User paths
With Tricentis NeoLoad user paths, you can create simulations of real user behavior to load test your application. User paths capture and replay the sequence of interactions that virtual users perform, helping you identify performance bottlenecks and ensure your application handles expected loads.
To learn how to create and edit a user path, explore these topics:
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Record a user path - Capture web application interactions through browser recording.
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Post-recording wizard - Review and clean up recorded requests after a recording session.
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Design a user path - Refine recorded actions with variables, logical sequences, and think times.
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Variable correlation - Link dynamic values between requests to handle session tokens and parameters.
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Flag requests - Mark specific requests for attention during test design and analysis.
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Check a user path - Validate that recorded requests and responses work correctly.
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Implement a user path - Add correlations, parameters, and custom actions for realistic behavior.
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Import Postman collections - Create user paths from existing Postman API collections.
User path creation methods
Tricentis NeoLoad supports multiple ways to create user paths:
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Recording: Capture user interactions through browser recording.
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From scratch: Manually create user paths by adding requests and actions.
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API import: Import requests from Swagger API specifications or Postman collections.
How user paths work
You create user paths in two phases: recording and design. During the recording phase, Tricentis NeoLoad captures your actions as you go through an application. In the design phase, you refine these recorded actions with variables, logical sequences, and think times to simulate realistic user behavior. As a result, you create a user path that you can replay with multiple virtual users to load test your application.
Structure of a user path
A user path in Tricentis NeoLoad includes the following three containers: Init, Actions, and End. Each container plays a specific role in the virtual user's activity in the test scenario.
Init container
The Init container runs one time at the start of a virtual user's session to prepare the environment. For example, when you log into an application, this container groups all the required web pages and interactions.
Actions container
The Actions container stores the core user interactions performed during the virtual user's session. These actions run repeatedly until the session ends.
Control whether the browsing data, such as cookies and cache, resets after each iteration or persists between iterations with these Runtime parameters options:
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Yes: The browsing data always resets after each iteration.
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No: The browsing data persists between two iterations of the Actions container.
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Auto: The browsing data resets after each iteration if the Init container is empty.
If the Init container is empty, Tricentis NeoLoad automatically resets and simulates a new browser after each iteration, unless you specify otherwise in the Runtime parameters.
End container
The End container runs the final steps to end the session and wrap up the user path. For example, this container runs to log out of an application and then groups the associated web pages together.
What's next
Now that you know how user paths work, it's time to record your first user path!