---
title: "Desktop Transactions Scout"
slug: "desktop-transactions-scout"
updated: 2026-11-11T09:32:02Z
published: 2026-11-11T09:32:02Z
canonical: "support.controlup.com/desktop-transactions-scout"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.controlup.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Desktop Transactions Scout

**Beta Feature**

Desktop Transactions Scout is currently in beta. Features and functionality may change before general availability.

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

****View example transaction****

Suppose your organization uses a Windows desktop accounting application to manage invoices. You want to check that employees can open the application, search for an invoice, and view its details.

Configure the following steps under **Desktop transaction steps**:

1. **Launch App:** Open the accounting application using its executable path or recognized application name.
2. **Click:** Select the button or menu item that opens the Invoices section.
3. **Text:** Enter a test invoice number into the invoice search field.
4. **Click:** Select the Search button.
5. **Click:** Open the matching invoice to view its details.

For each step, enter the appropriate values in the configuration fields. The actual steps and UI element names depend on your application.

Keep **Required** selected for these steps so the test fails if any required step fails.

After configuring the transaction, use **Test Now** to verify that the steps run successfully.

## 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](/v1/docs/installing-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](/v1/docs/installing-custom-hives#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:

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.
  1. Click **Launch App** and enter the application you want to test in **Path/Name**. See [Launch App: Names and Paths](/docs/desktop-transactions-scout#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](/docs/desktop-transactions-scout#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.
7. To organize the Scout using tags, click **Add Tag** under **Tags**. For more information, see [Centralized Tags Management](/v1/docs/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](/v1/docs/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:

| Step type | Configuration | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Launch App** | Enter the full path to the application's executable file or a recognized application name in **Path/Name**. See [Launch App: Names and Paths](/docs/desktop-transactions-scout#launch-app-names-and-paths). | Open an accounting application. |
| **Click** | Enter the target **Element name**. See [Click and Text: UI Element Names](/docs/desktop-transactions-scout#click-and-text-ui-element-names). | Click the Invoices button. |
| **Text** | Enter the text to type in **Text** and the target **Element name**. See [Click and Text: UI Element Names](/docs/desktop-transactions-scout#click-and-text-ui-element-names). | Enter an invoice number in a search field. |
| **Key** | Specify the keyboard input in **Key**. | Press Ctrl+A to select all text in a field. |
| **Wait** | Enter the number of seconds to wait. Decimal values are supported. | Wait 2 seconds before the next step. |
| **Close Window** | Enter the title of the window to close in **Window title**. | Close an invoice details window. |
| **Close App** | Identify the application to close in **Path/Name**. | Close the accounting application. |

#### 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.

**View recognized application names**

| Category | Application names |
| --- | --- |
| Office | `word`, `excel`, `powerpoint`, `ppt`, `outlook`, `onenote`, `access`, `publisher`, `writer`, `libreoffice calc`, `impress`, `draw`, `base`, `teams`, `libreoffice` |
| Development and editors | `vscode`, `code`, `visualstudio`, `vs`, `notepad++`, `npp`, `vim`, `gvim`, `sublime`, `sublimetext`, `pycharm`, `intellij`, `eclipse`, `git` |
| Communication | `slack`, `discord`, `zoom`, `skype`, `whatsapp`, `telegram`, `viber`, `webex` |
| Browsers | `chrome`, `chromium`, `firefox`, `edge`, `brave`, `opera`, `vivaldi`, `tor`, `waterfox` |
| PDF readers | `acrobat`, `adobe_reader`, `adobereader`, `acrobat_pro`, `foxit`, `sumatra`, `sumatrapdf`, `nitro`, `pdfxchange`, `okular` |
| System utilities | `notepad`, `calculator`, `windows calculator`, `wincalc`, `paint`, `cmd`, `powershell`, `pwsh`, `explorer`, `taskmgr`, `registry`, `regedit`, `control`, `wordpad`, `snippingtool`, `terminal` |
| Media and creative | `vlc`, `spotify`, `itunes`, `photoshop`, `illustrator`, `premiere`, `aftereffects`, `blender`, `gimp`, `obs` |
| Cloud and gaming | `dropbox`, `onedrive`, `googledrive`, `steam`, `epic`, `battlenet` |

Other application names may also be supported.

#### 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:

| Metric | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Status | Whether the test succeeded or failed. |
| Total duration | The total time taken to run the transaction. |
| Steps duration | The time taken to perform the configured steps. |
| Failure reason | The reason the test failed. |