PeopleTools 8.52: PeopleSoft Test Framework

Using PeopleSoft Test Framework

This chapter discusses how to use these PeopleSoft Test Framework (PTF) tools:

PTF Explorer
Test Editor
PTF Recorder
Log Viewer

Using PTF Explorer

PTF Explorer gives you access to the PTF test assets (tests, test cases, libraries, and logs) stored within an application database. Assets appear in a tree structure with collapsible folders for organizing test assets. PTF Explorer is the first pane visible to the user after startup. It is labeled with the name of the PTF environment:

You use PTF Explorer to:

Create tests and folders.
Delete tests and folders.
Copy and move tests.
Navigate to and open test assets.

Using myFolder

The PTF Explorer tree contains a folder called myFolder. You can use myFolder to store tests that you do not want to share with other users. Users with the PTF User role can create, edit, and delete tests only in myFolder.

PTF Explorer Menus

The following menus appear when PTF Explorer has focus. Note that many menu commands are specific to a currently selected item. The PTF Explorer menu name corresponds to the name of the current PTF environment. In the previous example, the PTF Explorer menu name is PBDEMO.

This table describes the PTF Explorer PTF menu commands:

PTF Menu Command	Usage
Refresh	Refreshes the current view.
Local Options	Opens the Local Options dialog box.
Execution Options	Opens the Execution Options dialog box.

This table describes the PTF Explorer Test menu commands:

Test Menu Command	Usage
Open	Opens the selected test or test case.
Delete	Deletes the selected test.
Refresh Selection	Refreshes the view for the selected test.
Expand Selection	Expands all the branches in the selected node. If Home is selected, the entire tree is expanded
Collapse Selection	Collapses all the branches in the selected node. If Home is selected, the entire tree is collapsed.

The PTF Explorer Edit menu contains standard Microsoft edit commands, such as Cut, Copy, and Paste, and the following PTF Explorer Edit menu command:

Edit Menu Command	Usage
Copy Link to Clipboard	Copies the link to the selected test to the clipboard. You can use this information in conjunction with the Quick Open command.

Use the PTF Explorer Create menu to create folders and tests. This table describes the Create menu commands:

Create Menu Command	Usage
Folder	Creates a new folder within the selected folder.
Test	Creates a new test in the selected folder.
Shell Test	Creates a shell test in the selected folder.

This table describes the PTF Explorer Tools menu commands:

Tools Menu Command	Usage
Message	Opens the Message tool, which enables you to monitor test execution. The Message tool displays details about the current step, including name, object type, and value.
Log Manager	Opens the Log Manager tool, which enables you to delete logs from tests.

This table describes the PTF Explorer Window menu command:

Window Menu Command	Usage
Quick Open	Opens a test using data that was copied to the clipboard using the Copy Link to Clipboard command. Using the Copy Link to Clipboard command and the Quick Open command together enables users to easily share tests without having to navigate to the test in PTF Explorer. You can select a test and select Edit, Copy Link to Clipboard. Then, you paste that data into a text message and send it to another user, who can then copy and paste the data into the Quick Open dialog box and open the test.

Window Menu Command

Usage

Quick Open

Opens a test using data that was copied to the clipboard using the Copy Link to Clipboard command.

Using the Copy Link to Clipboard command and the Quick Open command together enables users to easily share tests without having to navigate to the test in PTF Explorer. You can select a test and select Edit, Copy Link to Clipboard. Then, you paste that data into a text message and send it to another user, who can then copy and paste the data into the Quick Open dialog box and open the test.

Using the Test Editor

When you create or open a test, test case, or shell test, it opens in the Test Editor. The Test Editor enables you to:

Record and edit test steps.
Add, copy, and delete test steps.
Create and edit test cases.
View both test and test case in a single view.
Debug tests.

This example shows the PTF Test Editor:

This section discusses:

Test Editor menus.
Test Editor field.
Test Editor toolbar.
Test window.
Test window fields.
Test window toolbar.
Test step fields.

Test Editor Menus

The following menus appear when the Test Editor has focus. Note that many menu commands are specific to the currently selected step.

This table describes the Test Editor PTF menu commands:

PTF Menu Commands	Usage
Local Options	Open the Local Options dialog.
Execution Options	Open the Execution Options dialog.

