This document covers installation and usage of the Uptime.com Transaction check recorder, which can be used to intuitively create a Transaction Check by recording your clicks, form field submissions, and other website interactions. This tool automatically generates the Transaction Check script, which can be edited manually as well.
Our recommended approach to the recorder is to utilize the automated recording process combined with some manual usage of validator steps.
This document will cover in detail how to use this recorder in this recommended manner.
To skip to a specific section of the "Using the Uptime.com Transaction Recorder" video, click the links below with the !
- Transaction Check Recorder At A Glance
- Requirements
- Using the Transaction Recorder
- Completing Check Setup
Transaction Check Recorder At A Glance
Automatically record your clicks, form field submissions, and more.
Use Validators to confirm that each step of your check is working as intended.
Record steps in a new tab to bypass iFrame rules and restrictions.
Requirements
Users must have an Uptime.com subscription, whether paid or in free trial status.
The Uptime.com Transaction Check Recorder requires the latest version of Google Chrome, and a browser extension that can be downloaded from the Chrome Web Store.
In some scenarios, Edit in a New Tab may be a viable workaround.
Please note: Make sure you're using the most updated version of the Transaction Recorder (version 1.3.0), as required by the most recent updates to Google Chrome.
Using the Transaction Recorder
To create a new Transaction check, click Monitoring > Transaction followed by Add New. You will need to create a Transaction check or edit an existing check to use the recorder.
The first step in any transaction check is to navigate to a URL. Fill in a URL to use for step one, then click Edit in Recorder.
Use the following legend to identify each component of the Transaction Recorder:
- Recording button: use this to start and stop recording.
- Edit in New Tab Button: This option is for recording the steps from a new tab window.
- Check Steps editor: You can manually edit check steps, add new steps, and rearrange existing steps.
- Step editor: select a step and then use these fields to edit step properties/fields.
- Select on Page button: use this button to enter Element Select Mode.
- View Browser Console: use this to open a new tab containing the browser console log for your last run test.
- Run Test button: use this to begin a test from the Uptime.com test probe server that will check your steps.
- URL bar: this space will depict the current URL visible in the recorder’s viewport window.
- Viewport settings: use this dropdown to adjust recorder’s viewport size, or to select a resolution to match a specific device.
- Viewport window: elements you interact with in this space become steps in your recorded check while in record mode.
It is important to note that Transaction steps are recorded in your local session, and tests are conducted from Uptime.com probe servers. Browser versions can differ as a result; here are a few examples for awareness:
- The check server always uses guest mode
- When the viewport’s Responsive resolution is selected, the check resolution is set to Default in Authentication and Settings.
Basic Workflow
Click Start Recording to record your actions. The Transaction Recorder can record the following actions:
- Click (Default is left-click)
- Check/Uncheck boxes
- Wait for (This step automatically precedes any step in which navigation occurs in order to wait for the element you interacted with to render)
- Fill in (This step records text entered into a text field, and automatically obscures password text if a password field is detected)
A simple transaction check most users can utilize on their own site would be: go to URL > click login > enter a username and password > click the submit/login button. The recorder is able to record all steps in this process with no need for manual action.
It is possible, and recommended, to add manual actions or make edits for more complex transactions, although while in record mode you may delete and re-select an item if incorrectly selected without stopping the recording. In addition, while in record mode, you may add validations by selecting them in "add step" which will allow you to "select on page" automatically.
To add a new step, click + Add New Step, and select the command or validator you wish to add. It is also possible to drag steps and re-order them.
If you need to change the parameters for a step, click the step in question to open a menu in your left-hand sidebar containing fields and options you can alter. See our support document on commands and validators for additional information.
Please note: a Transaction check uses the Uptime.com user-agent, Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Uptime/1.0; http://uptime.com), to allow for easy distinction between Uptime.com probe traffic and real users.
Recording in a New Tab
Some websites may experience difficulties rendering the Recorder’s viewport and subsequent navigation steps due to web-side iFrame rules. To bypass this, the option to Edit in New Tab may work as an alternative.
Select the Edit in New Tab option to start recording the steps from the new pop-out window.
Go To URL
Go To URL is usually the first step in a Transaction check using the recorder. You can add an additional Go To URL step, or the change the URL on your existing step, but you must click the Go To URL button to view the URL if you intend on interacting with it.
Authentication and Settings
If you need to add basic authentication settings, add HTTP headers, change resolution, or specify the device type as mobile, add an Authentication & Settings step. This step always replaces any existing first step.
Selecting Elements
If you need to select a specific element, you can select the value manually in an existing step or when you add a new step.
Click the step and then click Select on Page to enter Select Mode. You can highlight the element and left-click in Select Mode, or click Exit Select Mode to cancel your action. The Transaction check recorder will record the value of the selector you choose.
Completing Check Setup
Run Test will verify that the Uptime.com Transaction check is accurately following the steps you have configured. Once you have successfully completed a test, click the Save button and your check will begin monitoring.
Note: If your first step is failing, be sure that Go to URL is visiting the “HTTPS” version of your URL. If the step continues to fail, you may need to whitelist Uptime.com servers (specifically the Transaction Check Test server, and all locations that are monitoring your check).
Want to see our checks in action? Check out our YouTube Library for more!
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