What is Testing Anywhere software product? What are its uses?

Testing anywhere software product was developed by the Automation Anywhere Inc. based in San Jose. This is another software in the category of test automation tools. This software has proven to be a boon for the software testers and developers who have to test the web sites, applications, GUI front-ends, objects and controls. The product has got many uses from recording to the execution of the test cases. It is used for the following major purposes:

1. Recording of the tests
2. Debugging them
3. Scheduling their execution
4. Executing the tests

The above mentioned operations can be carried out for a number of application types such as:

1. Java
2. Silverlight
3. Mainframe
4. C++
5. .NET and so on.

Testing anywhere product provides option for automating the test case creation. Testing anywhere offers you 5 different methods for creating the test cases namely:

1. Web recording
2. Object recording
3. Image recognition
4. Smart recording and
5. Editor

- The test cases thus created using any of the above methods can be later recorded, edited, saved and can also be enhanced. 

- The editor is used for editing the test cases. 

- People who don’t have programming skills can use the wizard for creating and editing the test cases. 

- Testing anywhere software lets you create files with .exe extension i.e., the executable files which later can be deployed by the software testers on remote machines. 

- The creation of a high level IT and business processes is the responsibility of the workflow manager. 

- Further, workflow manager only takes care of the ability by virtue of which these processes are managed. 

- It supports a number of platforms:

1. Microsoft windows 7 (both 32 and 64 bit)
2. Microsoft windows vista (both 32 and 64 bit)
3. Microsoft windows XP (both 32 and 64 bit and along with service pack 2)
4. Microsoft windows server 2008 R2
5. Microsoft windows server 2003

- Testing anywhere supports the following kinds of testing:

1. Integration testing
2. Compatibility testing
3. Performance testing
4. GUI testing
5. System testing
6. Java application testing
7. Automated flex testing
8. Silverlight application testing
9. Mainframe application testing
10. WPF testing
11. Third party .NET supported testing
12. Automated software testing
13. Automated web testing
14. Regression testing
15. Distributed testing
16. Functional testing
17. Black box testing
18. Acceptance testing
19. Unit testing
20. Keyword driven testing
21. Data driven testing
22. Smoke testing

- The product has been named because of the facility that it provides for running the tests on any remote machine present in the network. 

- Further, it reduces the testing cost by a huge margin since it cut down the money being spend up on the software licenses, resources, and training and time of course.

- Testing anywhere provides you a SMART recorder for creating new tests.

Explain Ranorex? What are its features? What are its supporting technologies?

Ranorex is a framework developed exclusively for the windows GUI test automation. Ranorex has proved to be quite an effective framework for testing a number of applications such as the following:

1. Web 2.0 applications
2. Win32
3. MFC
4. WPF
5. Flash
6. Flex
7. .NET
8. Java (SWT) and so on.

One fact about this test automation frame work is that it does not have its own scripting language. Programming languages such as vb.net and C# have certain functionality that are used by the software testers as the base. Then they use the Ranorex’s GUI automation functionality for enlarging the base.

Ranorex supports number of technologies few of which we have mentioned below:

1. Web applications including:

Ø  HTML

Ø  HTML5

Ø  Javascript

Ø  Silverlight

Ø  AJAX

Ø  It also supports cross browser testing on IE, chrome, Firefox and safari

2. Windows desktop client applications:

Ø  .net

Ø  Winforms

Ø  WPF

Ø  Win32

Ø  Java

3. SAP
4. Mobile apps including:

Ø  Android and

Ø  iOS

5. Flash and flex including:

Ø  adobe air

Ø  adobe flash

Ø  adobe flex

Features of Ranorex

1. Capture and playback editor: This feature of Ranorex is more commonly called the Ranorex recorder.This feature lets easy maintenance of the recordings through an actions table editor. It is because of this feature that the Ranorex is able to integrate with the object repositories for the automation.
2. GUI object recognition: This feature uses the RanorexXpath for filtering and identifying any type of GUI element.
3. Test automation library:It includes exclusively .net applications.
4. GUI mapping: This is more commonly known as the Ranorex repository and helps in the management of all kinds of GUI elements present in the application.
5. Test development environment: More commonly called as Ranorex studio and is used for code completion and debugging.

