Troubleshooting: a structured playbook for Web and API failures

Use this order every time a suite fails. Most issues are fixed in under a minute when you follow the order.

1. Read the lower-right log first. The log line that says FAIL is almost always the real problem. Do not start guessing until you have read the log.
2. Identify which step failed. Note the step number, action, and selector or endpoint.
3. Apply the right checklist below.

WEB checklist
- URL: did the browser actually land where you expected?
- Selector: does the selector still exist on the current page state?
- Action: is "type" used on inputs, "click" on buttons, "select" on dropdowns?
- Value mode: is the dataset key present in your dataset file?
- Wait: does the page need a brief stabilizer before the next step?
- Assertion: is the expected value correct, and is it pulled from the right source (dataset vs runtime)?
- Page boundary: was the new page scanned again after navigation?

API checklist
- Base URL is configured.
- Auth header is present and the token has not expired.
- Content-Type matches the body type.
- Body format is valid JSON if you are sending JSON.

Five specific cases worth knowing by heart

1. A field gets typed EMPTY. The dataset key is missing or misspelled. Key names match exactly, including hyphens vs underscores. Open the dataset, verify the key, re-run.
2. A dropdown does not change. Dropdowns need a select action - not type - and the value must match the option's visible text exactly as shown on screen, including capitalization.
3. The browser stops opening after working fine for weeks. Your browser auto-updated and the WebDriver no longer matches. Open Tools > Import Driver..., download the matching driver version, Validate, Save.
4. "invalid session id" after closing the browser window by hand. Fixed in 1.3.3 - the app detects the ended session and starts a fresh one on the next Open or Scan. On older versions: click Close in WebSureQTool, then Open again.
5. A pasted URL fails to navigate. In 1.3.3, URLs pasted with surrounding parentheses, brackets, or quotes are cleaned automatically. On older versions, remove those characters by hand.

For a much deeper playbook covering session reuse, branch/loop logic, capture/reuse mistakes, and WebDriver issues, ask the Intelligent Assistant for "troubleshooting deep dive".

The public guide stays intentionally high level. Open the Intelligent Assistant for click-by-click instructions, learning order, and practice ideas.