You can open existing topics using the Other link in the Open section on the Home page, or by clicking the link to any topic file that appears on the Home page. The Record It! Home page remembers the five most recent topics that you opened.

Topics open in the Record It! Editor. The Record It! Editor displays screenshot thumbnails (or frames) on the left and a full size screenshot on the right. A Notes area appears beneath the full size screenshot so you can edit existing note text entered during the recording process or add new notes. Frames with note text display an  icon next to the frame thumbnail in the left pane. Use the Forward  and Backward  navigation arrows in the toolbar to move from frame to frame or click through the frame thumbnails in the left pane. Any changes that you make to each frame are automatically applied as you navigate from one frame to another. As you edit the topic, you can click  to save your changes. 

Note: Use Close from the File menu to close a topic and return to the Record It! Home page. Clicking the Close button on the Record It! title bar closes the Record It! application.
 

While working in the editor, you can  delete any existing frame but you cannot insert a new frame. You have to rerecord the topic you if mistakenly delete a frame which is needed, or need to insert a new frame. You can, however, insert missing frames using the Topic Editor in the Developer.

Note: You cannot undo an action in the Record It! Editor, but you can close a topic without saving it, which then reverts to the previously saved version.

Action Areas

The action area indicates where the action takes place in a frame. In the Record It! editor, it is designated by a red rectangle overlaying the frame's screenshot. Most often, the Recorder is able to determine the correct menu, menu entry, icon, or other object, and the action area is sized and positioned automatically. At times, however, you may need to move or resize the action area to select the correct location or to indicate a specific choice in a list.

You can move an action area easily by dragging it. If you need to resize the action area, you can drag the black selection handles on the action area or use double-click actions to change the size. Double-click the left mouse button where you want to set the upper left corner; and then hold the SHIFT key and double-click the left mouse button where you want to set the lower right corner.

Action Settings

The action captured for the current frame appears in editable controls in the Action section of the toolbar. There are three basic action types; mouse, keyboard, and string input. A mouse action includes clicking, double-clicking, pointing, rolling the wheel, and dragging. A keyboard action occurs when you press a key on the keyboard to accomplish a task. A string input action occurs when you enter text into a document, field, dialog box, and so on. While Record It! automatically determines the action, you can change these captured settings if necessary.

Each action is composed of several action settings that appear in the toolbar. You can change an action by selecting another item from a field list or by typing new text into an edit field.

Action setting fields include:

• Action type: The Action type setting represents the mouse, keyboard, or typing action performed in the step. You can use the Action type list to select a different action. For example, you can change a "Left click" or "Left double-click".
   
• Keyboard Modifiers: Add Alt, Control, or Shift key to a keyboard action. If a keyboard modifier is part of the action, a check appears next to the selected modifier.
   
• Object type: The Object type setting refers to the type of object on which you performed the action. Common object types include Checkbox, Editfield, Combobox, Hyperlink, and Menu bar. You can select another object type from the list.
   
• Object name: The Object name setting refers to the name of the object on which you performed the action. This name is entered in the appropriate place in the bubble template to tell the user which icon to click. You can change this field, and subsequently, what appears in the bubble, by typing other text.
   
• Key type: If the action is a keyboard action, such as pressing the TAB key, the Key type setting appears in the toolbar. The Key type setting specifies what key is pressed. You can use the Key type list to select another key. If the keyboard action requires a key combination modifier, such as pressing CTRL for a CTRL+B action, the modifier key is specified in the Keyboard Modifiers list.
   
• Input text: An Input text field appears for string input frames. A string input is where the user is prompted to type a response. You can change the captured input text by typing other text. Note that typing other text does not change what appears in the screenshot.

Changing the action fields affects the text that the user sees in the bubble. The action field settings also represent the "correct" action that the user needs to take to satisfy the step in a knowledge testing mode. Changing the action settings does not affect the screenshots; they remain with the information that you captured. If your screenshots are no longer in sync with your action settings, you will need to rerecord the topic.

Note: You can replace screenshots using the Topic Editor in the Developer.  

Sound Tools

You can use the Sound section on the toolbar to  record sound for a frame or  listen to already recorded sound. Frames with recorded sound display a  sound icon next to the frame in the left pane. If you record sound for a frame that already contains sound, Record It! prompts you that you are re-recording sound for that frame. The new recording overwrites the original captured sound.

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