Ranorex Spy lets you explore and analyze the UI of desktop, web, and mobile applications to identify UI elements. Spy captures running applications (based on your whitelist), displays them in a tree, and helps you create stable UI identifications (RanoreXPath) that you can add to a repository for automation.
Use Ranorex Spy
You can use Spy in two modes:
- Integrated Spy (inside Ranorex Studio): Use this when you’re building tests in Ranorex Studio and want to add repository items directly to the active repository.
- Standalone Spy (Windows tool): Use this when you want to inspect an AUT without opening Studio, or when you need to work with a repository on a machine that doesn’t have Ranorex Studio installed (load .rxrep in Spy).
What’s the same in both modes
Both the Integrated and Standalone Spy provide:
- The TRACK function to identify UI elements and show their RanoreXPath.
- The Browser & results working environment to browse apps, inspect element properties, and add items to a repository.
- Tools like snapshots (.rxsnp) and GDI capture (for legacy/edge UI recognition scenarios).
What differs
Repository handling
- Integrated Spy: “Add to repository” adds items to the repository currently active in Ranorex Studio.
- Standalone Spy: “Add to repository” adds items to the default Spy repository or a repository you loaded.
Endpoints/automation root
- Standalone Spy: It has an Endpoints entry to select the automation root from within Spy.
- Integrated Spy: You can set the automation root in Ranorex Studio’s Endpoints pad.
32-bit and 64-bit versions
- Integrated Spy uses the same bitness as Ranorex Studio.
- Standalone Spy lets you pick 32-bit or 64-bit from the Windows Start menu.