Manual UI Testing on Autopilot: Run Your Regression Checklist with a Macro

When to Use Macros for Testing

Macro-based testing works best for: smoke tests after each build, regression checklists for stable UI flows, repetitive click sequences with predictable outcomes, and UI verification that does not require reading actual text values.

It works poorly for: tests that must read and validate displayed text, tests on UIs that change layout frequently, tests requiring precise timing measurement, or anything that needs to interact with browser dev tools or system-level features.

Recording the Test

We started by running the full 45-step regression checklist manually while Repio was recording (F5 to start recording). The recording captures every click, keypress, and delay - including thinking time. After stopping (F6), we cleaned up the timing: reduce move delays to 80-100ms, keep click-after-type delays at 200ms+, add explicit wait actions before assertions.

action_type,button,x,y,delay_ms,comment
move,,,450,200,80,Hover over menu
click,left,450,200,150,Click File menu
wait,,,,500,Wait for menu animation
click,left,450,240,100,Click New Document
wait,,,,1000,Wait for dialog
key,escape,,,200,Close dialog
# ... 39 more steps

Breakpoints as Soft Assertions

Repio breakpoints (F9 to set, F9 to continue) pause the macro at a specific action. In testing context, we set breakpoints at critical verification points - after login, after saving a document, after navigating to a specific screen. The macro pauses, a human glances at the screen to verify the expected state, presses F9 to continue.

This hybrid approach (automated clicking + human visual verification) is faster than fully manual testing and more reliable than trying to automate visual assertions with coordinate-based tools.

Screenshot at Each Step

After each critical action, the macro calls a post-script action to capture a screenshot with a timestamped filename. After the full run, the QA engineer has a visual log of every step for documentation and bug reporting.

# Screenshot post-script action (PowerShell):
script,,,,powershell -command "Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms; [System.Windows.Forms.Screen]::PrimaryScreen | Out-Null; [System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard]::Clear()",screenshot

# Simpler: use Win+Shift+S snipping shortcut
key,win+shift+s,,,500,Capture screen region

Limitations to Know

• Coordinate-based: If the UI resizes or moves to a different monitor, coordinates break. Test on a fixed resolution and window position.
• Cannot read text: The macro cannot verify that a label says "Success" vs "Error" - that requires human observation at breakpoints or OCR tools.
• Not version-controlled natively: Store your CSV test files in git alongside the codebase so they stay in sync with UI changes.