Task Recorder quick reference

This article provides a quick reference sheet that explains what each button in the Task recorder menus does.

Main menu

Create recording Choose this option to begin creating a new recording. Play recording as guide Choose this option to see what your recording looks like when viewed as a Help article or played as a Task guide. Edit recording Choose this option if you need to change the recording’s name, description, or the text that is displayed in the steps. Playback recording Choose this option if you need to add or remove steps. You can also use this mode to automatically play a recording.

Open and save options

Open/Save from/to this PC These options allow you to open a recording that is saved on your computer, or save a recording to your computer. Open/Save from/to Lifecycle Services This option allows you to open a recording that is saved to a Lifecycle Services library, or save a recording to a Lifecycle Services library. Open from recents This option allows you to pick from a list of Task recordings that you created recently. Export as Word document This option allows you to download a Word document that contains the list of steps in the recording. Publish for Mobile Application This option allows you to publish the task recording for a mobile application. Save as developer recording This option allows you to save the task recording as a developer recording.

Playback controls

Play next pending step This option causes Task recorder to execute and record the next pending step, which is indicated by the arrow in the Steps list. Play to selected step This option causes Task recorder to begin playing and recording pending steps, beginning at the next pending step and pausing after playing the step that was selected in the list when this option was clicked. Play all pending steps This option causes Task recorder to play and record all remaining pending steps, until there are no remaining pending steps. Pause This option only appears while playback is in progress. This option allows you to pause playback manually.

Step actions

Start subtask/End subtask These options allow you to add special steps to the recording. These special steps are task steps, and you can use them to indicate when a subtask begins and when it ends. These options are disabled while playback is in progress. Delete step/Restore step These options allow you to remove steps from the recording. If you delete a pending step, it's skipped during playback and isn't recorded. If you delete a recorded step, then it's flagged for removal and isn't included in the recording when you save the recording. You can only restore steps that were successfully recorded. You can't delete a task while it's in progress.

Steps list

Step counter

This keeps track of how many steps were recorded. This includes steps played by using the Playback controls and steps recorded by actions that you take in the client.

Pending step

This symbol represents a step that is pending and hasn't been recorded yet. Pending steps can be played using the Playback controls. When a pending step is played successfully, it's recorded and the symbol updates appropriately. Pending steps aren't included in the recording when you save the recording. You must first play the pending steps so that they're recorded. If the steps are played and recorded successfully, then they're included when you save the recording.

Next pending step

This symbol represents the next pending step. If you start playback, this is the first step that is played.

Queued pending step

This symbol represents pending steps that are queued for playback. This symbol is updated either when playback pauses, or when the queued pending step is played.

Recorded action step

This symbol represents steps that were recorded successfully, either from being played back, or manually recorded by you.

Recorded info step

This symbol represents an info step that was played and recorded. Info steps don't result in any action being executed on the application.

Recorded begin subtask step

This symbol indicates the beginning of a subtask. Subtask steps don't result in any action being executed on the application.

Recorded end subtask step

This symbol indicates the end of a subtask. Subtask steps don't result in any action being executed on the application.

Deleted recorded step

This symbol represents a successfully recorded step that you marked for deletion. Recorded steps that are marked for deletion aren't included when you save the recording. If a step is successfully recorded when you decide to delete it, then you have the option to restore the deleted step before you save the recording.

Deleted pending step

If you delete a pending step, it retains its pending symbol until it's played. When it's played, it's skipped. You can restore a pending step as long as it hasn't been played and skipped.

Skipped step

This symbol represents a step that was deleted while it was pending, and was skipped during playback. Skipped steps aren't played and aren't recorded. Because skipped steps aren't recorded, they aren't included when you save the recording. You can't restore a skipped step.

Error step

This symbol represents a step that was attempted by the playback system, but wasn't successfully played. Error steps aren't recorded, and aren't included when you save the recording. You can't restore an error step. Playback automatically pauses when an Error step is encountered. This gives you the opportunity to record replacement steps before continuing playback. An error step may occur for the following reasons:

• The step couldn't play because the form or lookup needed by the step wasn't open.
• The step couldn't play because the button or field needed by the step was disabled, not visible, or not present on the form.
• The step couldn't play because the name of the form or name of the control changed.
• The step couldn't play because of a framework change to the control.