Record a test

Write down a short user journey you want to test. Remember: smaller bites are easier to chew! In other words, get started with just a few steps. This is easier not only to create and maintain the test, but also to understand and act on the results. Test the essential features to your users, like a support contact form, login widget, or date picker.

Note

Record the test in the same type of viewport that you want to run it. For example, if you want to run a test on a mobile viewport, narrow your browser width to mobile and refresh before starting the recording. This way you are capturing the correct elements that could change depending on responsive style rules.

Open your starting URL in Chrome Incognito. This is important so you’re not carrying cookies into the recording, which we won’t set up in the Synthetic test by default. If you workshop instructor does not have a custom URL, feel free to use https://online-boutique-eu.splunko11y.com or https://online-boutique-us.splunko11y.com, which are in the examples below.

Open the Chrome DevTools Recorder

Next, open the Developer Tools (in the new tab that was opened above) by pressing Ctrl + Shift + I on Windows or Cmd + Option + I on a Mac, then select Recorder from the top-level menu or the More tools flyout menu.

Open Recorder Open Recorder

Note

Site elements might change depending on viewport width. Before recording, set your browser window to the correct width for the test you want to create (Desktop, Tablet, or Mobile). Change the DevTools “dock side” to pop out as a separate window if it helps.

Create a new recording

With the Recorder panel open in the DevTools window. Click on the Create a new recording button to start.

Recorder Recorder

For the Recording Name use your initials to prefix the name of the recording e.g. <your initials> - <website name>. Click on Start Recording to start recording your actions.

Recording Name Recording Name

Now that we are recording, complete a few actions on the site. An example for our demo site is:

  • Click on Vintage Camera Lens
  • Click on Add to Cart
  • Click on Place Order
  • Click on End recording in the Recorder panel.

End Recording End Recording

Export the recording

Click on the Export button:

Export button Export button

Select JSON as the format, then click on Save

Export JSON Export JSON

Save JSON Save JSON

Congratulations! You have successfully created a recording using the Chrome DevTools Recorder. Next, we will use this recording to create a Real Browser Test in Splunk Synthetic Monitoring.

{
    "title": "RWC - Online Boutique",
    "steps": [
        {
            "type": "setViewport",
            "width": 1430,
            "height": 1016,
            "deviceScaleFactor": 1,
            "isMobile": false,
            "hasTouch": false,
            "isLandscape": false
        },
        {
            "type": "navigate",
            "url": "https://online-boutique-eu.o11ystore.com/",
            "assertedEvents": [
                {
                    "type": "navigation",
                    "url": "https://online-boutique-eu.o11ystore.com/",
                    "title": "Online Boutique"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "type": "click",
            "target": "main",
            "selectors": [
                [
                    "div:nth-of-type(2) > div:nth-of-type(2) a > div"
                ],
                [
                    "xpath//html/body/main/div/div/div[2]/div[2]/div/a/div"
                ],
                [
                    "pierce/div:nth-of-type(2) > div:nth-of-type(2) a > div"
                ]
            ],
            "offsetY": 170,
            "offsetX": 180,
            "assertedEvents": [
                {
                    "type": "navigation",
                    "url": "https://online-boutique-eu.o11ystore.com/product/66VCHSJNUP",
                    "title": ""
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "type": "click",
            "target": "main",
            "selectors": [
                [
                    "aria/ADD TO CART"
                ],
                [
                    "button"
                ],
                [
                    "xpath//html/body/main/div[1]/div/div[2]/div/form/div/button"
                ],
                [
                    "pierce/button"
                ],
                [
                    "text/Add to Cart"
                ]
            ],
            "offsetY": 35.0078125,
            "offsetX": 46.4140625,
            "assertedEvents": [
                {
                    "type": "navigation",
                    "url": "https://online-boutique-eu.o11ystore.com/cart",
                    "title": ""
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "type": "click",
            "target": "main",
            "selectors": [
                [
                    "aria/PLACE ORDER"
                ],
                [
                    "div > div > div.py-3 button"
                ],
                [
                    "xpath//html/body/main/div/div/div[4]/div/form/div[4]/button"
                ],
                [
                    "pierce/div > div > div.py-3 button"
                ],
                [
                    "text/Place order"
                ]
            ],
            "offsetY": 29.8125,
            "offsetX": 66.8203125,
            "assertedEvents": [
                {
                    "type": "navigation",
                    "url": "https://online-boutique-eu.o11ystore.com/cart/checkout",
                    "title": ""
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}