You choose the automated test type from the Recording toolbar.
 

Keyword tests are recorded as a sequence of operations that simulate user actions on the tested application. The benefit of these automated tests is that in many cases it is easier and faster to create them than to write script code for the same automated test. Also, to create keyword tests you do not have to know scripting languages, thus, keyword tests are perfect when you need to create quick, simple, automated tests.
 

Scripts allow you to implement complex automated tests. TestComplete can record user actions as scripting instructions on VBScript, JScript, DelphiScript, C++Script or C#Script. The recorded automated tests often end up looking a lot like the source code of the application under test. That helps testers better understand your applications and improves communication with developers.

While recording a keyword test or a script routine, TestComplete records the key actions necessary to replay the automated test and discards all unneeded actions. This makes the automated tests compact and easy to read. Besides, removing delays between events speeds up the automated test playing back.

However, there are times when you need to record everything, this is when low-level recordings are used.
 

Low-level procedures are special project elements that record mouse clicks, keyboard events, mouse motions and mouse wheel events as well as the pauses between the events. Since the recorder tracks all pauses, low-level procedures will play back at the same speed as they were recorded. Low-level procedures are useful when an exact simulation of mouse and keyboard events is needed.
 

Load testing represent a sequence of HTTP requests to be sent to a web server when performing load testing, stress testing or scalability testing. When recording these tasks, TestComplete tracks the HTTP, HTTPS and SOAP requests sent from the current computer to web servers. Later these requests can be modified and duplicated in order to simulate multiple users.
 

Object-Based Recording for Automated Tests

TestComplete's automated tests use the object-based approach that makes them resistant to possible changes in the application under test or testing conditions. Older automated test recorders captured simple screen coordinate based actions, for example, a mouse click at point X=245, Y=350. Unlike other automated testing tools, TestComplete works at the object level. This means that when TestComplete captures user actions over an application, it records more than just mouse clicks, it reads the object name and properties from the application and records the actions of the object: selection, string input, checking/unchecking and much more. TestComplete can see the object names inside the application under test, so it creates automated tests that address those objects. If possible, TestComplete also uses the same names of the windows and controls that were assigned by the developers. For instance, instead of Click(245,350), TestComplete's automated tests look more like, MyForm.btnOK.ClickButton().

That’s because TestComplete records object-based actions instead of coordinate based actions, its tests are more stable and are harder to break than other automated tests from various other automated testing tools. Automated tests that are coordinate based usually fail when the application’s interface changes. TestComplete’s object based automated tests still work after changes like moving, adding or resizing controls.

TestComplete recognizes the most common UI library objects for your development platform like .NET, WPF (XAML), Java, MFC, ATL, VCL, Qt, and many more. And it’s not limited to common library objects, it can recognize even the most application-specific elements.