A method includes executing instructions recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable storage media using at least one processor. The method includes receiving a notification of a selection of an user interface (UI) element within a UI of a target application, generating a request for an element listener instance, notifying multiple test recorder hooks of the request for the element listener instance, where each of the test recorder hooks is associated with a specific UI format having multiple different element listeners depending on a type of selected UI element, creating the element listener instance by one of the test recorder hooks based on the UI format and the selected UI element, registering, by the element listener instance, for events associated with the UI element and recording the events.