Re: QA tools for GUI applications

Alexander Pustotin wrote:

I have a huge application that has a lot of interactions with
a user (via GUI). There are standard controls as well as various
third party ones in the application.
What I want is to find some tool that helps to perform
Quality Assurance tests with GUI based applications.

Does anybody help to point at such tool?
Testcomplete gets my vote. I looked into the various packages ages ago
and in the TC price bracket there was nothing coming close.

+:
-capabable scripting language
-text file scripts, so you can generate them yourself with bots if you
want
-you tend to use the record script and edit.
-data driven scripts
-open delphi code, so you can interrogate visual components, published
attributes etc.


If you have adopted a framework or even just a disciplined approach to
your development, then you can build a test framework to be similar, so
you can modify scripts easily.

An example of mine is that I have an application that has a standard
navigation metaphor (like explorer). I have a very small TC script
that opens up the application, works out the first client and the last
client and then iterates through them all, navigating all the nav items
for each client. It is an amazing Regression / Smoke test for the
application. Just kick it off an come back a few hours later and it
will have iterated all client and all their data and it has found
dozens (>50) bugs in an iteratively developed system.

Don't get me wrong, DUnit and unit testing it extremely powerful, but
while you have layers above that that can damage the user experience
and corrupt data (GUI displays a 1, the user changes nothing, hits save
and the GUI saves a null), you have still a lot of the possible bugs.

Invest in building the test script hierarchy and it will pay dividends.

I am evaluatiing the latest version, but for former version, and
knowing what I do now, I might install and do my testing in a VM
though, as it installed permenant mouse and keyboard hooks, regardless
of whether it is running or not. I thought I might try just stopping
the services, but never bothered.

If anyone wants to point to another GUI testing tool, I would be really
happy to eval as I spent some time deciding TestComplete was pretty
good.


--
Jason Chapman
JAC2 Consultancy
Development - Consultancy - Training
Delphi, InterBase, Firebird, OOAD, Development lifecycle assistance,
Troubleshooting projects, QA.....
Web: www.jac2.co.uk
.

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