What is VO (Virtual Object) browser extension in Silk Test?

The silk test automation tool comes with several extensions such as the DOM extension, VO browser extension and so on. 

VO here stands for the ‘virtual object’. 

About Virtual Object 'VO' Browser Extension

- This browser extension is an add–on component for the silk test and is employed during the testing of the web sites and web applications. 

- This virtual object browser extension makes use of a special technique known as the sophisticated pattern recognition technique in order to facilitate the identification of the objects rendered by the objects. 

- The web pages are viewed by the virtual object browser extension as they are in actual. 

- The virtual object browser extension does not opt for the recognition of the HTML tags present in the code of the web application.

- The objects present in that web page or web application are viewed by the virtual object browser extension. 

- These objects may include tables, links, images, compound controls and so on. 

- The technology behind these objects is well ignored by the virtual object browser extension just as we the users do.

- Objects are recognized by the silk test based up on the following aspects of an object:

1. Control type
2. Caption
3. Associated text
4. Control index
5. Location and
6. Window ID

Actually silk test has got two methods for the recognition of any object present in the application under test or AUT and they have been stated below:

1. Virtual object recognition
2. Document object model

Both of these methods produce the same result however they cannot be totally inter changed within a test script. 

The objects that are a part of the web applications which run in a browser such as the following need to be dealt with in a special way:

1. Java applications
2. Visual basic applications and
3. Power builder applications

- Technologies behind such applications are not directly supported by the silk test rather these technologies are provided support by the means of some optional extensions.

- These extensions have to be installed separately. 

- The extensions that have been installed are displayed in the option set of the silk test. 

- All you need to do is check the extension that you need to use and un-check the others. 

- There are certain default settings that can be configured manually by the user. 

- In some cases, a combination of the add ins and extensions might be treated mutually exclusive. 

- Another possibility is that some of the add-ins or the extensions might be supported in the new versions of the silk test. 

- A third possibility is that some of those add ins and extensions might be supported by the earlier versions of the silk test. 

- A table mechanism is used by the silk test for the recognition of the objects and as a means to isolate the variable name from the description of the object that is used by the operating system for accessing the objects during the run time. 

- The GUI declarations of an application are placed in a test frame file usually by the silk test. 

- For each and every object in a window there is available, a GUI declaration which  consists of the class of the object as well as its identifier which is nothing but the variable that was used in the test script. 

- It may also consist of an object tag definition. 

- The following are the capabilities that are provided by the silk test for defining an object tag:

1. String
2. Array reference
3. Function
4. Class and index number
5. Multiple tags
6. Browser specifier

What are Virtual Objects in Quick Test Professional?

- The concept of the virtual objects in quick test professional comes in to light only when a failure in the identification of the object is encountered or some error is generated like “object not found”. 

- This happens because even after recording the actions during the time of play back, the quick test professional is experiencing some difficulties in the process of recognition of the object and this causes the whole script to fail. 

- A certain kind of object has been created in quick test professional in order to resolve the issues of the object recognition which has been termed as the “virtual objects”. 

- In some cases it happens that the quick test professional is unable to recognize the area of the object and therefore some other wizard is used for mapping the area of the object called the “virtual object wizard”. 

- All the virtual objects that are created during the course of object recognition are stored in the virtual object manager. 

- After the quick test professional has learned about the virtual object, it can record on the actual object very well. 

- A virtual object can be created easily by going to the tools menu, then selecting the virtual object list and then finally clicking on the new virtual object option. 

- Even though the virtual objects are very helpful there are some points about virtual objects to be noted:

1. It is not possible to use the object spy on a virtual object.
2. Only recording operation can be performed on virtual objects.
3. You cannot treat labels and scroll bars as virtual objects.

- For disabling the virtual objects mode, simply go to the tools drop down list, and then go to options, then general, then check the option which says “disable recognition of virtual objects while recording”. 

- Using virtual objects is just one way of handling the issues of object recognition. The other two are:

1. Analog recording and
2. Low level recording.

- Basically, the virtual objects help in the recognition of the objects that do behave like standard objects but still cannot be identified by the quick test professional. 

- Such objects are mapped to standard classes with the help of virtual object mapping wizard. 

- The user actions on the virtual objects are emulated by the quick test professional during the run session. 

- The virtual object is portrayed as a standard class object in the test results. 

- The virtual object wizard allows you to select the standard object class to which the object has to be mapped and then the boundaries of the virtual object can be marked with the help of the cross hair pointer. 

- After being done with this, a test object can be selected to be the parent of the virtual object. 

- The group of all virtual objects stored under one descriptive name is termed as the virtual objects collection. 

- While using the virtual objects during a run session always make sure that the size and location of the application window are exactly same as they were in the recording mode. 

- If it is not taken care of the coordinates of the virtual object may vary affecting the success of the whole run session. 

- Another point to be noted is that it is not possible to insert any check points on a virtual object. 

- For performing an operation on the active screen on a virtual object it is required that you first record it, save its properties in the description in the object repository.