Recording Tests

Recording is the main way to create test cases in CueCast. You perform a workflow on the real product page, and the Chrome extension turns those actions into editable, replayable steps.

Treat a recording as a maintainable test asset, not as a one-time macro. The choices you make while recording directly affect replay reliability.

Supported actions

CueCast can record common browser interactions, including:

• Clicks and text input
• Checkboxes and select controls
• Hover interactions
• File uploads
• Text and JSON assertions
• AI natural-language steps
• Tab switching
• Saving a page value as a variable

Each step stores the data needed for replay. Interaction steps retain element candidates and context, while assertions retain the expected result.

Recording guidelines

• Start from a stable URL.
• Keep each test case focused on one clear business path.
• Wait for the page to reach a stable state before the next action.
• Add assertions to important outcomes, not to every visual detail.
• Avoid temporary debugging actions.
• Use test accounts and test data rather than production credentials.

New and appended recordings

CueCast provides two common recording modes:

• New recording replaces the existing steps and is best for a new case or a completely changed workflow.
• Append recording adds steps to an existing case and is best for a local workflow change.

Before starting a new recording on a case that already has steps, confirm that replacing those steps is intentional.

Continue recording from a step

Use Record from here when you need to insert actions after an existing step. CueCast can first replay the preceding steps to reconstruct the correct page state, then switch into recording mode.

Choose to replay preceding steps when the workflow must open a page, modal, or tab before the new action. Skip preceding steps when you have already prepared the page manually, or when replaying them would create, submit, or delete data.

Assertions and variables

Use Add Assertion from the recording panel when an important result appears. A useful assertion verifies business behavior, for example:

• A success message is visible.
• A newly created item appears in a list.
• An order or task changes to the expected status.

Use Save Variable to capture text or a value from the page for a later step. Give variables clear names and avoid depending on unstable decorative content.

Passwords and sensitive input

When CueCast records a password field, the step is marked as sensitive. The value is encrypted when stored and is not shown in plain text in the dashboard.

Use credentials created specifically for testing. Do not record real production passwords or personal secrets. To change a saved password, edit the step, enter the new value, and save it again.

Multi-tab workflows

CueCast tracks tabs opened by the current recorded page. When you first interact with a newly opened tab, CueCast inserts a tab-switch step automatically.

Supported examples include:

• A link with target="_blank"
• A page opened with window.open
• Returning to the original tab after completing work in a new tab

Tabs opened manually without a relationship to the recorded page are not added automatically. iframe context switching is not currently supported.

Stable element matching

Modern UI frameworks often generate temporary IDs, classes, and ARIA relationships. CueCast filters many obviously dynamic attributes and stores multiple ways to identify an element.

For the most reliable tests, applications should expose stable attributes such as data-testid, data-cy, semantic names, or clear text labels. Complex controls such as tables, trees, menus, and select components should also provide enough surrounding context to distinguish similar elements.

After recording

Review the step list before replaying the test. You can:

• Rename steps and adjust waiting time.
• Change fixed input to random or timestamp-based input.
• Reorder, copy, paste, or remove steps.
• Update assertions.
• Re-record only the part of the workflow that changed.

Run the finished case at least once and inspect its result before adding it to a regression plan.

Common recording problems

Problem	Likely cause	What to do
No actions are captured	The extension is disabled or the page was not refreshed	Enable the extension and refresh both CueCast and the target page.
Too many input steps	Focus changed or typing was interrupted	Keep the final input step and remove unnecessary intermediate steps.
Repeated runs create duplicate data	A fixed value is reused	Use a random value or prefix plus timestamp.
A select option fails during replay	The overlay structure changed or several controls look alike	Add a stable test attribute or record that part again.
Replay starts while signed out	The session expired	Sign in before an individual debug run or configure login preparation for scheduled runs.