We’ve recently overhauled our R&R recorder to make it easier than ever to create automated scripts to test your web app across multiple devices, platforms, and browsers without writing a single line of code. Those with a keen eye may notice that the recorder shares many similarities with SmartBear’s load testing tool LoadNinja. We share the same core technology with the LoadNinja team to provide a unified interface for recording scripts, as well as sharing new features and updates with the users of both products!
How do I know if I’m using the new recorder?
If you started a trial on January 2, 2020 or later, you’re already using the new recorder! Otherwise, you will still be using the previous version unless you’ve opted in to try the new one. If you’ve opted in, you’ll see something like this at the top of the Record a Script page:
I’m an existing user, how do I opt-in?
Navigate to the Record a Script page and click the “Try it out” link in the alert near the top of the page. If you need to switch back to the previous recorder, the alert will have that option as well (See screenshot above).
What are the main differences between the previous and the new recorder?
Quicker launch time: The new recorder platform is built on a completely new stack that is not shared with any other test types. This allows it to be very lightweight and results in much quicker launch times!
Record from here: The new recorder has one of the most popular R&R feature requests! When editing a script in the new recorder, you can choose a step and playback the recording to that spot, then start recording new steps.
Smarter element detection: One of the main motivators to switch to the new recorder was LoadNinja’s state of the art element detection. Users will find the new element detection methods much more accurate, relieving the need to manually tweak CSS selectors or XPaths.
While we’re on the topic of differences, one of the features that has not yet made its way to the new recorder is support for Local Connection. We’ve crunched the numbers and found that Local Connection was being used by a small number of R&R users, so we decided to not delay the launch of v2 for that feature. Have no fear though, we’re working diligently on supporting Local Connection and expect it’s release to follow soon after.
Can I convert my scripts recorded with the previous recorder to the new recorder?
We currently do not support this functionality, but we are looking into making it possible. Rest assured, you will still be able to edit and replay the scripts recorded with the previous version. Users that still use scripts recorded with the previous version of the recorder will be notified if and when this feature is available.
Will my scripts recorded with the previous recorder stop working?
Scripts recorded on the previous recorder (v1) will always be available on your account. Editing and replaying those scripts will also continue working as they do now. Accounts that were created before we released recorder v2 will still be able to record new scripts using recorder v1.
In the future, we plan on only releasing new features for the new recorder, and at some point will retire the previous recorder. We will be sure to notify any users that are still using the previous recorder of our intentions before we make that switch. Even after we retire the previous recorder, we will still support editing and replaying those scripts.