Desktop Transactions Scout

The Desktop Transactions Scout simulates user interactions with Windows desktop applications to check whether they work as expected.

You can configure a sequence of steps to launch an application, click buttons, enter text, and perform other interactions. The Scout runs these steps at regular intervals to detect failures that could prevent users from completing their work.

For example, you can configure a Scout to launch a desktop accounting application, search for an invoice, and open its details.

Example: Monitor an Invoice Lookup

Prerequisites

Before creating a Desktop Transactions Scout, make sure that:

• You have a Windows Custom Hive running version 1254 or later. Linux Custom Hives are not currently supported. See Install and Configure Windows Custom Hives.
• The application you want to test is installed on the machine running the Custom Hive.
• The Scout must run on an unlocked Windows machine or in a disconnected VM session that remains active. If you access the Hive using Remote Desktop, see Disconnect From a Remote Desktop Session for instructions on keeping the session active.

Create a Desktop Transactions Scout

To monitor a desktop application, create a Scout and define the sequence of steps it should perform. You can test the transaction before saving the Scout.

1. Go to Synthetic Monitoring and click Create Scout.

2. Under the Applications tab, select Desktop Transactions as the Scout type.

3. In Hive, select the Windows Custom Hives on which to run the test. Linux Custom Hives are not currently supported.

4. Enter a Scout name.

5. Use the Run Every slider to set how often the Scout runs.

6. Under Desktop transaction steps, configure the steps the Scout should perform:

   1. Click Launch App and enter the application you want to test in Path/Name. See Launch App: Names and Paths.
   2. Select the next step type and configure its fields. Use the row below the steps to add a step at the end of the sequence, or click the + icon on an existing step to insert one immediately after it.
   3. Continue adding steps in the order they should run. For configuration details, see Desktop Transaction Step Types.
   4. To adjust the sequence, use the up and down arrows to reorder steps or the delete icon to remove a step. Click Add name to assign a descriptive name that appears in the test report.

   Each step includes a Required checkbox. If a required step fails, the entire test fails. If Required is cleared, the Scout continues to the next step even if the current step fails. For example, when saving a file, an overwrite confirmation might appear only if the file already exists. You can make the step that handles this confirmation non-required so the transaction continues when the confirmation does not appear.

7. To organize the Scout using tags, click Add Tag under Tags. For more information, see Centralized Tags Management.

8. To verify the transaction, select a Custom Hive from Choose location and click Test Now. Testing is recommended to make sure the steps are configured correctly. If the test fails, review the application paths and element names before testing again.

9. Click Next: Alert Policy to configure alerts and notifications. For more information, see Alert Policies.

10. Complete the remaining steps and save the Scout.

Desktop Transaction Step Types

The following step types are available for configuring a desktop transaction:

Launch App: Names and Paths

To launch an application, enter either its full executable path or a recognized application name in Path/Name:

• Executable path (recommended): The full path to the application's executable file on the Custom Hive. For example: C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe. If the Scout cannot locate the application, the step fails.

• Application name: A supported application name, such as word, excel, or calculator. Only predefined names are recognized, and they are not case-sensitive. The Scout maps these names to their corresponding executable files.
  Using the full executable path is recommended. If the Scout cannot locate the application, the step fails.

Click and Text: UI Element Names

The Click and Text steps use Element name to identify where the Scout should interact with the application.

• Click: Identifies the button or other interface element to click.
• Text: Identifies the input field where the Scout should enter the text specified in Text.

The element name may differ from the text displayed in the application. For example, the + button in Windows Calculator has the element name Add. To click this button, enter Add and not +.

Keep in mind, Click and Text work differently when entering values. For example, to enter 11:

• Using Click, add two consecutive Click steps targeting Calculator's 1 button.
• Using Text, enter 11 in Text and specify the target input field in Element name.

Use the element names recognized by the application. If an element name is incorrect, the step can fail.

Test Results

Metrics

The following metrics are collected for each Desktop Transactions test result: