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:

  1. Double-click the scenario step whose actions you want to configure.
  2. In the configuration panel that opens in the right side of the GUI, open the User Actions tab.
  3. 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 preset 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 and 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 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>.

Understanding Preset Actions

You can configure most common user actions by selecting from the list of preset actions, then customizing them as needed to suit your needs. The available preset actions are described below.

User Actions Tab

The User Actions tab contains configuration settings for many preset user actions. Choose a user action from the Action menu and configure the element locator settings. See Specifying Specialized Element Locators for more information.

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:

ElementSpecifies 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 NameSpecifies 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.

  • If you want to specify a fixed value, choose Fixed and specify the desired value in the text box.
  • If you want to use values defined in a data source, choose Parameterized and specify the data source column that contains the values you want to use. Note that this option is only available if the project contains at least one data source.
  • If you want to use the return value of a custom method, choose Script, then click Edit to create or edit the method(s) and choose the desired method for use from the Method menu in the popup dialog. If there are two or more methods, you can also select a different method for use from the menu in the form panel.
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.

  • If you want to specify a fixed value, choose Fixed and specify the desired value in the text box.
  • If you want to use values defined in a data source, choose Parameterized and specify the data source column that contains the values you want to use. Note that this option is only available if the project contains at least one data source.
  • If you want to use the return value of a custom method, choose Script,then click Edit to create or edit the method(s) and choose the desired method for use from the Method menu in the popup dialog. If there are two or more methods, you can also select a different method for use from the menu in the form panel.

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.

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