Test Automation Solutions

How to fast enter/update date/time in Excel

2011-10-12T14:12:00.000+03:00

1. On a worksheet, select the cell into which you want to insert the current date or time.
2. Do one of the following:
* To insert the current date, press CTRL+; (semi-colon).
* To insert the current time, press CTRL+SHIFT+; (semi-colon).
* To insert the current date and time, press CTRL+; (semi-colon), then press SPACE, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+; (semi-colon).

TAF Core 2.10

2011-03-12T09:38:00.001+02:00

TAF Core 2.10 has been released. Here is a list of new features comparing to 2.9.6 version:

* FIX: Repeated TCs are not included if specified in a range.

* FIX: Spaces are not removed from Application keyword.

* FIX: Exception, when test suite hasn't 'Configuration' column.

More details could be found in whatsnew.txt file of TAF Core 2.10 package which is available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/tafcore/.

TAF Core is an automation-tool- and product-independent keyword-driven framework, which can be easily setup on CI, and which was used on multiple projects together with TestComplete, Selenium, QTP and Watir and also could be extended to any other tool.

Run GUI autotests on remote server

2011-03-03T12:09:00.000+02:00

Here is the simple, but very useful instruction how to run GUI test automation scripts on the remote server.

1. Open "Remote desktop connection" window, click "Options" button, then "Save As..." and save "*.rdp" file in any place.
2. Open *.rdp file in Notepad and add to the end of file string: "smart sizing:i:1" without quotes. Make sure that parameters "desktopwidth:i:1280" and "desktopheight:i:1024" has values which match desktop resolution on a server. If you wish, you can change parameter value "session bpp:i:8" to "session bpp:i:24" for more comfort colors.
3. Use this *.rdp file for launching RDC session by clicking on it.

After tests launch on the remote server you can change size the RDC Session window, but don't minimize and don't overlap it with another windows - it is very important.

Optional: for keeping RDC Session window always on top, you can use free software "Hotkey manager" http://www.killprog.com/hkme.html. After install "Hotkey manager" run it, icon appears in system tray, then hold Ctrl button and right-click on "Maxmimize" button on RDC Session window, RDC window becomes always on top. For keeping window always on top, you can use other software too or just control it manually.

In order to keep RDC closed, you can set specific registry values, as it is described at Running Tests in Minimized Remote Desktop Windows article.

Solutions for problems of automated testing Web applications through UI

2011-02-11T10:24:00.000+02:00

Great summary from Yauheni Sivukha regarding web application automation testing solutions - Solutions for problems of automated testing Web applications through UI

How to load mht-files faster

2010-11-24T12:54:00.001+02:00

Big mht-files are loaded slowly and IE could ask couple of times, should it continue to load or not. In order to load faster without asking, there is a key in windows registry:

Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Styles

Create a new DWORD value called "MaxScriptStatements" under this key and set the value to the desired number of script statements. If you are unsure of what value you need to set this to, you can set it to a DWORD value of 0xFFFFFFFF to completely avoid the dialog.

For your convenience, here is the content of reg-file to add value to registry automatically:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Styles]
"MaxScriptStatements"=dword:ffffffff

This fix is especially useful if you use TestComplete, export logs to mht files and use them for test results analyzing.

Details description about this issue could be found at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/175500.

What to do if TestComplete 7.52 does not recognize .NET objects

2010-11-09T00:23:00.001+02:00

If you are using TestComplete 7.52 and it could not recognize .NET applications, it is due to Microsoft has released some .NET Framework updates that were installed automatically on many computers by the Windows Update service. The changes are related to the core .NET Framework functionality used by TestComplete.

After the updates are installed, tests created for .NET 1-3.5 applications may stop working correctly - you may see the "Object Not Found" and related errors in test results.

