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# Citrix recording tips

This topic provides guidelines for successfully recording a Citrix ICA Vuser script.

Before starting to record, make sure your environment is set up as described in Set up your Citrix environment.

In this topic:

## Guidelines

Note the following guidelines when recording Citrix protocol scripts.

Guideline | Details
--- | ---
Multi-protocol script | Citrix protocol scripts must be recorded as a multi-protocol script for Citrix and web Vusers. In multi-protocol mode, VuGen generates functions from both Citrix and web protocols during recording.
Plan before recording | Make sure you have a well-defined business process planned, and run through it before recording.
Avoid production environments if possible | Try to load test Citrix applications which are restricted (contained) to a few Citrix servers in a Citrix development/test “farm” rather than to load test in a live Citrix production environment.
Record into appropriate sections | Record the connection process into the vuser_init section, and the closing process into the vuser_end section. This prevents you from performing iterations on the connecting and disconnecting. For more information about recording into sections, see Vuser script sections.
Ensure a clean session | When recording a session, make sure to perform the complete business process, starting with the connection and ending with the cleanup. End your session at a point from where you could start the entire process from the beginning. Do not leave any client or application windows open.
Use explicit clicks | When opening expanded menu options, click explicitly on each option—do not depend on the expanding menu. For example, when choosing Start > All Programs > Microsoft Word, be sure to click on the line All Programs.
Do not resize windows | To ensure exact reproduction of recorded actions, avoid moving or resizing windows while recording. If it is absolutely necessary to change the size or position of a window, double-click on the relevant Sync on Window step in the Step Navigator and modify the window's coordinates. This often, but not always, gives the required replay results.
Make sure resolution settings are consistent | To ensure successful bitmap synchronization, make sure that the resolution settings match. On the recording machine, check the settings of the Citrix client, the Recording Options, and the runtime settings. On the load generators, check the settings of the Citrix client, and make sure that they are consistent between all load generators and recording machines. If there is an inconsistency between the resolutions, the server traffic increases in order to make the necessary adjustments.
Add manual synchronization points | If it is necessary to wait for an event during recording, such as the opening of an application, add manual synchronization points, such as Sync on Text OCR or Sync on Bitmap. For details, see Citrix manual synchronization.
Disable client updates | Disable client updates when prompted by the Citrix client. This prevents forward compatibility issues between VuGen and newer Citrix clients that are not currently supported. (For details on supported versions, see the Support Matrix.)
Citrix server CNAME/alias | If the machine that hosts the Citrix server (Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop) is associated with a CNAME/alias, make sure that the ctrx_nfuse_connect function receives the hostname that is used by the Citrix server. For details, see ctrx_nfuse_connect in the Function Reference.

## Record in non-seamless mode

When you set up your Citrix environment, you configure the Citrix client to open in non-seamless mode. For details, see Set your Citrix client to work in non-seamless mode.

When you begin recording a Citrix script, do the following to make sure that the client is in non-seamless mode.

Tip: Record the following steps in the vuser_init section of the script, as part of the login process.

To ensure that the Citrix client is in non-seamless mode:

1. Log in to the Citrix Web interface.
2. Click Detect Workspace.
3. When prompted to download Citrix Workspace, click Already installed.
4. Select a desktop or desktop app to open within the Citrix client. The ICA file is downloaded.

5. Open the location of the downloaded ICA file, right-click the file, and select Open with > runcitrixclient.

   The desktop or app opens within the Citrix client in non-seamless mode.

## Modify or disable DEP

DEP (Data Execution Prevention) is a security feature included in Windows. It can interfere with some of the Citrix Agent's functionality during record and replay, and may cause older browsers to hang on the VuGen machine. If you experience unusual behavior during recording, modify the DEP settings.

The ideal setting is Turn on DEP for essential Windows programs and services only. If this option is not available, you may need to completely disable DEP using the BCDEdit boot configuration utility.

For information on how to modify the DEP settings, refer to the Microsoft Windows documentation.

## Disable ActiveX

If the application containing the Citrix session is a native Citrix binary file, disable ActiveX controls in order to prevent execution of the Citrix Online plugin.

To disable ActiveX:

1. In the Control Panel, search for Internet Options.

2. In the Internet Options dialog box, select the Security tab.

3. Click Custom level and under Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins select Disable. Make sure that ActiveX is disabled for the Internet Zone to which the Citrix WebInterface site belongs.

4. If you cannot change above settings, try to suppress the loading of the Citrix ActiveX object into the browser's process by setting the SuppressCitrixOcxEnabled flag to true in <installdir>\config\bbhook.ini.

## Citrix protocol with NetScaler and EPA plug-in

Multi-protocol scripts for Citrix and web Vusers were successfully tested in environments that include Citrix NetScaler Gateway VPX release 14.1.

The Citrix Endpoint Analysis (EPA) plug-in provides an additional security layer, but in environments where EPA is enabled, testing showed that it can interfere with automated load scenarios. For that reason, we recommend you disable EPA and re-enable it after load testing is completed. If disabling EPA is not possible, remove the EPA-related web calls that fail during replay; this should allow the load test to complete successfully.

## See also

- Known issues for Citrix
- Citrix manual synchronization

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