Document Test Steps with Problem Steps Recorder

Software testers often feels the need to record their test steps. This helps in reproducing their bugs. But what if there is no recording tool readily available at your disposal? If you are using Windows 7 or above, Problem Steps Recorder tool is an answer. Read on to find out more about this.

Problem Steps Recorder (PSR) captures the steps performed by the user on an application as a set of screen shots with a text description of where they clicked. The capture can be saved as a file that can be used to reproduce and troubleshoot the problem. This tool is built in for Windows 7 and above operating systems.

You can start this tool by going to Start Menu and typing ‘psr’ query. Start recording by clicking ‘Start Record’ option. Now perform the steps to reproduce your problem. The Problem Steps recorder will capture all the steps performed by you and log information such as mouse clicks, text entered, program opening, closing, etc.

Click ‘Stop Record’ option once you are done with recording. You can then save the recording as ZIP file. All the problem steps are listed in .mht file which is extracted from ZIP file. It should look as below image.

You can also add your comments when recording is in progress. Click “Add Comment” and select the part of the screen that you want to comment on, using the mouse. Then type your comments in the comment box and click OK.

We believe this is really nice tools for manual testers. Apart from providing screenshots and description of steps, it also provides time of each of the recorded actions. This could be especially helpful in documenting performance issues.

Give this tool a try and let us know how did you find this useful.

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