Web Transaction Recorder

Warning: Web Transaction Recorder tool is deprecated. Kindly use Chrome Extension to record and add transactions for Real Browser Monitor (RBM) and HAR Import method to add Http(s) Url Sequence Monitor.

The Web Transaction recorder tool can be used to record two kinds of transactions:

    • For Real-Browser Monitoring: Records web transactions and plays back the recorded sequence in a browser from remote locations to mimic user behavior and collect performance metrics.
    • For URL Sequence Monitoring: Records all user transactions on your site and captures HTTP request URLs in their exact sequence. Users can perform response code configuration, detect and be notified of bad response code.

Click the following link to know how you can:

To create a URL Sequence Monitor

Here are the steps to record a new URL Sequence:

Recording a New Transaction

    • In the Select Monitor window, click “create URL Sequence Monitor”.
    • To start a recording, click the Record New button, enter your URL in the address bar and click Enter. Alternatively, you can also enter the URL of the Web Application you wish to monitor in the URL bar of the Recorder tool.
    • Perform the transactions that you wish to record.
    • After you have completed the sequence, click Preview & Save.
    • In the Preview and Savewindow, you can configure the:
      • Sequence name: Edit the name of the sequence.
      • Poll interval: Poll interval is the time in minutes between two consecutive attempts to check for each recorded URL.
      • Connection Timeout: The URL connection timeout.
    • Check the Associate with Monitor Group checkbox to associate the monitor to a group.
    • Add Real Browser Monitor for this Recording:For a more unified approach to web transaction monitoring, you can add a Real Browser Monitor along with the existing URL Sequence Monitor. Enter the:
      • Monitor Name – A monitor name.
      • Poll Frequency – The polling interval of the monitor.
      • Page load timeout – The amount of time to wait for a page load to complete.
      • Select agents from the list of available agents. For each agent selected, a new monitor is added to Applications Manager.
      • Check the Associate with Monitor Group checkbox to associate a monitor group. Choose the Monitor Group(s) to associate from the drop-down list.
      • Select the following checkboxes as per your requirement:
        • Accept Untrusted Certificates - The Agent will state that a website certificate is untrusted if that certificate has not been signed by a trusted Certificate Authority. Check this box if you want the Agent to accept Untrusted Certificates.
        • Show Performance Metrics – This checkbox lets you specify if you wish to display additional performance metrics like page rendering time, download time, block time etc of your Web Application in Applications Manager. If your applications contain sensitive data, you can uncheck the option and data will not be displayed.
        • Show Screenshots - RBM Recorder captures screenshots of your transaction providing better insights, especially during downtime. If your transaction contains sensitive data that you would not like to take a screenshot of, disable the screenshots by unchecking the 'Show Screenshots' checkbox
    • Click Next.
    • You can view the URL sequence of your transaction and make basic and advanced configurations:
      • Basic – You can edit basic URL details like URL link, Display name, header and post data.
      • Advanced–
        • Alert Configuration: You can configure the recorder such that alerts are generated when specific keywords are present/not present. Enter the keywords in the text boxes provided. Example: "applications manager"
        • Basic Authentication Details: Enter Authentication details like username and password.
        • Response Code Configuration: You can configure the recorder to generate alerts if response time is greater than, equal to, not equal to, less than, less than or equal to a specified value.
    • After making all the required changes, click Create URL Sequence Monitor.
    • If the Add Real Browser Monitor for this Recording checkbox is checked to specify that you want to add a Real Browser Monitor, you will be taken to a Preview and Save screen to preview the Real Browser Monitor configuration. The following operations are possible in the RBM Steps Previewwindow:
      • Verify the operations you have performed (like mouse over, drop down, radio button etc.) during the recording.
      • Add content check or verify text operation in a web page.
      • Add words which, when present in the web page, should notify you in the Generate alert if following keywords are present text box.
      • Similarly, you can also add words which should not be present in the web page in Generate alert if following keywords are NOT present text box.
    • After configuration, click Create Real Browser Monitor to proceed. This sends the recorded web script to the Applications Manager server to do a test playback.

Filter and Delete URLs

    • Filtering URLs: In the Preview and Save screen, click the Filter link on the top right corner to open a URL Filter list. URLs can be filtered based on the following three categories:
      • File Type / URL Extensions -- The captured URLs can be filtered based on their extensions. For example, .gif, png, jpg etc. for images, .js for scripts and more.
      • Content Type / MIME Type -- URLs can be filtered based on the MIME type like image, video, audio, text and application.
      • Domain Components -- You can also filter URLs based on the domains from which they originate. You have the option to include / exclude websites from a particular domain in the Domain Filter list. These domains are not stored for future references. You have to re-enter such preferences if you re-start the tool.

You can add a new Extension, Content Type or Domain Component to the URL filter using the ADD button at the bottom of each list.

  • Deleting URLs: Click on a URL from the list of transactions and click the Delete URL link on the top right corner to delete it.

