choose the appropriate Modify command.
If the user action that you want to change is not associated with a specific element (for instance, a "close" or "navigate" action), click the User Actions tab and choose a new action from the Action drop-down menu to modify the target.
Inspecting the HTML for Elements
As you create and modify user actions for page elements, you may want to inspect the HTML to determine if you are adding actions to the appropriate elements.
To see the HTML for an element, right-click the element and choose Inspect <Element> from the shortcut menu.
User Actions Tab
The User Actions tab contains configuration settings for many preset user actions. Choose a user action from the Action drop-down menu and configure the element locator settings.
Element Locator Settings
The element locator settings allow you to specify the element associated with the action.
The following element locator options are available:
- Choose Use XPath and enter an XPath to be used as an identifier.
- Choose Use Script to enter a script that defines the desired user action.
- Choose Use Element Properties to specify a set of properties for associating an element with an action. The following table describes the configurable settings:
| Element | Specifies the element name (for example, "img", "div", or "a") that the action should apply to. To allow any element, enter "Any" into this field. |
|---|---|
| Attribute Name | Specifies the attribute name to identify the element (for example, "title", "id", or "name"). You can configure this value using one of the following mechanisms. |
| Attribute Value | Specifies the expected value for the attribute supplied by the Attribute Name field.
|
| Index | Specifies the element that matches the previous criteria. Entering "0" means that the first element that matches the "Element," "Attribute Name," and "Attribute Value" criteria will be used. Entering "1" means that the second element that matches will be used, and so on.
|
Many actions allow you to configure Window Name. This allows you to specify the name of the window you would like the action to occur in. Leaving this field blank indicates that the default window will be used.
