Automation Sub-Actions

Under each Rainforest action, there are actually a number of sub-actions. For example, the action “Fill” contains sub-actions to search for an element, find that element, and press CTRL + v to paste the text you specify into that element. Those sub-actions don’t all happen at the timestamp in the video at “Fill" – they happen in succession.

Using Logs to Diagnose Failures

When reviewing an unexpected test failure, investigating logs can provide clarity by revealing each sub-action that occurred. An issue that appears to be a "virtual machine" problem or a bug might actually be caused by a timing issue or unexpected interactions between the press keys that Rainforest uses to complete an action and the application's expected behavior.

Automation logs are visible by default for failed steps. Toggle logs by using the expand icon at the step-level to see the sub-actions that occurred under each. Use the "Expand All" toggle at the top of the steps panel to see all logged sub-actions.

Use the time-stamps to compare Rainforest sub-actions with logs in other tools.

Toggling Time Preferences

Use the gear icon to see the timestamp for each sub-action in local time, UTC, or time passed relative to the start of the run.

Using Logs When Previewing Tests

You can also view logs while writing and previewing tests. Toggle the “Virtual Machine Console” on in the visual editor while previewing steps (N.B. These logs don’t save. Only run tests have saved logs).

Available Logs

Results after January 31, 2023 have automation logs available.