Getting started

Requirements#

• Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit).
• Node.js — only to run tests.
• An internet connection the first time you run a test: the app downloads the test runner (Playwright and its Chromium browser) once.

If Node.js is missing, the Runner tab shows the message “Node.js is required to run tests.” with two buttons: Download Node.js (opens nodejs.org in your default browser) and Re-check. After installing Node.js, click Re-check; if it is still not detected, restart Actify Studio.

Install and first launch#

1. Open the Actify Studio page on the Microsoft Store and install it. You can also open the Microsoft Store app and search for Actify Studio.
2. Start Actify Studio from the Start menu.
3. A six-step guide to your first test opens: open a site, record, add checks, save and run, then the advanced features (test data, secrets, Pages & Flows, page health check). Each step shows the buttons as they look in the app. Browse it with Next / Back, the dots or the arrow keys. Reopen it any time with the ? button at the top right of the toolbar; its Docs link opens this documentation in your browser.
4. On first launch the app creates a folder named Actify-Studio in your Windows user folder (C:\Users\<you>\Actify-Studio) with a first project called Default.

The screen at a glance#

• Toolbar (top): browser controls, URL bar, test name, Record, Save, project and environment selectors, help and theme. In a narrow window the URL bar and test name shrink first, then the buttons show only their icon (the name appears on hover) and, if needed, the toolbar wraps onto two lines.
• Left panel: the generated output (Playwright, Manual Steps, Gherkin) on top and the Action History (your steps) below. The panel icon at the far left of the toolbar hides it to give the browser full width.
• Browser (right): a real Chromium browser where you use the site under test.
• Dock (below the browser): two tab groups, switched with the Debug | Framework toggle.
  • Debug: DOM, Network, Console — inspect the current page.
  • Framework: Workspace, Pages, Flows, Runner — build and run tests.
  • Expand or collapse the dock with the chevron; drag its top edge to resize it.
• Status bar (bottom): current state (Ready, Recording — N action(s), …) and the current site.

Dialogs and popups (settings, confirmations, assertions, test data, headers…) close only with their own buttons or Esc: an accidental click outside does not close them, so you never lose what you were filling in. While a menu or popup is open, the page in the browser stays visible underneath (frozen).

Your first test in five minutes#

1. Open your site. Type an address in the URL bar (Enter URL...) and press Enter — for example localhost:3000 or www.example.com. You can omit https://; it is added for you (http:// for localhost and local network IPs).
2. Start recording. Click Record (or press Ctrl+R). The first step, Navigate to …, appears in the Action History. Record needs a valid web address in the URL bar (a domain, localhost or an IP address, with optional port).
3. Use the site normally. Click, type in fields, pick from dropdowns, press Enter. Each action appears as a step card, and the Playwright, Manual Steps and Gherkin views update as you go.
4. Add a check. Click Assert (shown while recording), then click an element in the browser. In the dialog choose, for example, toBeVisible (the element is visible) or toHaveText (its text matches). The assertion is added as a step.
5. Name the test. Type a name in the Test name... field, e.g. login_happy_path. If you leave it empty, the app generates a name from the date and time.
6. Save. Click Save (or press Ctrl+S). The test is written to disk and the recording ends. A notification confirms Saved: <name>.
7. Open the Runner. In the dock, switch to Framework and open Runner. The first time, if Node.js is installed, the app prepares the test runner automatically (“Setting up test runner… (first run, one time)”). Wait for it to finish.
8. Run it. Under All tests, hover your test and click ▶. The output on the right describes every step in plain words, with ✓ or ✗ and its duration; the status shows Passed or Failed (exit N). If the test fails, the Screenshots tab shows the page where it stopped (see Step screenshots).
9. See the report. Click Report to open the test’s HTML report in your browser.

What gets saved#

Each saved recording gets its own folder: Actify-Studio\<project>\tests\recordings\<test name>\

In test names, any character other than letters, digits, _ and - becomes _.

The project also holds two shared folders: fixtures (files used by upload steps) and support, with actify-data.ts, the helpers behind dynamic data. Secrets are never written to the project folder.