- This framework has won a number of awards for being the best functional automated test tool. 

- With Ranorex, one can test a large number and types of technologies such as that of the desktop, mobile and web. 

- Ranorex makes it extremely easy to create robust and powerful test automation frameworks. 

- Ranorex removes all the barriers in the path of learning process and also accelerates the process to realize a good return of investment or ROI. 

- A number of benefits come along with ranorex:

1. Object based capture and playback editor
2. ranorexXpath
3. Best object recognition
4. Professional library for .net and C#.

- Ranorex has been carried over to a more advanced level of the GUI test automation. 

- Ranorex Xpath is a very powerful technology that has made the test automation even much easier. 

- Ranorex is a testing tool which recognizes almost every UI technology. 

- Not only this, it proves suitable for all the development environments that already exist. 

- Ranorex does a great attempt in bringing together the software testers and developers. 

- The Ranorex automation framework has been developed with an open architecture. 

- At the core functionality of the Ranorex automation frame work lies an API that revolves around a .net framework. 

- The Ranorex is based on standards and helps in generation of better .net and C# user code. 

- Usually the Ranorex studio project works with a lot of files. 

- Before one starts with developing test cases, one should have all the knowledge regarding the layout and views of the tool.  

- The Ranorex studio may consist of the following types of items:

1. Test suite
2. Model group
3. Repository
4. Code files
5. Recording

What are the features of Eggplant testing tool? How is Eggplant run?

Eggplant is the GUI test automation tool that uses the black box approach in its testing process. The product stands out in the category of the GUI test automation tool and has even received US patent for its extra ordinary features. 

Features of Eggplant

The features of eggplant are:

1. Guided record mode: This record mode is quite sophisticated in comparison to the regular mode. It generates code by means of capturing the images thus avoiding the extra and unnecessary recording of the keyboard and mouse events.
2. Debugging
3. Code completion
4. Eggplant can be integrated very well with the other quality management software. It can be further used for augmenting the systems like the HP quality center.
5. Eggplant features an execution only mode i.e., the software testers and developers have the freedom of running the tests unattended via the command line interface of the eggplant.

 It can be used for a number of testing methodologies such as:

1. Mobile testing
2. Cross browser testing
3. Cross platform testing
4. Rich internet application testing
5. Performance testing

A free trial of eggplant software can be downloaded from the website of the company. Some additions that were made to the version 11 of the eggplant are:

1. Integration of the OCR engine
2. Sense talk scripting
3. Mac OS X lion support

The mobile version of the eggplant lets the software testers to carry out automated testing on mobile devices. Eggplant mobile provided a universal solution for testing the mobile applications across a number of mobile operating systems such as the following:

1. Android
2. iOS
3. blackberry
4. Symbian
5. Windows

- The OCR engine that was integrated in version 11 of the eggplant is a global one and also supports the latest version of the windows – windows 8. 

- The scripts developed by the eggplant are reusable. 

- The eggplant software can be made ready within an hour and you can start writing test scripts and executing them without wasting much time.

- To set up the eggplant software follow the below mentioned steps:

Ø First install the eggplant application.

Ø Now set up the system under test and install a VNC server on it.

Ø Set up a VNC connection.

ØFor a better understanding of how to use the application it is recommended that you take a tour of it.

Testing Process with Eggplant

Now we present a brief overview of the testing process with eggplant:

1. Set up your SUT and a VNC connection as mentioned previously in the article.
2. The SUT is controlled through eggplant so that you can capture images indicating the SUT interface elements. These are the elements with which you want the eggplant to have an interaction with.
3. Third stage involves generation of the scripts that guide the eggplant regarding what is to be done at the image locations that you have selected.
4. You can execute the scripts as many times as you require carrying out a particular task such as validating a process.
5. The result is generated in the suite editor and consists of detail run info and statistics that you can use for analyzing your results.

Best thing about eggplant is that even if it can be installed only on one computer (since it comes only with one computer per license), it can test any number of other computers. The scripts are created on the controller machine from where they can be executed on any other computer. This it does through the VNC (virtual network computing) server which sends the commands to the SUT. 

What are main features of Silk test?

