Using the Katalon Automation Recorder to find Objects

While Katalon Studio has the built in SpyWeb tool, and it works quite well to capture objects and build a repository, I don’t find myself using it that much. Instead, I rely on the Katalon Automation Recorder, the replacement for the Selenium IDE.

I find it quicker to start, and runs alongside the web page. I also find it easier to pick from multiple styles of object paths without all of them being assigned to the object itself.

For those who worked with the Selenium IDE, the interface and usage are almost identical and comes as a Firefox or Chrome plugin. Once running, it’s just a matter of clicking the Inspect button then selecting the object in question. When hovering over an object, it will turn yellow, and when selected, the XPATH will appear. If you want more choices of that object is defined, click the dropdown arrow and additional choices, if available, will be listed. You can also enter a target path, or modify the existing one, then click the magnifying glass to highlight the object in question. This is how I confirm which part of the path can be parameterized.

SpyWeb is good, but I find this a bit faster and more flexible since I’m already in the browser and the object is visible.

I know some prefer to use the Inspect Element function and copy the path from there, but this is another choice.