Ignored Zones

Ignored Zones let you exclude parts of the screen from comparison during monitoring. Think of them as the inverse of Compare Screen Fragment - instead of selecting what to check, you select what to skip.

Note

Ignored Zones only take effect when Pixel Comparison is enabled for the test. Without Pixel Comparison, ignored zones have no impact on the monitoring result.

How it works

When you add an ignored zone to an event, you draw a rectangular area on the screenshot. This tells TestCLIX that this zone should not be checked - any content inside it is excluded from the comparison and cannot trigger a mismatch.

You can add multiple ignored zones to the same event. Zones can overlap - overlapping zones are merged into a single excluded area.

When to use ignored zones

Ignored zones are useful when a page contains a mix of stable and dynamic content. For example:

• A dashboard with a fixed layout but a last-updated timestamp or live visitor counter that changes on every load.
• A product page with stable images and prices but a rotating promotional banner or dynamic ad.
• A checkout page where the order total or delivery date changes between runs.
• A page with an animated element (spinner, carousel) that differs frame-to-frame.

Without ignored zones, any change in the dynamic part would fail the Pixel Comparison even though the rest of the page is correct.

How to add ignored zones

Ignored zones can be added to any event on the timeline — not just screenshots or verification steps. Every event has an associated screenshot, so you can define exclusion areas on any step in the scenario.

1. Click any event in the Session Timeline to jump directly to it in Preview mode. You do not need to replay the scenario to that step — Preview mode lets you access any recorded step instantly.
2. Click Add ignored zones.
3. Draw rectangles on the screenshot to mark areas that should be excluded from comparison. To add more zones, simply draw additional rectangles.
4. Click Save ignored zones to confirm.

The ignored zones are stored with the event and applied automatically during monitoring.

Modifying ignored zones

To change or remove ignored zones, go back to Preview mode on the same event. You can adjust the position and size of each zone, select and delete individual zones, or draw new ones. Click Save ignored zones when done.

Caveats

• Ignored zones hide content from comparison completely. If the dynamic area grows beyond the masked region, the overflow may still cause a mismatch.
• Use the smallest zone that covers the dynamic content. Masking large areas reduces the value of the Pixel Comparison check.
• Ignored zones apply to both the recorded reference and the current screenshot, so the comparison is fair even if the dynamic content changes.