Scott Hanselman's ComputerZen.com

Rutger Smit has given the original WatirMaker an overhaul and we're re-releasing it as WatirRecorder++. Here's the original screencast if you want to see what it does. A roadmap will follow soon. Thanks Rutger!

This version compiles and runs under 1.1, but it upgrades smoothly to 2.0, so we'll probably do that one day. We're in the process of setting up an Open Source BSD Project at CodePlex.com so if you've made changes yourself, or you want to join up, now's the time. We'll get the source uploaded as soon as the permissions are setup. If you become a developer or want the source, you'll be able to interact with the Team System source control system using a number of clients. Be sure to read the manual.

UPDATE: We had some trouble getting everyone access on CodePlex so we're putting WatirMaker/WatirRecorder up on OpenQA.org, where Watir itself is hosted.

You can check out the source anonymously using the Subversion URL http://svn.openqa.org/svn/watir-recorder/trunk You can get the source by doing the following:

svn co https://svn.openqa.org/svn/watir-recorder/trunk

If you've never installed Watir, here's the easiest possible thing to do:

• Install the Ruby One-Click Installer.
• Open cmd.exe and type "gem install watir"
• Install WatirRecorder++, hit Start, do some stuff (do NOT use the keyboard to submit forms). Hit stop, and playback.
• Now, STOP everything and remind yourself that this is a jump-starter, that's it.
• Watir is so incredibly easy, that many folks "get it" and stop using a recorder all together.
• Read the VERY excellent Watir User Guide. Do read it all, and scroll all the way down. If you skim, you'll possibly miss some goodness.
• Try using the IRB (run IRB.exe) from the command line to develop your tests. There's great examples.
• There's also the Ruby version of WatirMaker, and folks are already starting to improve it.

Enjoy.

File Attachment: WatirRecorder_Setup_Lite.msi (2858 KB)

As an aside, keep an eye out for FireWatir. It's tricky to install and requires a number of bleeding edge things, but it's very shiny.