The Borland silk test automation tool is said to possess all the features and qualities that an ideal testing tool is said to have. Therefore, in this article we shall focus on the features of the Borland silk test automation tool.

1. It is quite easy for use since it is possible for the business users to create the automated tests without requiring any actual software coding.
2. Further the silk test automation tool takes lesser time for its deployment i.e., it can be deployed fast which in turn enables the software testers to keep an appropriate pace with the rate with which the development takes place.
3. It's third most important feature is its flexibility while use which in turn enables the software developers to create tests in an integrated development environment that is chosen by them only.
4. The fourth feature of the silk test is that it provides the role based test automation. Usually it happens that the domain experts, business analyst, developer or automation engineer – all of these people have their own way of working i.e., they have a tendency to work with different interfaces such as some may work with a visual interface, others with script based or some others with interfaces that are IDE powered. The silk test automation tool provides each of them with a suitable interface with which they are comfortable. Thus, in a way a kind of empowerment is granted to the users so that they can participate in the testing process with confidence and ensure that their critical applications go through a continuous validation.
5. Fifth most popular feature is the cross browser web testing by silk test. Most advance web 2.0 applications can be verified for their functionality very well before you are able to launch them with confidence. Using silk test automation tool, one powerful script can be used for carrying out testing in  a number of different  browsers as well as browser versions as well as in locales such as the following:

a)     Microsoft internet explorer

b)     Mozilla firefox

c)     Google chrome

d)     Html 5

e)     Fx

f)      Ajax

g)     Microsoft silverlight

h)     Java and so on.

Even the embedded technologies can tested very well at speeds that are non -parallel with that of the any other software test automation tool.

6. Sixth feature is the support for the .net and java platform and scripting language. With silk test, it really does not matters now that whether you go for vb. Net, C#, java which are industry standard languages or you go for 4test language of the silk test. Using any of these you can improve the working of the silk test in whichever environment you are working up on. Both visual studio as well as the eclipse is supported by the silk test and it takes care that they can be well integrated with the acceptance tests and unit tests frame works such as fitness e.
7. Seventh feature of the silk test is its powerful recorder. The powerful recorder of the silk test has got many powerful features which enable the quick capturing of the reusable as well as the common sequences of the test steps. There is also a provision of the easy modification and customization of the sequences so that they can be reused in the test automation frame works.
8. The eighth feature is the debugging feature of the silk test. The debugging feature of the silk test consists of some powerful debugging capabilities which enable one to step through the automation sequence and check out what is actually happening there. 

Explain the QTP Tool interface?

The tool interface of the quick test professional is the focus of this article. The tool interface of the quick test professional consists of certain elements:

1. Title bar: This bar displays or holds the name of the test that is currently open.
2. Menu bar: This bar holds all the quick test commands that one may need often.
3. File tool bar: This bar holds all the quick test commands or tools that one may need in the management of the tests.
4. Test tool bar: This bar holds all the quick test commands or tools that may are required in the creation as well as management of the tests.
5. Debug tool bar: This bar holds all the quick test commands that may be required while debugging of the tests. Usually this bar is not displayed along with the other bars when the quick test professional is launched. If the quick test professional is not displaying the debug bar by default then you need to go to the view and select debug tool bar from the tool bars sub list.
6. Status bar: This bar displays the current status of the test that is currently under execution.
7. Action tool bar: This bar holds a list of actions using which one can view the individual details of the whole test flow or an individual test or action. Just like the debug tool bar this tool bar is also not displayed by the quick test professional by default. For displaying it along with the other bars you need to go to the view menu and select action tool bar from the sub list of the tool bars. But if you have inserted an external action or a reusable action in to your test scripts, then the quick test professional displays the action tool bar automatically.
8. Test pane: This pane consists of two tabs which enable the viewing of the test in two view modes namely: the expert view and the key word view or the tree view.
9. Test details pane: This pane holds the active screen of the quick test professional.
10. Data table: This table consists of two tabs namely: the action tab and the global tab. Both of these tabs together provide you assistance during the parameterization of your tests.
11. Debug viewer pane: This pane consists of three tabs namely, the expressions, the commands and the variables. All of these 3 tabs provide you assistance while you debug your tests. However, there is one issue with debug viewer pane which is that you can open it only when you pause the test run at a break point.