This table describes the Test Editor Test menu commands:

PTF Menu Command	Usage
Save	Saves the current test.
Save As	Creates a copy of the current test with a new name.
Export	Export test cases and test case values to a character-delimited text file, such as comma-separated values (csv) file.
Import	Import test cases and test case values from a character-delimited text file, such as comma-separated values (csv) file.
Test Case Save As	Creates a test case as a copy of the current test case.
Copy Link to Clipboard	Copies a link to the test to the clipboard. You can send this information to another user, who can use the Window, Quick Open feature to open the test without having to navigate to it in PTF Explorer.
Validate Test	Validate the test against the application metadata to identify changes in the metadata since the test was last modified. As you modify a test based on the results of a test maintenance report, you can validate the test by running a test maintenance report. The report is generated for a single test, using analyses of compare reports generated in Step 2 of the Test Maintenance Wizard. See Creating Test Maintenance Reports.
Run	Runs the current test.
Pause	Pauses execution of the test.
End	Stops execution of the test.
Open Test Recorder	Launches the Test Recorder.

The Test Editor Edit menu contains standard Microsoft edit commands, such as Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete, and the following PTF commands:

Edit Menu Command	Usage
Find	Finds occurrences of a specific text string in the current test. Select the List all MatchingSteps check box to create a list of matches.
Again	Searches for the Find string again.

Edit Menu Command

Usage

Find

Finds occurrences of a specific text string in the current test.

Select the List all MatchingSteps check box to create a list of matches.

Again

Searches for the Find string again.

This table describes Test Editor Debug menu commands:

Debug Menu Command	Usage
Step Into	Executes the current step of the test and advances to the next step.
Step Over	Executes the current step of the test and advances to the next step, unless the next step calls another test. Steps over called tests.
Toggle Break	Sets a break point at the selected step or removes an existing breakpoint.
Clear All Breaks	Removes all break points.
Stop on Error	Stops execution if the test encounters an error.
Disable Screen Shots	By default, the recorder creates a screen shot with each error. Select this option to save space in the log by not creating screen shots.
Highlight Errors	Highlights errors in the log in yellow.
Overwrite Log	If a log window is open after the most recent execution of a test, you can choose whether to append to the open log or overwrite the open log. Select this option to overwrite the open execution log.

This table discusses the Test Editor Window menu commands:

Window Menu Command	Usage
Quick Open	Using information from the Copy Link to Clipboard command, quickly opens a test without having to navigate to the log in PTF Explorer.
Again	Searches for the Find string again.

Test Editor Toolbar

In addition to buttons for the standard Microsoft cut, copy, and paste commands, the test editor toolbar provides the following functions:

	Run test.
	End test.
	Show Test Recorder.
	Debug break.
	Step into.
	Step over.
	Stop on error.
	Disable screen shots.
	Highlight errors in the execution log.
	Overwrite the open execution log.
	Specify text that will be added to text fields when the test is executed. The prefix text is substituted for the #PREFIX# reserved word in the Value field. Using a prefix can help prevent an error caused by a duplicate entry when the page is saved.

Test Window

You can have multiple tests open in PTF. Each test has its own test window. This example shows a Test Editor test window:

Test Window Fields

The following fields appear in the test window:

Test Information Fields

Name	Displays the test name. This field is display-only.
Description	Brief description of the test. You can enter a detailed description in the Comments.

Test Information Functions

	Test Save As.
	Click to access the Message Recognition dialog box. Use the Message Recognition dialog box to define how PTF will respond to messages that are encountered during execution of the test. The Message Recognition icon contains a check mark when the message recognition is enabled for the test.
	Open the Test Properties dialog. In the Language field, select the language for the PeopleSoft application. The default is English. Changing the value in the Language field only affects the language the test selects at sign in. It does not enable the test to execute against a different language. PTF tests should be executed against the same language in which they were recorded. Select the Library Test checkbox to make the test a library test. See Using Library Tests.
	Open the Test Comments dialog. You can enter a long description of the test using Rich Text and add images. Click the take Snapshot icon in the Comment dialogue to insert a screenshot.

Test Case Information Fields

Name	Displays the name of the current test case. You can select a different test case using the drop-down list. When you create a test, the system automatically associates it with a test case named DEFAULT.
Description	Brief description of the test case. You can enter a detailed description in the comments.

Test Case Information Functions

	Test Case Save As.
	Create a new test case.
	Delete the selected test case.
	Open the Test Case Properties dialog.
	Open the Test Case Comments dialog. You can enter a long description of the test case using Rich Text and images.

