What is Accessibility Checkpoint in QTP?

Quick test professional has got a variety of check points to offer which are an ultimate help in the determination of the efficiency measure of the software system or application i.e., it functions correctly as expected. 

The check points accomplish this task by making comparisons between the value defined by the user that is the expected value and the current value of a particular property of the software system or application.

Quick test professional itself adds a check point statement in the expert view and a check point in the current row in key word view as well whenever a check point is added by the user.

The name of the test object to which the check point is added forms the default name for the added check point. However this default name of the check point can be changed as needed. 

Following are the check points provided by the quick test professional:

1. Image check point
2. Standard check point
3. Table check point
4. Bit map check point
5. Accessibility check point
6. Page check point
7. Text check point
8. XML check point
9. Data base check point

Our focus is on the accessibility check point in this article. 

Accessibility Check Point

- With the help of accessibility check point, the areas of a web site or web page or web application that do pertain to the standards and web content accessibility guidelines of the W3C or world wide web consortium can be recognized. 

- In fact accessibility check points are an extended support for the web add – ins environment. 

- With the accessibility check point, it can be verified whether the software system or application is in compliance with the World Wide Web consortium. 

- World Wide Web consortium or W3C lays down the instructions as well as guide lines for information systems and technology based on web. 

- These guidelines maintain a certain standard for accessing the web and this is what that is checked by the accessibility check points. 

- The settings of an accessibility check point can be configured according to the user’s needs. 

- These accessibility guidelines have been stated by a part of the World Wide Web consortium called the web accessibility initiative. 

- If the some parts your application software or system does not matches with the accessibility standard defined by the World Wide Web consortium and need special attention to improve them, they are caught by the accessibility check points. 

- In fact, an accessibility check point does not determine whether the software system or application meets all the accessibility guidelines.

- It catches only the faulty areas of that particular application under test or AUT that need to be brought up to that standard. 

- The identification of the improper areas of the software system or application using accessibility check points is quite quick, easy and also reliable. 

- Furthermore, automatic accessibility check points are also available that you add to every page on your web site or test. 

- Also individual pages or frames can have their own set of individual accessibility check points. 

- The accessibility check points are highly customizable and can be configured according to the requirements of the tests. 

- For configuring, an accessibility check point the options are available under web option of the tools menu. 

- Check and un-check the items that you want or don’t want in your that particular accessibility check point and finalize by clicking OK. 

- The tool in the web environment has to be kept in recording mode. 

- Accessibility check points can be added automatically while the recording is in progress and can be accessed while edit very easily. 

What is the difference between check point and output value in QTP?

Check point value and output value are two very familiar terms in the field of quick test professional. In this article we will be discussing about output value and check point value and also about the differences between them. But before we discuss the differences let us know about what the check points and output values really mean. 

What is a Check Point?

- Whether a web site or web application that is currently under test is working as expected or not, is known with the help of a check point.

- This is done so by making comparison between the expected values of the properties and current values for the same properties.  

- Whenever a check point is added by the user, a similar check point is added by the quick test professional to the current row displayed in the key word view.

- In the expert view, an equivalent check checkpoint statement is added. 

- All this is default process and the name of the test object on which the check point is added is supplied as a name to that particular check point also by default. 

- The name of the check point can be changed as per the needs. 

- Below mentioned are the types of check points:

1. Image check point
2. Standard check point
3. Table check point
4. Bit map check point
5. Text check point
6. Accessibility check point
7. Data base check point
8. Page check point
9. Xml check point

- Return value of a check point in quick test professional is always of Boolean type i.e., it is either true or false. 

- If the return value of the check point is found to be zero then the statement following it, is executed otherwise the further execution is cancelled. 

- The check points of the quick test professional have a very limited scope therefore the best option is to use self created check points wherever possible. 

- Check point is one of the key functional testing features among others provided by the quick test professional. 

- “Check” method is used by quick test professional for working up on the check points.

- If the return value of a check point has to be retrieved than it is compulsory that you add parenthesis around the name of the check point present in the check point.

