In this article, you’ll learn how to use the Recorder control center while recording, and how to speed up common tasks with hotkeys.
Full/minimized view
The Recorder control center is available in two views. To switch between views, click the expand button in the top-right corner of the control center window.
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Full view: Shows all Recorder controls plus a small actions table with the last four recorded actions.
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Minimized view: Shows only the Recorder controls in a compact bottom ribbon.
Recorder controls - Standard functions
The Recorder control center provides three main controls:
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Validate (validation mode): Inserts a test validation action into your recording.
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Pause/Continue: Pauses or resumes the recording. While paused, Ranorex does not record any user interaction.
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Stop: Stops the recording and returns to Ranorex Studio.
Add/delete actions during recording
In full view, the control center shows the last four recorded actions. From this list, you can complete the following actions:
- A list of the recorded actions.
- Preview an action’s screenshot (hover the eye icon).
- Delete an action (click the trash icon).
- Add actions during the recording.
To insert additional actions while recording, follow these steps:
- Click Add (bottom-right of the control center). The recording pauses while you add and configure the action.
- Select the action type you want to insert:
- Message
- Screenshot
- Delay
- Configure the action settings in the configuration area.
Reference: For details about each action type and its properties, see Action properties.
Enable/disable hotkeys
Use the Hotkeys switch in the Recorder control center to turn hotkeys On or Off. You can also hover the info icon next to the switch to see the available hotkeys.
Note: While hotkeys are enabled, you can’t type the hotkey characters (v, m, t, i) into the application under test (for example, in a text field). You can still type the uppercase characters (V, M, T, I) normally.
Hotkeys reference
V= Validation mode (same as clicking Validate).M= Record mouse movement actions (on demand).T= Tooltip validation.I= Image-based recording.Mouse wheel (while hotkeys are enabled) = Change recognition level for UI element detection.
Validation mode hotkey
Press V to activate validation mode. This works the same as clicking Validate and inserts a test validation action into the recording.
Reference: Learn more about validation here: Test validation.
Mouse movement recording hotkey
By default, Ranorex does not record mouse movements. If you need to capture mouse movement actions, press M while recording.
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Move the mouse over the Introduction tab and press
M -
Move the mouse over the name text field and press
M -
Move the mouse over the Submit button and press
M -
Move the mouse over the Exit button and press
M
Result
Once you’ve stopped recording, the action table will list four mouse movement actions. Each movement is linked to a UI element.
After you stop recording, the actions table contains one mouse movement action for each time you pressed M, and each movement is linked to the UI element under your cursor.
Tooltip validation hotkey
Press T to start a tooltip validation.
Reference: Tooltip validation details in Validation of tool-tips.
Image-based recording hotkey
Press I to activate image-based recording. This is an advanced option for cases where object recognition isn’t sufficient.
Reference: Image-based automation settings information in Image-based automation.
Change recognition level
When hotkeys are enabled, the mouse wheel changes the recognition level used for UI element detection during recording.
Initial recognition level
- Ranorex identifies UI elements under your mouse pointer.
- The identified element is highlighted with a red frame that follows your cursor.
Change the recognition level
- Scroll the mouse wheel to move through the UI element levels (for example, from a specific control up to its parent container).
- Use this when you want actions to target a broader (or more stable) UI element level during recording.