Test Window Toolbar

In addition to buttons for the standard Microsoft cut, copy, and paste commands, the test window toolbar provides the following functions:

	Selects or deselects the Active check box for all steps.
	Inserts a new, blank step below the current step. Click the drop-down arrow to insert the new step above the current step.
	Deletes the current step.
	Displays the Step Information dialog box showing the PeopleTools metadata associated with the object referenced in the step. Step Information also includes a long description where you can enter comments about the step.

Test Step Fields

A PTF test consists of a series of steps. Each step in a test is composed of eight fields, as defined in this table:

Seq (sequence)	A system-generated sequence number. Test steps execute according to Seq order. When you move, add, or delete a step, Seq is refreshed.
ID	A system-generated unique identifier for each step in a test. This value does not change when you move, add, or delete a step. Test maintenance reports use the ID value.
Comment	When you click on the comment icon in the comment field a rich text editor opens that enables you to add detailed comments for each step. The comment field is gray when it contains a comment.
Active	Deselect this field to inactivate a step. PTF will skip inactive steps when the test runs. Each step is active by default. This field is grayed for inactive steps.
Scroll ID	This field is only required for scroll handling.
Type	The step type. Often, the step type corresponds to the type of application object the step is to take an action on or to validate, such as Text, Checkbox, Browser, and so on. Other step types perform certain functions, such as executing a test or query, setting a variable, or performing conditional processing.
Action	The action the test is to take . Each step type has a set of associated actions. The two most common actions used with a Text step type, for example, are Set and Verify.
Recognition	The means that PTF uses to identify the HTML object within the application. Commonly, this is the HTML ID property.
Field Label	Contains the label text of the page control referenced in the Recognition field. The Field Label column appears when the Show Field Label checkbox is selected in Local Options.
Value	In a typical recorded step, this is the value the tester entered for an object. In a step recorded inVerify mode, this would be the value that was present in the object when it was checked. Value is part of the test case, not the test itself.

Using the PTF Test Recorder

You use the PTF Test Recorder to record the steps in a test. When you record a test, PTF monitors each action you perform in the target application and creates a corresponding step in the test. As you are recording, you can add additional steps, such as Verify, Log, and Conditional, that do not directly correspond to actions performed in the target application.

This section discusses:

The Test Recorder toolbar
Recording action tools
Step modification tools

Test Recorder Toolbar

To access the Test Recorder toolbar, select Test, Open Recorder or click the Show Test Recorder icon.

Note. To move the Test Recorder toolbar, click in the title bar to the left of the close icon and drag to the new location.

The Test Recorder toolbar is divided into four areas:

Recording action tools.
Step modification tools.
Tool hints bar.
Status bar.

Recording Action Tools

This section describes the recording action tools.

Using Drag and Drop

Some recording action tools use drag and drop to get page element recognition data.

During recording, when you drag the icon from the Test Recorder tool bar, your mouse image changes to a bold question mark. As you hover over a page element, the page element highlights. The element that you intend to reference must be highlighted when you drop the icon over it. If the field is not highlighted, PTF will not recognize it. Drag and drop actions are not applicable to all HTML objects.

The Test Recorder recording action tools provide the following functions:

	Hook a browser. Drag and drop this icon onto an active PeopleSoft browser session to hook the recorder to that browser. PTF will only hook a browser that was originally launched by PTF. You can drag the hook icon to any portion of the PIA application. No page objects will be highlighted.
	Launch a PeopleSoft application in a browser window using the URL of the default execution option and hook the recorder to that browser. See Configuring Execution Options.
	Begin recording or resume recording. When you begin recording, the recorder adds or inserts steps following the current step. When you resume recording after pausing you are prompted to choose from the following options: Insert new steps at the current step (do not delete subsequent steps in the test) Insert new steps at the current step (delete subsequent steps in the test) Insert new rows at the end of the test
	Stop recording and write recorded steps to the test.
	Pause recording.
	Add a Verify step. Drag and drop over a page element. The step is automatically populated with the object ID and value of the field. See Verify.
	Open field pop ups or organization chart menu items. See MouseOver.
	Add a Log step. You are prompted to select a Log action and enter text for the Message and Details.
	Add a GetProperty step. Drag and drop over a page element. You are prompted with a list of properties for the selected page element. Enter a variable name or select an existing variable name for one or more properties. The recorder adds a GetProperty step for each property you identify. See Get_Property.
	Add an Exists step. Drag and drop over a page element. You are prompted to enter a variable name or select an existing variable and to select an Expected value. Valid values are True, False, or Ignore. See Exists.
	Add a Conditional If_Then construct. You are prompted for an expression, such as &Exists=True. The Recorder inserts a Conditional.If_Then step. Record additional steps, then click the icon again to add a Conditional.End_If step. See Conditional.
	Add a Variable.Set_Value step. You are prompted for Variable Name and Value. User-defined variables and PTF test variables appear in the drop down list. See Variable, System Variables.
	Add a Scroll.Key_Set step. Drag and drop over a key field in a scroll. Enter a Scroll ID in the Step Modification area and click the Confirm icon. See Incorporating Scroll Handling.
	Add a Scroll.Action step. You are prompted to enter a Scroll ID, return variable, and action. Click the Confirm icon.
	Add a Field.GetLabel step. You are prompted for Return Variable.

