How does QTP identifies objects?

Just like winrunner the process for identification of objects is same for quick test professional. In Winrunner, it is required that the winrunner learns about all the objects before it begins identifying them. After learning about the entire GUI objects present in the software system or application the quick test professional begins its search regarding the object or objects that seem to be matching with the properties as stated by the user in the description of the objects.

In many of the cases the description of the objects proves to be quite a useful and simplest method for the identification of the GUI objects residing in the software system or application. This mechanism of quick test professional of searching the objects is bound to work until and unless the properties of the GUI objects are changed. In some cases it happens that the quick test professional encounters two situations;

1. It does not proves successful in the identification of the object that is suppose to match with the description given by the user or
2. It finds more than two objects having the same description as stated by the user.

In the above two situations the quick test professional adopts another mechanism and rejects the usual way of object identification. This new mechanism is quite advance then the usual one and is thus known as the smart identification mechanism.

Smart Identification Mechanism for objects in QTP

- This smart identification mechanism being smarter than the normal mechanism is also more complex than that. 

- Even though it is more complex it is more flexible also.

- If the smart identification mechanism is configured according to proper logic then there are possibilities that the quick test professional may be able to identify the GUI objects even if the description provided by the user fails. 

- There are 2 basic properties that are unique to the smart identification mechanism of the quick test professional:

1. Basic filter properties: These properties represent the basic fundamental properties of the test object class. The values represented by these properties cannot be changed or replaced without making proper changes to the original object values.
2. Optional filter properties: These are the properties apart from the basic filter properties which also help in the identification of the GUI objects belonging to a particular test class. Unlike the basic filter properties, the optional filter properties do not change on a regular basis. Still these properties can be ignored if they no longer hold to be applicable.

When is Smart Identification Mechanism Activated by QTP?

The smart identification mechanism is activated by the quick test professional only when its unable to identify some object and the whole process is carried out through the following steps:

1. The quick test professional erases the learnt description of that particular object from its memory and creates a new list of the object candidates that fall under that particular parent object. The objects mentioned in this candidate list are the ones whose properties have a match with the properties in the list of the base filter properties.
2. The object in the candidates list is matched one by one with the properties listed in the base filter property list and if the no match is found that particular object candidate is simply rejected. The leftover object candidates in the list constitute a new candidate list.
3. When the list gets empty for one property, the previous candidate list is again adopted by the quick test professional and is considered for matching with the second property.
4. If only one object remains in the candidate list then this object is considered to be the required one.