Web learning path: the 12 core capabilities

Learn the product in this order - each item adds exactly one new capability on top of the previous one. Every recipe below can be built with Scan + Pick + Edit Selected... + Add Step... in the Suite Editor.

1. Single assertion - the smallest useful suite.
   Open https://www.saucedemo.com/, add one row: selector #login-button, assert_visible, then an end step. Run it. This proves URL, selector, and assertion wiring with zero complexity.

2. Wait-only stabilization - timing as a deliberate tool.
   Same suite, but insert a wait step (about 1000 ms) before the assertion. Use waits to PROVE a flaky selector is really a timing issue - do not spray them everywhere.

3. Regex assertion - when the shape matters more than the exact string.
   Type a wrong password on SauceDemo, click login, then assert_text_matches_regex on [data-test='error'] with a pattern for the error message. Use exact match when text must be identical; regex when the format is the contract.

4. Data validation - numeric sanity, not just visible text.
   Log in, add one item to the cart, then validate .shopping_cart_badge with assert_exists, assert_not_null, assert_is_int, and assert_greater_than 0.

5. Multi-assert groups - one business checkpoint, several proofs.
   Keep the badge checks from #4 together as one labeled block ("validate cart badge state"). A checkpoint that proves existence + type + range reads like a business rule, not a technical poke.

6. Repeated-step execution - the same action, safely repeated.
   Duplicate a step with Duplicate Selected / Duplicate N Times... (for example, add two products in a row) and re-validate the badge after each.

7. Store and reuse - capture now, use later.
   Use a capture step (for example capture_text) with a Save As name like RUNTIME_CART_COUNT, then reference it later as ${RUNTIME_CART_COUNT} in an assertion.

8. URL, query, title, cookie, and session capture - browser-level evidence.
   Capture the current URL and title after login; assert url-contains on the post-login page. Capture-first, assert-separately keeps failures readable.

9. Conditions, false branch, and recovery - suites that handle "no".
   Add a branch on a condition (for example, cart empty vs not empty) with gotoTrue/gotoFalse pointing at labeled steps. The false path is your recovery path.

10. Loop and store - bounded repetition.
    Build a loop with a counter limit and a jump back to the gate label. The log prints LOOP CONTINUE / LOOP EXIT lines so you can see exactly when and why it stopped.

11. Managed session chain - sign in once, keep going.
    Split login into its own suite that preserves the session; the follow-up suite reuses it. Run the login suite first; the second suite refuses to start without a session by design.

12. Complex happy path - everything combined.
    Full login -> add to cart -> checkout -> confirmation journey with datasets for input, captures for evidence, and assertions at each business checkpoint.

Use SauceDemo (https://www.saucedemo.com/) to learn selectors, assertions, loops, and cart flows. Use ParaBank to learn query parameters, cookies, and recovery paths. Then repeat on the live practice lab at https://wsqdemo.com.

For the full click-by-click walkthrough of any item, ask the Intelligent Assistant, for example "walk me through regex" or "store and reuse".

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