Step Modification Tools

As you are recording, you can modify steps recorded during the current session without stopping the recording and exiting the Test Recorder.

The Test Recorder toolbar step modification icons provide the following functions:

	Move to the previous step in the recording. When you move to the previous step or the next step, recording is paused. You must click the Start Recording icon to continue recording.
	Move to the next step in the recording. When you move to the previous step or the next step, recording is paused. You must click the Start Recording icon to continue recording.
	Specify whether the step is active or inactive.
	Accept step modifications. If you move to another step or continue recording without accepting modifications, the modifications are lost.
	Cancel modifications.
	Modify the step.
	Insert a #PREFIX# keyword at the beginning of the text in the Value field.
	Edit test step comments.

Recorder Utility Tools

The Test Recorder toolbar utility icons provide the following functions:

Copy the recording to the clipboard.

Configure recording settings.

If you select the Use PagePrompt checkbox, the Test Recorder will replace menu navigation steps with a Page.Prompt step and Page.PromptOK step. The Test Recorder records menu navigation steps, but they are set to inactive.

Note. When recording a search page with facets, PTF does not automatically insert Page.Prompt constructs because all user actions with facets must be recorded.

When using Page Prompt mode, explicitly enter the values for the key fields. Do not perform a partial search and pick from the list. If you must click a dropdown list, search, or take any other action on a search page, do not use Page Prompt mode.

Use explicit menu navigation.

Note. Page Prompt uses advanced search mode on search pages. In certain cases, objects that are available in basic search mode are not available in advanced search mode. If you record in Page Prompt mode on a search page that uses basic search mode, you may encounter ‘Object not found’ errors. If that occurs, you can either delete the extra steps or inactivate the Page.Prompt steps and activate the navigation steps.

See Page.

Select the Message Recognition checkbox to automatically configure message recognition for any messages, such as error, warning, or information messages, that the application generates during recording. When the Test Recorder adds a new message it also sets Use Message Recognition to True.

See Handling Application Messages.

Using the Log Viewer

Whenever you run a test, PTF creates an execution log. The log is located in PTF Explorer under the test name, in the log folder specified in Execution Options.

After you run a test, PTF automatically displays the log in the Log Viewer.

You can also view a log by opening it from PTF Explorer.

This example shows the Log Viewer:

The Log Viewer has three panes:

The left pane displays the log details.

Typically, the log will contain one high-level entry for each step in the test.
The right pane displays the execution options that were used for the test.
The bottom pane displays details about the selected entry in the log.

Log Viewer Menus

The following menus appear when the Log Viewer has focus. Note that many menu commands are specific to the currently selected item.

This table describes the Log menu commands:

Log Menu Command	Usage
Find	Find text within a log.
Expand All	Expands all the selections in the log.
Collapse All	Collapses all the selections in the log.
Change Log View	Toggles between a view that shows log results as colored flags and a view that shows log results as shaded labels.
Highlight Errors	Highlights log entries with errors in yellow.
Copy Link to Clipboard	Copies a link to the log to the clipboard. You can send this information to another user, who can use the Window, Quick Open feature to open the log without having to navigate to it in PTF Explorer.

This table describes the Detail menu commands:

Detail Menu Command	Usage
Go to Test Step	Accesses the test and selects the step that corresponds to the selected log entry.
Open Link	Opens the application URL in the browser or opens an external file, such as a DataMover log.
Open Screenshot	Opens the screen shot that corresponds to the selected log entry.

This table describes the Window menu commands:

Window Menu Command	Usage
Quick Open	Using information from the Copy Link to Clipboard command, quickly opens a log without having to navigate to the log in PTF Explorer.
Close All	Closes all open windows.