To resolve the problems, please apply the relevant hot fix:
TestComplete Ent: http://downloads.automatedqa.com/net_patch/NET_TestComplete_Enterprise.zip
TestComplete Std: http://downloads.automatedqa.com/net_patch/NET_TestComplete_Standard.zip
TestExecute: http://downloads.automatedqa.com/net_patch/NET_TestExecute.zip
TestRecorder: http://downloads.automatedqa.com/net_patch/NET_TestRecorder.zip

Here are the hot fix installation steps:
1. Unpack the downloaded archive to your hard disk drive.
The archive contains two folders: 'x86' and 'x64'.

2. Close the product you are applying the fix to.

3. Copy the 'x86\tcClrHook.dll" file to the Extensions folder of the product.
For TestComplete and TestExecute, the folder path looks like this:
\Bin\Extensions\
For TestRecorder, the path is as follows:
\Bin\

4. If you are running an x64 operating system, you will also need to copy the 'x64\tcClrHook.dll' file to the following folder:
TestComplete, TestExecute:
\x64\Bin\Extensions\
TestRecorder:
\x64\Bin\

The fix can be applied only to version 7.52 of TestComplete, TestExecute or TestRecorder.

How to start test automation project

2010-07-22T18:57:00.000+03:00

Just imagine: you are a test automation engineer with 3+ years of experience. You know a couple of test automation tools and one of them you know the best. You also want to grow and one day a manager comes to you and says: "I found a good test automation project for you. You will be a leader, you will have your own team, you are started from scratch and you have to start ASAP. Do you agree?"

Of course, you agree! But you have never started the test automation projects from the very beginning. So, what to do the first?

In order to help with this task, I've created the following mind map:

I explain it a little bit:
1a. Get contacts of software testers, who own and create manual test cases for automation, customer, who would like to see automation (or maybe it is initiated by QA team, so in any way get the most interested person in automation) and developers, who can help in case of object recognition issues.
1b. Understand the goal of test automation project - for what purposes and what will be a success criterion.
2. Evaluate application, tool against an application, take a couple of test cases and try to automate them in order to understand potential difficulties/pecularities.
3. Estimate work. Based on the goal of test automation project and evaluation results, do next step and estimate how much time it takes to automate testing and how many people you need (if it is an option, of course :). The article "How to estimate test automation activities" will be useful.
4a. Think about and create test automation strategy and guidelines, which your team will follow.
4b. Create Prove-of-concept in order to show everyone that your strategy is working by exact example.

From my experience, I know that for the first week-two it will be enough for the good start :).

For further reading, I recommend the article Seven Steps to Test Automation Success - was published first more than 10 years ago, but still useful.

And I'm interesting, what will YOU do in the very beginning of new test automation project?

What is the best tree model for web in TestComplete

2010-07-21T16:41:00.001+03:00

This question is often ask, when people start to automate web applications.You know, TestComplete offers 4 models in 7.x version:

DOM
Tag
Hybrid
Tree

But what is the best?

And here is my observations:

The DOM and Hybrid are not useful at all - I did see any applications (saw at more that 10 of web applications) in which it could be useful. The selection is between Tag and Tree.

Tag is good when there are a lot of intermediate DIV's in application, e.g. as it is for applications build on GWT (Google Web Toolkit). In such case it allows to simplify path to the elements.
Tree is good when there is a tree :). Seriously! E.g. if there are a lot of places where you want to know the children of the parent node.

According to performance, I know the cases when the Tag is faster and the cases when the Tree is faster. Do not believe to anyone, just test.

BTW, there is a verbose description in TestComplete help regarding tree models. You can read it in TestComplete help (Menu "Help"->"Index", type "Tree model (Web testing), About", press ). I will not display it here, because it a lot of text and I believe that you have already read about this :). I show you something more interesting - the personal view about what the fastest tree model from AutomatedQA support team:

The fastest web tree model is the Tree model as stated in the "Web Tree Models" ( http://www.automatedqa.com/support/viewarticle.aspx?aid=5541 ) help topic, so I recommend that you use it. Also, I recommend that you only call the Refresh or RefreshMappingInfo method (the method you use depends on whether you use name mapping in your tests) only for the object whose child objects should be refreshed. So, if only a panel is supposed to be refreshed, you should call the method for this panel or the panel's parent, not for the entire Page object and not for the Sys object (calling the method for the Sys object makes TestComplete refresh the entire object tree).

