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Manual exploring
Manual exploring enables you to explore specific parts of your application, filling in fields and forms as you go. This can be a way of ensuring that particular areas of the site are covered, and that AppScan has the information needed to complete forms correctly.
Using a browser
For web applications, you can usually use the build-in Chromium browser for manual exploring. Where necessary an external browser can be used.
Recording with an external browser
You can set AppScan to act as a proxy server and then manually explore your application using a third part browsing utility. In this mode of operation, AppScan records the HTTP/HTTPS traffic going through it, analyzes it, and creates the appropriate tests.

Welcome
Welcome to the documentation for HCL AppScan Standard version 10.4.0
Getting started
This section provides a short tour of basic product features and procedures, including using the wizard to set up a scan.
Configuration
You configure a scan by choosing settings that best describe your application, and the kind of testing you want.
Manual exploring
Manual exploring enables you to explore specific parts of your application, filling in fields and forms as you go. This can be a way of ensuring that particular areas of the site are covered, and that AppScan has the information needed to complete forms correctly.
- Using a browser
  For web applications, you can usually use the build-in Chromium browser for manual exploring. Where necessary an external browser can be used.
  - Recording with a browser
    Describes recording Manual Explore data with a browser.
  - Exporting Manual Explore data
    Standard procedures can be "recorded" in the form of a Manual Explore, and then imported to future scans.
  - Importing Manual Explore data
    If you have saved a standard procedures in the form of a Manual Explore, you can import it to another scan to test it again, even on a different server.
  - Recording with an external browser
    You can set AppScan to act as a proxy server and then manually explore your application using a third part browsing utility. In this mode of operation, AppScan records the HTTP/HTTPS traffic going through it, analyzes it, and creates the appropriate tests.
    - Configuring your browser to use AppScan as a proxy
      An example showing how to configure your browser to use AppScan as a proxy.
- Using an external client
  You can manually explore RESTful or other non-SOAP web APIs - or SOAP APIs that do not require security envelopes - using a mobile phone, simulator, or emulator. AppScan displays the domains and requests in its External Traffic Recorder, and create appropriate tests from the input.
Scanning
Learn how to start a scan, and what happens during the scan; how to manually manipulate the Explore stage, and how to export the results of a scan.
Data
Data view is populated with information about the structure of the site during the Explore stage of the scan.
Issues
Issues view provides access to the results of a scan. You can view results at a high level or select specific tests or objects and access more details. These details include how to fix, requests/responses, and differences between the test variants that resulted in issues. You can manipulate the severity of issues, resend tests (with or without modifications), and create reports based on Issues.
Reports
This section describes how to generate reports from the scan results.
Tools
This section explains how to use additional tools provided with HCL AppScan Standard.
Integrations
This section describes integrations of other applications with AppScan Standard:
Best practices
This section contains some best practices and use cases for advanced users.
FAQ & Troubleshooting
CLI
This section describes the syntax and options available using the Command line interface.
References
Menus and toolbar summaries, and glossary

Recording with an external browser

You can set AppScan to act as a proxy server and then manually explore your application using a third part browsing utility. In this mode of operation, AppScan records the HTTP/HTTPS traffic going through it, analyzes it, and creates the appropriate tests.

About this task

In the unlikely event of the built-inAppScan browsers producing error messages while your external browser does not, you may use this facility to browse manually using an external browser, with AppScan as proxy. (If this happens, contact the AppScan® support team so the issue can be resolved.)

Procedure

Make sure that AppScan is not configured to use Internet Explorer proxy settings. In Scan Configuration > Connection View, do one of the following:
- Select Don't use proxy
- Select Use custom proxy settings; type in proxy address, port, and authentication information.
Note: If you do not do this the setting is automatically changed to Don't use proxy when you start exploring.
Find the AppScan listening port. Open Tools > Options > Recording Proxy tab (see Recording Proxy tab).

The Proxy Port area shows the port that AppScan is using to listen to traffic going to the web application. It may be a port that AppScan assigned to itself (the port number you are looking for will be gray), or a port that you selected manually.
Configure your web browser to use AppScan as its proxy:

In your browser, find the section for configuring a proxy server. Change the hostname or address to the IP address (localhost is usually an acceptable entry) in use by the machine running AppScan, and change the port to the AppScan listening port.
Perform a Manual Explore of your application (see Using a browser for full details):
1. Click Scan > Manual Explore, to open the AppScan internal browser.
2. Without closing the internal browser, open your external browser.
3. Manually explore the application as necessary.
4. Close the external browser.
5. Close the AppScan internal browser.