Rational Robot is a complete test tools for automating the testing ofMicrosoft Windows client/server and Internet applications running under Windows NT 4.0, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Me.
The main component of Robot lets you start recording tests in as few as two mouse clicks. After recording, Robot plays back the tests in a fraction of the time it would take to repeat the actions manually.
Other components of Robot are:
- Rational Administrator Use to create and manage Rational projects, which store your testing information.
- Rational TestManager Log Use to review and analyze test results.
- Object Properties, Text, Grid, and Image Comparators Use to view and analyze the results of verification point playback.
- Rational SiteCheck Use to manage Internet and intranet Web sites.
Managing Rational Projects with the Administrator
You use the Rational Administrator to create and manage projects.
Rational projects store application testing information, such as scripts, verification points, queries, and defects. Each project consists of a database and several directories of files. All Rational Test components on your computer update and retrieve data from the same active project.
Projects help you organize your testing information and resources for easy tracking. Projects are created in the Rational Administrator, usually by someone with administrator privileges.
Use the Administrator to:
- Create a project under configuration management.
- Create a project outside of configuration management.
- Connect to a project.
- See projects that are not on your machine (register a project).
- Delete a project.
- Create and manage users and groups for a Rational Test datastore.
- Create and manage projects containing Rational RequisitePro projects and Rational Rose models.
- Manage security privileges for the entire Rational project.
- Create a test datastore using SQL Anywhere. See Notes below.
Convert an existing Microsoft Access test datastore to a SQL Anywhere test datastore.
NOTE: When you create a test datastore, the Rational Administrator uses
Sybase SQL Anywhere for the default database engine. If not already done so, you must install Sybase SQL Anywhere software and create a SQL Anywhere database server before you create a new SQL Anywhere test datastore or convert an existing Microsoft Access test datastore to a SQL Anywhere test datastore. For information about installing SQL Anywhere software and creating a SQL Anywhere database server, see Rational Server Products Installation Guide. To manage a Sybase SQL Anywhere database server, see the Sybase Help.
NOTE: However, if only one user will access the test datastore
simultaneously, you can use Microsoft Access for the database engine. To
create a test datastore using Microsoft Access software, click Microsoft
Access in the Create Test Datastore wizard and follow instructions on the
screen. See the Rational Administrator online Help for more information
The following figure shows the main Rational Administrator window after you have created some projects:
For information about the Administrator and projects, see the Rational Suite Administrators Guide.
NOTE: Since Rational Administrator no longer supports Windows 98 and
Windows Me, you must connect to a remote test datastore when using Robot to record a script on either of these two platforms. Use the Browse button on the Robot Test Login dialog box to select the location of the Rational project file.
Developing Tests in Robot
You use Robot to develop two kinds of scripts: GUI scripts for functional testing and sessions for performance testing.
Use Robot to:
- Perform full functional testing. Record and play back scripts that navigate through your application and test the state of objects through verification points.
- Perform full performance testing. Use Rational Robot and Rational TestManager together to record and play back sessions that help you determine whether a multiclient system is performing within user-defined standards under varying loads.
- Create and edit scripts using the SQABasic and VU scripting environments.The Robot editor provides color-coded commands with keyword Help for powerful integrated programming during script development. (VU scripting is used with sessions in performance testing.)
- Test applications developed with IDEs such as Visual Studio.NET, Java,HTML, Visual Basic, Oracle Forms, Delphi, and PowerBuilder. You can test objects even if they are not visible in the applications interface.
- Collect diagnostic information about an application during script playback.Robot is integrated with Rational Purify, Rational Quantify, and Rational PureCoverage. You can play back scripts under a diagnostic tool and see the results in the log.
The Object-Oriented Recording technology in Robot lets you generate scripts by simply running and using the application-under-test. Robot uses Object-Oriented Recording to identify objects by their internal object names, not by screen coordinates. If objects change locations or their text changes, Robot still finds them on playback.
The following figure shows the main Robot window after you have recorded a script.
The Object Testing technology in Robot lets you test any object in the
application-under-test, including the objects properties and data. You can test standard Windows objects and IDE-specific objects, whether they are visible in the interface or hidden.
In functional testing, Robot provides many types of verification points for testing the state of the objects in your application. For example, you use the Object Properties verification point to capture the properties of an object during recording, and to compare these properties during playback.
The following figure shows the Object Properties Verification Point dialog box.
Creating Datapools
A datapool is a source of variable test data that scripts can draw from during playback.
If a script sends data to a server during playback, consider using a datapool as the source of the data. By accessing a datapool, a script transaction that is executed multiple times during playback can send realistic data and even unique data to the server each time. If you do not use a datapool, the same data (the exact data you recorded) is sent each time the transaction is executed.
TestManager is shipped with many commonly used data types, such as cities, states, names, and telephone area codes. In addition, TestManager lets you create your own data types.
When creating a datapool, you specify the kinds of data (called data types) that the script will send for example, customer names, addresses, and unique order numbers or product names. When you finish defining the datapool, TestManager automatically generates the number of rows of data that you specify.
The following figure shows a datapool being defined. Note that most of the data types in the Type column are standard data types shipped with TestManager. Two data types, Product List and Color List, are user-defined data types.
Analyzing Results in the Log and Comparators
You use TestManager to view the logs that are created when you run scripts and schedules.
Use the log to:
- View the results of running a script, including verification point failures,procedural failures, aborts, and any additional playback information. Reviewing the results in the log reveals whether each script and verification point passed or failed.
Use the Comparators to:
- Analyze the results of verification points to determine why a script may have failed. Robot includes four Comparators:
- Object Properties Comparator
- Text Comparator
- Grid Comparator
- Image Comparator
The following figure shows a log file that contains a failed Object Properties verification point.
When you select the line that contains the failed Object Properties verification point and click View > Verification Point, the Object Properties Comparator opens, as shown in the following figure. In the Comparator, the Baseline column shows the original recording, and the Actual column shows the playback that failed. Compare the two files to determine whether the difference is an intentional change in the application or a defect.
Managing Intranet and Web Sites with SiteCheck and Robot
You use Rational SiteCheck to test the structural integrity of your intranet or World Wide Web site. SiteCheck is designed to help you view, track, and maintain your rapidly changing site.
- Visualize the structure of your Web site and display the relationship betweeneach page and the rest of the site.
- Identify and analyze Web pages with active content, such as forms, Java, JavaScript, ActiveX, and Visual Basic Script (VBScript).
- Filter information so that you can inspect specific file types and defects,including broken links.
- Examine and edit the source code for any Web page, with color-coded text.
- Update and repair files using the integrated editor, or configure your favoriteHTML editor to perform modifications to HTML files.
- Perform comprehensive testing of secure Web sites. SiteCheck provides Secure Socket Layer (SSL) support, proxy server configuration, and support formultiple password realms.
Robot has two verification points for use with Web sites:
- Use the Web Site Scan verification point to check the content of your Web site with every revision and ensure that changes have not resulted in defects.
- Use the Web Site Compare verification point to capture a baseline of your Web site and compare it to the Web site at another point in time.
The following figures show the types of defects you can scan for using a Web Site verification point and the list of defects displayed in SiteCheck.
For more information about SiteCheck, see the SiteCheck Help. For more
information about the Web Site verification points, see the Robot Help.
For more information about TestFactory, see its manuals and Help.
This article will continue..next coming Using Robot with Other Rational Products
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