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Test Automation in Flex - Richa Sharma

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Flex is a highly productive, free open source framework for building and maintaining expressive web applications that deploy consistently on all major browsers, desktops, and operating systems. Test Automation involves automation design and execution of automated tests. The Flex test automation feature provides developers with the ability to create Flex applications that use the automation APIs. These APIs can be used to create automation agents or to ensure that applications are ready for testing. This session would cover basics of Flex Test Automation. One of the many available tools to be touched upon in this session would be FlexMonkey – a testing framework for Flex applications that provides for the capture, replay and verification of Flex UI functionality.

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Test Automation In Flex Richa Sharma SAS Research And Development (India)
Agenda • Automate It! • The Flex Automation Feature • Prepare to Automate • Automated Testing Workflow • Instrumentation • FlexMonkey – A dekko • Summary • Q&A
Flex Overview
Automate It! • Flex provides an automation feature which makes Flex applications automation enabled. • Flex Automation APIs aid in creating custom agents or ensuring the readiness of Flex applications for testing. • Flex also provides support for the automation tool – QTP.
The Flex Automation Feature • Automation libraries • QTP files • Samples
The Automation Libraries • Automation libraries – delegate implementations for Flex framework components • automation.swc • automation_agent.swc – generic agent mechanism • automation_dmv.swc – delegates for charting and Advanced DataGrid components
Prepare to Automate • Prepare the application: • Use automation at runtime • Use automation at compile-time (Make your own testable application) • Prepare customized components for testing • Deploy the application
Prepare to Automate - Runtime • Automation at runtime • Wrapper SWF file compiled with automation libraries • The SWF uses SWFLoader to load the application SWF
Prepare to Automate – Compile time • Make your own testable application • Compile the application with the automation libraries • Requires access to Flex application • Embedding of functional testing classes increases the size of the SWF
Prepare to Automate • Points to remember while developing: • All testable controls should have ids • Unique ids • Containers can be excluded from being tested if not impacting the test • UIComponent class – showInAutomationHierarchy • Can be avoided: • Same labels for multiview containers like TabNavigator • Dynamically adding children
Prepare to Automate • Points to remember while testing: • If automation is used at compile-time • Look out for inflated SWF files • Remove references of automation libraries from SWF before deploying on production server
Automated Testing Workflow • Initialization • Recording • Playback
Automation Workflow – Initialization
Automation Workflow – Recording
Automation Workflow – Playback
Instrumentation • Required for custom components or events • Enables custom components or events to be testable
Instrumentation • Requirements for instrumentation of a custom component: • Delegate class • Appropriate entry in the class definition file
Instrumentation – The Delegate • For instrumentation of a custom component with a delegate: • Create a delegate that • is a mixin • implements the required interfaces • Register the delegate with AutomationManager • Define the component in the class definitions xml
Instrumentation – The Class Definition File • Information about all the instrumented Flex components • Tells the automation agent: • What is the name of the component • What events can be recorded and played back • What are the testable properties
Instrumentation – The Class Definition File Typical structure: <TypeInformation> <ClassInfo> <Description/> <Implementation/> <TypeInfo><Operation/> ... </TypeInfo> <Properties><Property/> ... </Properties> </ClassInfo> </TypeInformation>
Instrumentation – Considerations • Composition – single/composite component • Container Hierarchy – understanding the automation hierarchy • Automation name – clear, unambiguous names for easy referencing
FlexMonkey – A dekko • FlexMonkey is an Adobe AIR application used for testing Flex and AIR based applications. • Records, plays back and verifies Flex UI interactions • Generates ActionScript-based testing scripts that can be easily included within a continuous integration environment.
FlexMonkey – Demo
To summarize… • Flex applications can be automated using the Flex Automation APIs • Applications can be prepared to use automation at: • Run Time • Compile Time • Custom components need instrumentation: • Delegate • Entries in the class definition file
Learnings • Components need a unique id • Containers not affecting the test can be avoided • Different labels are needed for multiple tabs in TabNavigator, Accordian etc. • Component display hierarchy can be different from Automation hierarchy
Latest on Flex Automation New in FlashBuilder 4 automation: • Automation of Flex 4 AIR applications • Automation of Flex 4 applications • mx.core.Application, Halo – supported • Spark based applications – not supported • Automation of Marshalled Flex and AIR applications
References • http://livedocs.adobe.com/flex/3/html/help.html?content=functest_ • http://www.artima.com/articles/flex_spark.html • http://ranikumar.wordpress.com/category/flexautomation/ • http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk/Marshall+Plan • http://www.gorillalogic.com/flexmonkey
Q&A