Also, I recommend that you see the following article:

http://www.automatedqa.com/techpapers/testcomplete/test-playback-performance-tips/

I will not judge you if you read this advices with a little of skepticism, but I agree that calling Sys.Refresh or SomePage.Refresh is not sexy.

Actually we come the following solution - use Tag model by default and switch at runtime to Tree model, where in makes sense. Yes, you can switch at runtime by writing:
Options.Web.TreeModel = "Tag";

It will be interesting for me to try mirror case: use Tree by default and switch to Tag in some cases.

What is your experience with usage of web tree models in TestComplete or in other test automation tools?

How to estimate test automation activities?

2010-06-30T16:41:00.000+03:00

Sometimes test automation specialists, especially those who takes leading roles on the projects, have to perform the one interesting task, which has not too much in common with technical world. It is called

Estimations

I love to make estimations, do you? Especially, when you know exactly how the things will going on, what kind of application are you going to automate, what is the real performance of your colleagues, and what potential risks you have.

And when you have all of this information? Well, you know... :)

Anyway, how to estimate test automation activities?

I do it in the following way (step by step guide):

Create excel spreadsheet.
Enter actual number of test cases to automate - #tcs.
Calculate average number of steps in test case and enter it - StepsInTestCase.
Enter the average time for one step automation - HoursForOneStep.
StepsInTestCase*HoursForOneStep - HoursForOneTestCaseAutomation
Enter hours for one test case debug - usually it is 30-50% of HoursForOneTestCaseAutomation - and it will be HoursForOneTestCaseDebug. E.x. you can use this formula =ROUND(HoursForOneTestCaseAutomation/2,0)
#tcs*(HoursForOneTestCaseAutomation+HoursForOneTestCaseDebug) - HoursForAllTestCasesAutomation.
CEILING(HoursForAllTestCasesAutomation/8,1) - DaysForAllTestCasesAutomation.
Enter number of test automation engineers in the team - TeamSize.
CEILING(DaysForAllTestCasesAutomation/TeamSize,1) - DaysForTeam.
CEILING(DaysForTeam/20,0.1) - MonthForTeam.

The automatically calculated number MonthForTeam is all that you need.
- Is it simple?
- Yes.
- Does it works?
- Sure!
- Is it accurate?
- Well, you know the better approach? Please, tell me in the comments below!

Another interesting questions is ROI (return of investment in automation) calculation. But it is for another article..

Test Automation Solutions Introduction

2010-05-25T23:15:00.001+03:00

Hi, I'm Mikhail Subach, I'm working in the field of test automation for more than 6 years and I'm very interested in this area.

I began as a software testing engineer in January, 2004, but from the very beginning I was involved into automation testing process. Firstly, I used and supported test automation scripts built on WinRunner - there were 3 projects, for different applications. The first was very simple for one simple application for importing, the second was built using functional decomposition approach and the third one - the most advanced - was built using keyword-driven approach, and it was used for testing API. All of the scripts were developed by Andrei Kulabukhau, my first mentor, who introduced me into the magic world of test automation :).

Since than a lot of interesting things happened - I will just mentions them as keywords and describe later in separate post the details, insights which I got, and reusable test automation solutions, so:

WSKeyword - a tool for testing web-services, using keyword-driven approach.
SilkTest TAF - a test automation framework on SilkTest for keyword-driven web-applications testing.
TAF - a tool-independent application-independent test automation framework.
Spreading the TAF across multiple projects and tools.
Test Automation Competency Center creation in EPAM Systems.

It is about me. And I want to share my experience and experience of my Test Automation Solutions Team, which is constantly growing.

The idea of the "Test Automation Solutions" blog is to share and collect the experience in Test Automation field, provide useful solutions for the test automation professionals, make test automation more effective and interesting, make the work of test automation professionals happier :).

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