Update the Sequence Monitor

You can update the Sequence Monitor and re-record/update the the URLs that you have previously recorded. Record a new transaction as explained here, then:

  • Click the Update the Sequence Monitor button. The page displays the URLs recorded for this Transaction.You can preview the URL sequence,filter and delete the urlsas per your requirements, and perform the following basic and advanced configurations:
    • Basic – You can edit basic URL details like URL link, Display name, header and post data.
    • Advanced –
      • Alert Configuration: You can configure the recorder such that alerts are generated when specific keywords are present/not present. Enter the keywords in the text boxes provided. Example: "applications manager"
      • Basic Authentication Details: Enter Authentication details like username and password.
      • Response Code Configuration: You can configure the recorder to generate alerts if response time is greater than, equal to, not equal to, less than, less than or equal to a specified value.
  • Click Select Monitor to select the monitor that you wish to update the URLs to from a drop-down list of URL Sequence monitor names.
  • When you select a monitor name from the drop-down list, the page displays a list of existing URLs and the list of new URLs that you just recorded.
  • Preview the lists and click on Update Sequence Monitor to replace the existing URLs of the monitor with newly recorded URLs.
  • The Monitor will be updated with the new URL sequence.

Recorder Actions

Click on Actions link on the top left corner of the page to:

  • Logout – Log out from the recorder
  • Create New Web Script – Create a new recording.
  • Open an Existing Web Script – Open an already recorder and saved web script.
  • Save your web script locally – Save your recording locally.
  • Preview and Save – Preview the steps in the application.
  • Change Monitor Type – Switch between URL Sequence Monitoring and Real Browser Monitoring.
  • Change Proxy Settings – Configure proxy to access the internet
  • Change Preferences– Set the Page load time, Think time, Screen resolution and Preferred Test playback location:
    • Page load time: The time taken to load the entire web page. The Page load time can have a value between 0 to 30 seconds
    • Think time: The time interval between two subsequent requests to the server, while monitoring. After page load, the monitor will populate any form data and wait till the think time interval before initiating another request to the server. The Think time can have a value between 0 to 10 seconds
    • Screen resolution: The display resolution in which the website loads best.
    • Test playback location: The preferred location from where the Test playback should be done. You can choose the location closest to your server location for best results.

To create a Real Browser Monitor

Here are the steps to record a new web script:

  • In the Select Monitor window, click “Create Real Browser Monitor”.
  • To start a recording, click the Record New button, enter your URL in the address bar and click Enter. Alternatively, you can also enter the URL of the Web Application you wish to monitor in the URL bar of the Recorder tool.
  • Follow the sequence of steps that you wish to monitor. You can add a content check by keyword.
  • Click Preview and Save, once you have browsed through the required steps in the application. The Monitor Details window will be displayed.
  • In the Monitor Details page, configure values for:
    • Monitor Name – A monitor name.
    • Poll Frequency – The polling interval of the monitor.
    • Page load timeout – The amount of time to wait for a page load to complete.
    • Select agents & the browser type from the list of available agents. For each agent selected, a new monitor is added to Applications Manager.
    • Check the Associate with Monitor Group checkbox to associate a monitor group. Choose the Monitor Group(s) to associate from the drop-down list.
  • Select the following checkboxes as per your requirement:
    • Accept Untrusted Certificates - The Agent will state that a website certificate is untrusted if that certificate has not been signed by a trusted Certificate Authority. Check this box if you want the Agent to accept Untrusted Certificates.
    • Show Performance Metrics – This checkbox lets you specify if you wish to display additional performance metrics like page rendering time, download time, block time etc of your Web Application in Applications Manager. If your applications contain sensitive data, you can uncheck the option and data will not be displayed.
    • Show Screenshots - RBM Recorder captures screenshots of your transaction providing better insights, especially during downtime. If your transaction contains sensitive data that you would not like to take a screenshot of, disable the screenshots by unchecking the 'Show Screenshots' checkbox.
  • Add URL Sequence Monitor for this Recording. For a more unified approach to web transaction monitoring, you can add a URL Sequence Monitor along with the existing Real Browser Monitor. If this box is checked, enter the:
    • Sequence name: Edit the name of the sequence.
    • Poll interval: Poll interval is the time in minutes between two consecutive attempts to check for each recorded URL.
    • Connection Timeout: The URL connection timeout.
    • Check the Associate with Monitor Group checkbox to associate a monitor group. Choose the Monitor Group(s) to associate from the drop-down list.
  • Click Next.
  • The following operations are possible in the RBM Steps Previewwindow:
    • Verify the operations you have performed (like submitting a form or logging into an application) during the recording.
    • Add words which, when present in the web page, should notify you in the Generate alert if following keywords are present text box.
    • Similarly, you can also add words which should be but are not present in the web page in Generate alert if following keywords are NOT present text box.
  • Clicking on Perform Test Playback sends the recorded web script to the selected agent to do a test playback. Playback results are displayed, if the playback is initiated manually.
  • After configuration, click Create Real Browser Monitor to proceed with creation of the monitor(s).
  • If the Add URL Sequence Monitor for this Recording checkbox is checked to specify that you want to add a URL Sequence Monitor, you will be taken to a Preview and Save screen to preview the URL Sequence Monitor configuration. You can view the URL sequence of your transaction and make basic and advanced configurations:
    • Basic – You can edit basic URL details like URL link, Display name, header and post data.
    • Advanced–
      • Alert Configuration: You can configure the recorder such that alerts are generated when specific keywords are present/not present. Enter the keywords in the text boxes provided. Example: "applications manager"
      • Basic Authentication Details: Enter Authentication details like username and password.
      • Response Code Configuration: You can configure the recorder to generate alerts if response time is greater than, equal to, not equal to, less than, less than or equal to a specified value.
    • Click Create URL Sequence Monitor.