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Screen Recorder Actions

The ScreenRecorderActions class provides methods for capturing video recordings of test sessions for both web and mobile testing. It's particularly useful for debugging test failures and documenting complex test scenarios.

Important Note​

Unlike other interaction classes, ScreenRecorderActions is not accessed through the DriverActions class. Instead, you need to instantiate it directly:

// Create ScreenRecorderActions instance directly
ScreenRecorderActions screenRecorderActions = new ScreenRecorderActions<>(driver);

Basic Recording Operations​

// Create a screen recorder instance
ScreenRecorderActions screenRecorderActions = new ScreenRecorderActions<>(driver);

// Start recording the screen with a name for the video file
screenRecorderActions.startRecording("LoginTest");

// Perform test actions...
actions.elements().sendData(By.id("username"), "testuser");
actions.elements().sendData(By.id("password"), "password123");
actions.elements().clickOnElement(By.id("loginButton"));

// Stop recording and save the video
screenRecorderActions.stopRecording();

Screenshot Operations​

The class also provides screenshot functionality:

// Capture a screenshot and save it with a name
File screenshotFile = screenRecorderActions.captureScreenshot("LoginPage");

Customizing Recording Settings​

// Start recording with custom settings
actions.screenRecorder().startRecording(
    "CheckoutTest",           // Recording name
    "C:/test-recordings/",    // Output directory
    30,                       // Frame rate
    true                      // Record audio (if available)
);

Managing Recordings​

// Get the current recording status
boolean isRecording = actions.screenRecorder().isRecording();

// Pause recording temporarily
actions.screenRecorder().pauseRecording();

// Resume recording after pause
actions.screenRecorder().resumeRecording();

// Get the current recording path
String currentPath = actions.screenRecorder().getCurrentRecordingPath();

Using With Test Frameworks​

In TestNG​

import org.testng.annotations.*;

public class RecordedLoginTest {
    private WebDriver driver;
    private DriverActions actions;
    private ScreenRecorderActions screenRecorderActions;
    
    @BeforeClass
    public void setUp() {
        driver = DriverFactory.getNewLocalDriver(LocalDriverType.Chrome);
        actions = new DriverActions(driver);
        screenRecorderActions = new ScreenRecorderActions<>(driver);
    }
    
    @BeforeMethod
    public void startRecording(Method method) {
        // Start recording with test method name
        screenRecorderActions.startRecording(method.getName());
    }
    
    @Test
    public void loginTest() {
        driver.get("https://example.com/login");
        actions.elements().sendData(By.id("username"), "testuser");
        actions.elements().sendData(By.id("password"), "password123");
        actions.elements().clickOnElement(By.id("loginButton"));
        actions.elements().waitForElementToBeVisible(By.id("welcomeMessage"));
    }
    
    @AfterMethod
    public void stopRecording(ITestResult result) {
        // Stop recording
        screenRecorderActions.stopRecording();
        
        // For failures, you might want to capture a screenshot as well
        if (result.getStatus() == ITestResult.FAILURE) {
            screenRecorderActions.captureScreenshot("Failed-" + result.getName());
            System.out.println("Test failed! Video recorded for evidence.");
        }
    }
    
    @AfterClass
    public void tearDown() {
        if (driver != null) {
            driver.quit();
        }
    }
}

Mobile Recording Support​

The ScreenRecorderActions class automatically detects if you're using a mobile driver (AndroidDriver or IOSDriver) and uses the appropriate recording mechanism:

// For Android or iOS testing
AndroidDriver driver = DriverFactory.getNewMobileDriver(
    MobileDriverType.Android,
    new URL("http://localhost:4723"),
    capabilities
);

// Create recorder for mobile
ScreenRecorderActions screenRecorderActions = new ScreenRecorderActions<>(driver);

// Recording works the same way for mobile or web
screenRecorderActions.startRecording("MobileTest");

// Perform test steps...

// Stop recording
screenRecorderActions.stopRecording();

Best Practices​

  1. Use for Important Tests: Recording consumes resources, so use it for critical test cases or those that are intermittently failing.

  2. Set Appropriate Frame Rates: Higher frame rates capture more detail but create larger files. Choose based on your needs.

  3. Clean Up Old Recordings: Implement a strategy to remove old recordings to prevent disk space issues.

  4. Record Failed Tests Only: For large test suites, consider only saving recordings of failed tests.

  5. Integrate with CI/CD: Configure your CI/CD pipeline to store video recordings as artifacts.

// Example of conditional recording for failed tests only
@AfterMethod
public void manageRecording(ITestResult result) {
    String videoPath = actions.screenRecorder().stopRecording();
    
    // Only keep recordings of failed tests
    if (result.getStatus() == ITestResult.SUCCESS) {
        File videoFile = new File(videoPath);
        if (videoFile.exists()) {
            videoFile.delete();
            System.out.println("Test passed - deleted recording");
        }
    } else {
        System.out.println("Test failed - kept recording at: " + videoPath);
    }
}