What is meant by Graphical User Interface (GUI) Spy?

Whenever a test is being executed by the winrunner, it is actually simulating a real world human user by the virtue of carrying out the user events like entering some input from the key board, hovering the mouse cursor over the entire application, pointing to some GUI object, clicking on some GUI object and so on. 

Just as a human user needs to learn about the graphical user interface of the software system or application, similarly it is mandatory for the winrunner to learn everything regarding the graphical user interface of the software system or application so that the application can be worked up on. 

Thus, Winrunner achieves by gaining information about the GUI objects along with their properties and side by side stores the descriptions of these objects in the GUI map file.

Later on you may require viewing the properties of the objects and how they are identified by the winrunner. 

"GUI spy is such a software that makes it possible to view the properties of all the objects as well as how the winrunner identifies them".

While learning the description of a GUI object, winrunner takes in to consideration the physical properties of the object.

Each GUI object may have many physical properties like those mentioned below:

1. Label
2. Class
3. Width
4. Handle
5. Height
6. Enabled
7. Disabled and so on

What is a GUI Spy?

- Though a GUI object may have several properties, but only a few of them are learned by the winrunner and these properties are such that can distinguish that particular object from the rest of the objects present in the software system or application. 

- It happens often that we have to view the properties of the GUI objects before adding some new object to the application or before we create a GUI map file. 

- GUI spy provides you with the properties of the GUI objects on your desk top.

- The GUI spy comes with a pointer called spy pointer which is just like a mouse pointer. 

- You point to any object with it and its properties are displayed by the GUI spy. 

- Not only the properties, you can even spy on the values of those objects and those values are displayed in the GUI spy dialogue box.

- Among all the displayed properties, you can choose to view either all the properties or a few selected of them that have been learnt by the winrunner. 

- The GUI spy window can be re-sized for viewing all of the contents at once. 

- This set of properties that has been learnt by the winrunner can be modified for specific class of objects with the help of the GUI map configuration dialogue box. 

- It is by default that the recorded tabs are displayed by the GUI spy. 

- This feature helps us in viewing all the properties of the standard GUI objects. - For viewing the properties of the standard windows and objects you need to click on the tab entitled “all standard”.

- For viewing all the methods as well as properties of the active controls, click on the tab entitled “activeX”. 

- However, this feature will work only if the ActiveX add in has been installed and fully loaded. 

- While using the GUI spy you can even hide the winrunner screen by selecting the option hide winrunner and you continue spying on the objects. 

- You need to just click on the spy option and point the pointer to an object in the window. 

- The object gets highlighted and the following are displayed in the appropriate fields:

1. Active window name
2. Object name and
3. Object description