Blog Post: Your First Codeless Script: A Step‑by‑Step Guide

Getting started with test automation doesn’t have to mean writing code. With the Design (FT Design) submodule of OpenText ™ Core Software Delivery Platform Functional Testing , you can create powerful test automation scripts in plain English using AI‑based object detection. This guide walks you through creating your first codeless script , adding steps, and running it successfully. What You’ll Build By the end of this guide, you will know how to: Create a new codeless script Add steps by inspecting your application Run the script to validate it works This follows the standard FT Design workflow: create → inspect → customize → run . Prerequisites (Before You Start) Before creating a script, make sure: The FT Design Agent is installed and connected The browser extension (Chrome, Edge, or Firefox) is enabled Your application is accessible in a browser Browser zoom and Windows display scale are set to 100% Step 1: Create a New Codeless Script You create scripts from the Design Home page . How to create the script Open Functional Testing → Design In the Design Assets pane , select the Scripts folder Click New Codeless Script Enter a script name and choose a folder Click Create The script opens in the Editor , ready for you to add steps. Step 2: Add Steps by Inspecting Your Application Steps are typically created by inspecting your application , allowing FT Design’s AI to identify objects visually—just like a human would. Launch and inspect the application In the script Editor, click Inspect application Select an open browser tab or open a new browser with a URL Click Inspect FT Design highlights identifiable objects on the page. Add your first step Once your application is inspected, FT Design highlights the objects it can detect, such as buttons, inputs, links, and text — similar to how a human tester visually recognizes elements on the screen. 1. Choose the object you want to interact with Click one of the highlighted objects in the inspected application. For example, click a Login button or a Username input field. FT Design opens a pop‑up showing: The object description (how the object is identified) The suggested action (for example: Click, Type, Verify) This description is written in natural English and is what FT Design will use to find the object during execution. 2. Choose from the available actions Depending on the object type, FT Design suggests the most relevant actions: Buttons → Click Inputs → Type / Enter Text or UI elements → Verify existence or value You can keep the suggested action or select a different one if needed (for example, switching from Click to Verify). This is an important moment: you’re defining what behavior you want to automate , not how to implement it. 3. Click Add and run When you click Add and run : The step is added to your script in the editor The step immediately runs on the application FT Design automatically re‑inspects the page after the step runs Note: When you click Add and Run, be careful not to move the mouse until the page is re-inspected. This gives you fast feedback that: ✅ the object was identified correctly ✅ the action behaves as expected ✅ you’re ready to add the next step If you prefer to only add the step without running it yet, use the dropdown next to Add and run and select Add step instead. Further reading: Customizing identification At this stage, it’s enough to accept the defaults. When you’re ready to go deeper, FT Design allows fine‑tuning object identification through: The Inspect dialog The right ‑hand step editing pane (positions, relations, matching rules) What if the object I want isn’t detected? In rare cases, the AI may not recognize a specific object (for example, highly custom UI components). When this happens, FT Design gives you options: Property ‑based identification (using the built‑in Spy) Custom objects (image‑based identification for unsupported UI elements) Don’t worry if this feels advanced — most applications work perfectly with AI inspection alone. Step 3: Run Your Script Once your steps are ready, validate them by running the script. How to run the script: Click Run in the script toolbar Choose: Script applications (defined browsers and URLs), or An already open application Click Start running FT Design launches the application and executes each step. Note: Be careful not to move your mouse while the script is running. Step 4: Review Results After the script finishes running, FT Design clearly shows how each step performed. Viewing results in the editor Passed steps are marked in green Failed steps are marked in red Hover over a failed step to see the failure reason Opening the detailed execution report To see a full execution report: Click View last report in the script results area The HTML report includes: Step‑by‑step execution details Screenshots for each step Failure reasons and timestamps This report is especially useful when: Sharing results with teammates Debugging a failed step Tracking execution history What’s Next? Now that your first script runs successfully, you can continue building confidence by: Adding Verify steps to validate application behavior Running the script again after small UI changes Creating additional short scripts for other flows (search, navigation, forms) When you’re ready to go further: Parameterize inputs to make scripts reusable Associate your script with a codeless test Combine scripts into larger test flows Summary Congratulations on your first codeless automation script! Using FT Design , you’ve seen how easy it is to: Automate user flows without writing code Rely on AI instead of brittle object locators Build readable, maintainable tests in plain English From here, you can quickly grow a reliable and resilient automation testing suite — even for complex applications — while keeping test creation fast and approachable for the whole team. You’ve taken the first step toward automation that works the way testers think.