What is a Output Value?

- Output value step captures a value of a property of an object which is then termed as an output value. 

- This value is captured at a specific point and can be stored at any desired location. 

- These output values then can be used to serve as inputs at several different points of the test script.

- As required the user can select and output multiple properties of an object. 

- There are 4 typical types of output values:

1. Text output value: Text content present in the bitmap can be retrieved.
2. Text area output value: It is used for outputting text strings with a defined area of the screen.
3. Standard output value: Number of properties pertaining to an object can be retrieved.
4. Xml output value: It is obtained from resources and applications containing xml content stored in some specific column although the run session.
5. Data base out put value: This output value facilitates the checking of the content present in the data table and has been stored in a particular column during the run session.

- The output values are stored only till the duration of the run session ends and are obtained from AUT.

- Output values are suppose to have a dynamic nature.

What is the Difference between Bitmap Check point & Image Check point in QTP?

There are two types of major check points that are provided by the quick test professional namely:

1. Bit map check point and
2. Image check point

What is Bitmap and Image Check Point?

- The expected bit map of an object is captured using the bitmap check point while the recording process is in progress. 

- While a run session is in progress and the actual bitmap matches, a pass to the test result is returned by the expected bitmap. 

- If the above is not the case, the test is said to have failed. 

- While the recording is in progress, it is better to insert the bitmap check point rather than inserting it in the active screen. 

- Inserting the check point in the active screen would pose the problem since the possibility is that the active screen may or may not have the latest bitmap updates and making changes to the screen at that time can cause the whole program to fail. 

- To know the difference in the scripts before and after inserting a check point, simply disable a button and run the script. 

- Then insert the check point, enable the button and run the script again. You would be able to see the difference for yourself. 

- For inserting the bitmap check point in to the test script open up a blank test in quick test professional and then open the application that you want to check and start recording. 

- You will get a record and run settings window, select the tab titled “windows application”, then “record and run test on any windows based application” and hit OK. 

- Go to the check point’s option in the insert menu and select the bitmap check point option and insert it where you want.  

- The bitmap check point properties can be changed. 

- Now when the test is run a pass in the test result is recorded by the quick test professional. 

- The basic use of the bitmap check points is in making comparisons between objects and images pixel by pixel. 

- The comparison is carried out for the following:

1. RGB color variations and
2. Total deviation in number of pixels.

- By matching the captured bitmaps one can the appearance of the elements in the application. 

- Bitmap check point has proved to be great help in checking bitmap of a full web page or an image. 

- On the other hand, an image check point cannot check the pixels and therefore it is basically employed in checking properties like source file location of a web site or web page. 

- The area of an application or a web page can be checked as a bitmap. 

- The area to be checked can be specified by selecting an object while creating a test. 

- The selected object is specified as a bitmap and then the check point can be inserted in the test. 

- This calls for a large disk space so in order to save space you have the option of saving only the selected area of the object.

- The bitmap check point also allows you to check the zooming property of the maps and they can be created for all supporting testing environments. 

- The results of the bit map check point may be affected by color settings, screen resolution and operating system but this is not so in the case of the image check points. 

- The properties of an image are verified by image check point under AUT whereas only an area of the AUT is verified as a bitmap by the bitmap checkpoint.  

What is QTP? What is meant by logical name of the object?

Quick test professional or QTP as it is commonly called is the creation of Hewlett Packard with a purpose of carrying out regression as well as functional testing. 

This quick test professional software or we can say it test automation suite was developed as an integral part of the quality center tool suite of Hewlett Packard. This test automation suite was developed so that it can be used for enterprise quality assurance. 

The quick test professional sports a scripting and key word interface featuring a GUI or graphical user interface. 

VBScript or the visual basic scripting edition is what is used by the quick test professional:

1. For writing specifications for a test procedure.
2. For manipulating the controls of the software system or application under test.
3. For making changes to the objects present in the software system or application.

Whether or not the software system or application is working as required, is verified by the quick test professional by means of what are called the “check points”. These check points are added to the test by the users themselves as a means for checking for the presence of a text, bitmap or an object in the software system or application. 

