Types of Recording Modes in QTP/UFT: Analog, Low Level, Context

Understanding UFT/QTP recording modes is essential before automating any test, because the mode selected decides how Quick Test Professional captures each user action and turns it into runnable VBScript. Recording is the fastest way to produce a first draft of a test, and the tool can switch between three built-in modes depending on how well it recognizes the objects on the screen.

HP UFT (QTP) supports 3 types of recording modes:

1. Normal (Context Sensitive) Recording
2. Analog Recording
3. Low-Level Recording

Each mode records interactions differently, and choosing the right one avoids fragile scripts that break the moment the screen resolution or object layout changes. The sections below explain how each mode works, when to use it, and how the resulting recorded script differs between them.

Normal (Context Sensitive) Recording Mode

Normal Recording, also called Context Sensitive Recording, is the default mode every time the Record button is clicked in UFT/QTP. It relies on the tool’s Test Object Model to recognize each control regardless of its exact position on the screen.

• It is the default recording mode and takes full advantage of Quick Test Professional’s Test Object Model.
• It recognizes objects in the application under test (AUT) irrespective of their location on the screen.
• It records the objects in the application and the operations performed on them, such as a click, a selection, or a text entry.
• Because it stores meaningful object properties instead of raw coordinates, scripts recorded in this mode stay stable across resolution and layout changes.

Most automation engineers use Normal Recording for the majority of a test, switching to Analog or Low-Level only for the small number of steps that Normal Recording cannot capture accurately.

Analog Recording Mode

Analog Recording tracks the literal path of the mouse pointer instead of the objects it touches. Use it only for operations that genuinely need pixel-level mouse movement, such as capturing a signature or a free-hand drawing.

• UFT records and tracks every movement of the mouse, relative to either the screen or the application window, as the mouse is dragged around.
• Micro Focus UFT’s Analog recording is captured as a Track and stored in the directory of the test.
• It is useful for recording operations that cannot be recorded at the object level, for example a signature produced by dragging the mouse.
• Recording can be done relative to the screen, which is required when an operation spans multiple windows, such as dragging an item from one window to another.
• Recording can also be done relative to the window, which is the better choice when the entire operation happens inside a single window.

A recorded Analog step is played back with the RunAnalog method, shown below.

Dim app
Set app = Window("Paint")
' Replay a mouse track recorded in Analog mode
app.RunAnalog "Track1"
Set app = Nothing

Analog tests are resolution-dependent, so the screen resolution at record time and at run time must match exactly, otherwise the script fails.

Low-Level Recording Mode

Low-Level Recording captures the exact x,y coordinates where an operation happens, regardless of whether UFT can identify the underlying object or its properties. UFT switches to this mode automatically when it meets an object it does not recognize, and it can also be selected manually from the Record menu.

• It enables recording on any object in the application, irrespective of whether UFT recognizes the specific object or operation.
• It records at the object level and treats every run-time object as either a generic Window or WinObject test object.
• It is used when the exact coordinates of an operation matter, for example a hashmap image where clicking different regions opens different links.
• It is the fallback mode for environments or custom controls that UFT does not natively support.
• Low-Level Recording captures the x,y coordinates of every click, but unlike Analog Recording it does not track continuous mouse movement.

A Low-Level step is recorded as a coordinate-based click, as shown in the VBScript below.

Dim win
Set win = Window("Order Form").WinObject("Custom Grid")
' Low-Level recording stores the click as fixed x,y coordinates
win.Click 125, 48
Set win = Nothing

Because the coordinates are fixed, the same screen position must be available at run time. Any change in window size, resolution, or control placement can cause the script to click the wrong spot.

Normal vs Analog vs Low-Level Recording: Which Mode to Use

Choosing the correct recording mode comes down to how UFT identifies the object being interacted with and whether the exact screen position matters. The table below compares the three modes side by side.

As a rule, keep Normal Recording as the default and switch to Analog or Low-Level only for the specific steps that Normal Recording cannot capture reliably, then switch back to Normal Recording immediately afterward.

How to Switch Between Recording Modes in UFT

UFT allows the recording mode to change at any point within the same recording session, so separate tests are not needed for each mode. Follow the steps below to switch modes while recording.

Step 1) Open the test and click the Record button, or press F6, to start recording in the default Normal mode.

Step 2) When a step is reached that Normal Recording cannot capture correctly, open the Record menu and choose Record > Analog Recording, or press Ctrl+F3.

Step 3) Perform the mouse action that needs to be tracked, such as drawing a signature, and UFT saves it as a Track file.

Step 4) Click Record > Analog Recording again, or press Ctrl+F3, to turn Analog Recording off and return to Normal mode.

Step 5) For a step that involves an unrecognized object, choose Record > Low-Level Recording, or press Shift+F3, perform the action, then press Shift+F3 again to switch back to Normal Recording.

Step 6) Finish the remaining steps in Normal mode, then click Stop to end the recording and save the test.

Keep the following points in mind while switching modes:

• Switching to Analog or Low-Level Recording is available only while actively recording, not while editing an already recorded test.
• UFT remembers the last Record and Run Settings used, so review them each time a new recording session starts.
• Mixing modes inside one test action is normal and expected; most real-world tests use Normal Recording for the vast majority of steps.

After recording, open the test in Keyword View or Expert View to confirm that each mode-specific step was captured as expected before adding checkpoints or verifying object identification.

Recording Mode Limitations and Best Practices

Analog and Low-Level Recording are useful fallback options, but they come with trade-offs worth understanding before relying on them in a regression suite.

⚠ Tip: Reserve Analog and Low-Level Recording for the few steps Normal Recording genuinely cannot handle. Overusing either mode makes scripts fragile and harder to maintain.

• Both Analog and Low-Level Recording require more disk space than Normal Recording because they store raw coordinate or movement data.
• Screen positions at record time and run time must match exactly, otherwise the script fails or clicks the wrong element.
• Low-Level Recording does not track continuous mouse movement, only discrete click coordinates.
• UFT can switch to Low-Level Recording automatically when it meets an object or environment it does not support, even without the mode being selected manually.
• VBScript basics used inside recorded steps, such as variables and object references, are covered in the VBScript tutorial.

Learn Context, Analog, Low-Level Recording Modes with an example in the following video.

Click here if the video is not accessible

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