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Test Automation in Flex - Richa Sharma

  • 1. Test Automation In Flex Richa Sharma SAS Research And Development (India)
  • 2. Agenda • Automate It! • The Flex Automation Feature • Prepare to Automate • Automated Testing Workflow • Instrumentation • FlexMonkey – A dekko • Summary • Q&A
  • 4. Automate It! • Flex provides an automation feature which makes Flex applications automation enabled. • Flex Automation APIs aid in creating custom agents or ensuring the readiness of Flex applications for testing. • Flex also provides support for the automation tool – QTP.
  • 5. The Flex Automation Feature • Automation libraries • QTP files • Samples
  • 6. The Automation Libraries • Automation libraries – delegate implementations for Flex framework components • automation.swc • automation_agent.swc – generic agent mechanism • automation_dmv.swc – delegates for charting and Advanced DataGrid components
  • 7. Prepare to Automate • Prepare the application: • Use automation at runtime • Use automation at compile-time (Make your own testable application) • Prepare customized components for testing • Deploy the application
  • 8. Prepare to Automate - Runtime • Automation at runtime • Wrapper SWF file compiled with automation libraries • The SWF uses SWFLoader to load the application SWF
  • 9. Prepare to Automate – Compile time • Make your own testable application • Compile the application with the automation libraries • Requires access to Flex application • Embedding of functional testing classes increases the size of the SWF
  • 10. Prepare to Automate • Points to remember while developing: • All testable controls should have ids • Unique ids • Containers can be excluded from being tested if not impacting the test • UIComponent class – showInAutomationHierarchy • Can be avoided: • Same labels for multiview containers like TabNavigator • Dynamically adding children
  • 11. Prepare to Automate • Points to remember while testing: • If automation is used at compile-time • Look out for inflated SWF files • Remove references of automation libraries from SWF before deploying on production server
  • 12. Automated Testing Workflow • Initialization • Recording • Playback
  • 13. Automation Workflow – Initialization
  • 16. Instrumentation • Required for custom components or events • Enables custom components or events to be testable
  • 17. Instrumentation • Requirements for instrumentation of a custom component: • Delegate class • Appropriate entry in the class definition file
  • 18. Instrumentation – The Delegate • For instrumentation of a custom component with a delegate: • Create a delegate that • is a mixin • implements the required interfaces • Register the delegate with AutomationManager • Define the component in the class definitions xml
  • 19. Instrumentation – The Class Definition File • Information about all the instrumented Flex components • Tells the automation agent: • What is the name of the component • What events can be recorded and played back • What are the testable properties
  • 20. Instrumentation – The Class Definition File Typical structure: <TypeInformation> <ClassInfo> <Description/> <Implementation/> <TypeInfo><Operation/> ... </TypeInfo> <Properties><Property/> ... </Properties> </ClassInfo> </TypeInformation>
  • 21. Instrumentation – Considerations • Composition – single/composite component • Container Hierarchy – understanding the automation hierarchy • Automation name – clear, unambiguous names for easy referencing
  • 22. FlexMonkey – A dekko • FlexMonkey is an Adobe AIR application used for testing Flex and AIR based applications. • Records, plays back and verifies Flex UI interactions • Generates ActionScript-based testing scripts that can be easily included within a continuous integration environment.
  • 24. To summarize… • Flex applications can be automated using the Flex Automation APIs • Applications can be prepared to use automation at: • Run Time • Compile Time • Custom components need instrumentation: • Delegate • Entries in the class definition file
  • 25. Learnings • Components need a unique id • Containers not affecting the test can be avoided • Different labels are needed for multiple tabs in TabNavigator, Accordian etc. • Component display hierarchy can be different from Automation hierarchy
  • 26. Latest on Flex Automation New in FlashBuilder 4 automation: • Automation of Flex 4 AIR applications • Automation of Flex 4 applications • mx.core.Application, Halo – supported • Spark based applications – not supported • Automation of Marshalled Flex and AIR applications
  • 27. References • http://livedocs.adobe.com/flex/3/html/help.html?content=functest_ • http://www.artima.com/articles/flex_spark.html • http://ranikumar.wordpress.com/category/flexautomation/ • http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk/Marshall+Plan • http://www.gorillalogic.com/flexmonkey
  • 28. Q&A