Instruments Automation saving options

Question

I'm new to Instruments Automation. After finishing a script I decided to save my work but see two options 1.) save as 2.) "save as template"

I noticed that when I choose save as it creates a "Trace Document" while save as template saves as "Trace Template"

What is the difference between these?

Answer 1

Save saves your trace data so you can examine it later.

Save as template saves the trace document's instrument list as a template you can choose from when you choose Product > Profile in Xcode or File > New in Instruments.

If you find yourself constantly adding instruments to the trace or removing instruments from the trace, saving as a template frees you from having to add or remove instruments every time you trace. Suppose you're profiling the performance of an OpenGL game and you want to use both the Time Profiler and the OpenGL Driver instruments. You'll notice Apple does not provide a template that combines both of these instruments. You can set up your trace to use both instruments and save as a template so you don't have set up the trace every time you profile your game.

Answer 2

Considering the Instrument named Automation for UI interaction simulation: If you want to save the script itself as a javascript source file, do right click in the script pane, and select Export. Then you can open the file again by tapping the Add button and the choose Import.