There are currently nine types of check points that are offered by the quick test professional for checking various aspects of the application software like:

1. Properties of an object
2. Records within a data base
3. Data within a table
4. Bitmap image
5. Text present on the application screen and so on.

The 9 types of check points are namely:

1. Standard check points
2. Image check points
3. Table check points
4. Page check points
5. Text check points
6. Text area check points
7. Bit map check points
8. Data base check points
9. Accessibility and XML check points

The exception handling in quick test professional is facilitated by using the recovery scenarios. Data driven testing or DDT is also supported by the quick test professional by implementing it as a Microsoft excel work book which is accessible by the quick test professional. 

Two types of data tables are provided by the quick test professional namely:

1. Global data sheets and
2. Local or action data sheets

What is meant by logical name of the objects?

- For the identification purpose the logical names are used by the quick test professional in place of the object’s actual names. 

- The logical name of any object is assigned to it based on which class it is in. But in most of the cases the logical name of the object is the label that it has. 

- Logical name can be thought of as a very meaningful way of representing the description of a GUI object in software like winrunner and quick test professional.

- The GUI objects in winrunner and quick test professional are recognized by the means of their logical names instead of using the whole physical description provided by the user. 

- The logical names of the objects are assigned by the winrunner or quick test professional itself depending up on which one you are using. 

- The objects from the AUT are learned by the quick test professional and the description is stored in the object repository along with a logical name for each of them. 

- These logical names are also required by the VBScript for generating code whenever the recording takes place. 

Can you test database using WinRunner? What are all the different DB that WinRunner can support?

- The testing of the databases has been made possible using the winrunner with the help of the data base record check points. 

- These runtime data base record check points can be added to the test scripts and data being processed in to information in the application software during the execution of the test can be compared with the corresponding record present in the data base that you want to test. 

- With the help of these check points, it is possible to compare the contents of the data bases of the different versions of the application software.

- Whenever a data base check point is created, a query is defined in the data base of the application and the values contained in the result set are tested by the data base check point. 

- The query can be defined in any one of the following ways:

1. By using Microsoft query (it can installed from Microsoft office’s custom installation).
2. Manually by defining an ODBC query i.e., by creating an equivalent SQL statement.
3. By using data junction for creating a conversion file.

- The data base check point is said to fail when no match is found between the comparison and success criteria that has been specified for that particular check point. 

- A successful run-time data base record check point can be defined as the one where one or more than one matches were found. 

- One major characteristic of these check points is that they can be used in loop as well. 

- Results for all the iterations of the loop are recorded as separate entities. 

- The run time data base record checkpoints can be added to the test in order to make comparisons between the current values in the data base and the information that is being displayed in the application software while a test is in the process of execution.

- The run time record checkpoint wizard can be used for the following purposes:

1. Defining the query.
2. Identification of the application controls containing relevant information.
3. Defining the success criteria of the individual check points.

- While testing your data base you may land in some situations where you may require comparing the data files of different formats. 

- Following the below stated steps for creating a run time data base record check point manually:

1. Record the application up till where you want the data to be verified on the screen.
2. Calculate the expected values of the corresponding records in the data base.
3. Add the expected values to an edit field.
4. Using GUI map editor teach the winrunner about the controls of the application and the edit fields of the calculated values.
5. Add TSL statements to the test script in order to calculate the expected data base values extract the values and write the extracted values to the corresponding edit fields.

- Before you run your tests do make sure that all the applications with the edit fields containing the calculated values are open. 

- Earlier we mentioned the term “ODBC” in the article, it is actually a technology which enables the computer to connect to a data base so that the information can be retrieved by the winrunner easily. 

- Those who developed winrunner did not knew what kind of data base the AUT uses so it becomes impossible for the winrunner to know the way to connect to the data base of your application. 

- To overcome this problem, the ODBC was developed which can be taught how to connect to the data base. 

- Thus, it is because of ODBC that almost all the data bases are supportable by the winrunner.