As we know that the quick test professional provides two standard views as well way to modify the test scripts namely:

1. Key word view and
2. The expert view

- It is because of these views that the quick test professional is said to possess an IDE or integrated development environment. 

- The quick test professional comes with several standard IDE features like break points etc.

- The scripting language that is used by the quick test professional i.e., the VBScript provides support for the classes but not for the other aspects of object oriented programming like inheritance, polymorphism etc. 

- It lacks some other features such as:

1. Cannot use some visual basic key words.
2. Does not have an integrated debugger.
3. No event handler
4. No forms editor

- The debugger has got a limited functionality when compared with the debuggers of java, VBA, VB.NET and so on. 

What is keyword view and Expert view in QTP?

In quick test professional you get two types of views namely the key word view and the expert view which we are going to discuss in this article. 

Keyword View in Quick Test Professional

- The key word view is more like a table like view which consists of a finite number of rows and columns. 

- Each row in the key word view represents a separate step. 

-On the other side, different parts of the steps are marked by the corresponding columns. 

- There is a separate column called the item column which holds the item on which the user wants the step to be carried out. 

- Also, in this column the hierarchy of the GUI object on which the operations are to be carried out. 

- There is another column by the name operation column consisting of the operations to be performed on the item as required. 

- One more column called value column holds the values of the arguments for the operation selected by the user. 

- Each step is documented by the quick test professional under the column titled documentation by the quick test professional for the ease of understanding. 

- The above mentioned 4 columns are the default columns provided by the quick test professional however comment and assignment columns in key word view can be used. 

- With the aid of key word view you can create as well as view the steps of the operation in a tabular, modular and key word driven format. 

- Full access is granted to the test automation experts via some debugging environment and integrated scripting that has round trip synchronizing with the key word view. 

Expert View and Differences between expert and keyword view in Quick Test Professional

- The expert view also displays the same object hierarchy all mapped to the same arguments value and same operation. 

- The basic difference lies between the formats in which the same data is arranged in the two. 

- Both have a distinct way of representing the data though the data displayed is same. 

- All the operations like creation of a step, modifying it and so on can be carried out in the key word view. 

- Expert view as the name suggests is a more advanced way of dealing with the data and requires mastery over the tool. 

- After all of the operations are recorded, they are displayed as steps in the quick test professional in key word view whereas these steps are generated as scripts in the expert view. 

- Expert view is for the advanced testers, using which they can view as well as edit their tests as and when required. 

- This also reveals the underlying standard of the VBscript that is used by the quick test professional. 

- Any changes that are made to the scripts in the expert view are automatically reflected in the key word view also.  

- However, in key word view the exact recording of the applications can be viewed. 

- In key word view, the steps can be created as well as viewed and can be modified by making a selection of the operations as well as items in the key word view and putting in the information as and where required. 

- In the expert view each of the operations that are performed in the form of VB script statements are displayed. 

- There exists a row in the key word view for every method and object. 

- To put it simply, it can be said that the VBscript format is used by the expert view whereas the scripts are represented using graphical user interface which is divided in to 4 default columns as mentioned earlier in the article in key word view. 

- Also, in the expert view all the test statements are displayed.  

Explain Quick Test Professional (QTP) Testing process?

The quick test professional is a software package that facilitates both the test automation as well as the software testing. To be an expert in quick test professional it is important that you understand both the test automation and software testing using the quick test professional. 

When the software testing process is carried out using the quick test professional it is referred to as the quick test professional test process. By now you must have got it that the emphasis of this article is on the same testing process. 

To say the quick test professional testing process constitutes of the following steps as mentioned below:

1. Configuring of the record and run settings
2. Creating an object repository (this step is optional is many cases)
3. Creating the basic automation scripts
4. Editing or enhancing the script
5. Executing the script
6. Debugging the script
7. Analyzing the results
8. Summarizing the results (this includes tracking the discovered defects and generating the report)

Major stages of the QTP testing process

1. Analyzation of the application

- This is the first test and is aimed at finding your testing needs. 

- This phase involves the type determination of the development environment of your application i.e., whether it is a web application or a windows application. 

- In either of the cases, you will need to load your quick test professional software with appropriate add ins. 

- There are available separated add – ins for both the web type and windows type applications. 

- These add – ins are required since they only give the power to quick test professional to identify as well work with the objects present in the application. - Next thing to determine are the business processes and functionality required. 

- For determining these two things you need to think about what your customer will do with the application. 

- The required business processes are then divided in to smaller groups or units and the actions based on these units are created. 

- This is done so because with smaller modular actions it becomes easy to read, follow and maintain the tests in the long term.

2. Preparation of the testing infrastructure: 

- Based on the needs that you determined in the first phase, the resources required are determined in this second phase. 

- The resources are either obtained or created as required. 

- The resources may include the following:

      a)   Object repositories along with the test objects.

      b)   Function libraries along with the functions that add to functionality of the quick test professional and so on.

- Also in this phase the settings of the quick test professional are configured as per the tasks need to be performed.

3. Building of the tests and addition of the steps to them: 

- By now the testing infrastructure is complete and now you can start developing your tests. 

- Any number of empty tests can be created and actions can be added to them so as to form the testing skeletons. 

- Relevant actions can be associated with the corresponding object repositories.

- Relevant tests can be associated with the function libraries. 

- Steps can be inserted with the help of key words and test preferences are also considered.

4. Enhancement of the test: 

- This phase includes insertion of the checkpoints so that you can easily search for a specific value of object, page or text etc and know whether or not your application is functioning properly.

5. Debugging, execution and analyzation of the test: 

- This phase ensures that the application is working without encountering any interruption. 

- Only if a test is running properly, it can correctly check the behavior of the application.

6. Reporting of the defects: 

- The defects discovered can be reported to the quality center if you have it installed on your machine. 

What is a Module? What is a Compiled Module? (In WinRunner)

Modules are the basic elements of any software system or application that make up the foundation of that software system or application. In winrunner usually the term “compiled module” is used. We shall see in this article that what are the compiled modules and how they can be created in winrunner. 

What are Compiled Modules?

- Compiled modules store the frequently used functions and so are considered to be a kind of libraries. 

- In compiled modules, the functions defined by users i.e., the user defined functions can be stored and later these stored user defined functions can be called from the test scripts. 

- Compiled modules are considered to be a library since they are actually a script containing all the user defined functions which are required to be called many times from other tests. 

- Whenever a compiled module is loaded, the functions that it contains are subjected to automatic compilation and reside in the memory itself. 

- After this, they can be called directly and from within any test. 

- With the compiled modules, the performances as well as the organization of the tests that you create are improved significantly.

- This happens so because the compiled modules are debugged before they are used and therefore the tests that we created require very less error- checking. - In addition to all this, the interpretation of a function in a test script is quite slower than the calling of a function that has already been compiled.

There are 2 ways available for compiling a module as mentioned below:

1. Loading the module to be compiled from a test script with the help of the TSL load function.
2. Running the script of the module to be compiled with the help of the winrunner run commands.

- The step commands can be used for performing the incremental compilation if in case you need to debug or modify an already existing module. 

- After this, the part of the compiled module that you made changes to needs to be run so that the entire compiled module will be updated. 

- It is necessary that the user defined functions present in your compiled modules are automatically compiled every time the winrunner starts up. 

- For this you need to add load statements top the start up tests. 

- However, you should know that for loading the recovery compiled module there is no need for adding the load statements to the start up tests or any other tests.

- This is so bacuse the recovery compiled module loads by itself when the winrunner is started. 

- Another point to be taken care of is that the compiled modules cannot load the GUI map files when you are working in the GUI map file per test mode.

- If the compiled module has to make references to any of the GUI objects present in the application software then it is required that the referred GUI objects must also be referred in the test which is responsible for loading that particular compiled module. 

- Like a regular TSL test the compiled module can be opened, edited or saved.  - However, there is a big difference in the contents of a compiled module or ordinary tests. 

- Like a regular test, a compiled module does not contain any analog input or check points. 

- This is so because a compiled module is designed to store user defined functions rather than just performing a test. 

- The purpose why it stores all the frequently user defined functions is to speed up the execution process by providing a quick and convenient access from the other tests. 

- Its contents are:

1. Function definitions and declarations,
2. External functions prototypes
3. Load statements etc.