Method and apparatus for testing embedded examples in GUI documentation

• US 20030227480A1
• Filed: 06/11/2002
• Published: 12/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Polk, George Allyn
• Granted Patent: US 7,100,150 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3692 for test results analysis

Abstract

A method of testing an embedded example in a graphical user interface documentation includes creating an extractable embedded example by tagging the embedded example, extracting the extractable embedded example from the graphical user interface documentation to generate an extracted example, selecting a tagged entity from the extracted example, interpreting the tagged entity to generate an interpreted tagged entity, creating a test suite using the interpreted tagged entity, selecting a graphical tool against which to execute the test suite, executing the test suite against the graphical tool to generate an output response, and verifying the output response.

Claims

1. A method of testing an embedded example in graphical user interface documentation, comprising:

creating an extractable embedded example by tagging the embedded example;

extracting the extractable embedded example from the graphical user interface documentation to generate an extracted example;

selecting a tagged entity from the extracted example;

interpreting the tagged entity to generate an interpreted tagged entity;

creating a test suite using the interpreted tagged entity;

selecting a graphical tool against which to execute the test suite;

executing the test suite against the graphical tool to generate an output response; and

verifying the output response.

2. The method of claim 1, tagging the embedded example comprising delineating the embedded example using at least one tag chosen from a tag set.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating the tagged entity using at least one tag chosen from a tag set.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a golden file using at least one tag chosen from a tag set;

wherein the verifying of the output response comprises comparing the output response to the golden file.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the golden file is created manually.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

locating a source of error if the output response varies from the golden file.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

correcting the extractable embedded example if the output response varies from the golden file.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating a comparison result after comparing the output response to the golden file.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending the comparison result to a display device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing the comparison result onto a storage device.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein the golden file is a proper output response of executing the test suite against the graphical tool.

12. The method of claim 1, interpreting the tagged entity comprising using a set of rules comprising a context-free grammar.

13. The method of claim 1, executing the test suite comprising:

setting a current context of the graphical tool;

selecting a widget from the test suite; and

generating a test statement directed to the widget if the widget is found in the current context.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

selecting an available context to become the current context; and

generating a testing error statement if the widget is not found.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the available context is selected from a set of available contexts.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

creating a data structure for storing the set of available contexts.

17. A method of testing an embedded example in a graphical user interface documentation, comprising:

creating an extractable embedded example by tagging the embedded example;

extracting the extractable embedded example from the graphical user interface documentation to generate an extracted example;

selecting a tagged entity from the extracted example;

interpreting the tagged entity to generate an interpreted tagged entity;

creating a test suite using the interpreted tagged entity;

selecting a graphical tool against which to execute the test suite;

executing the test suite against the graphical tool to generate an output response;

creating a golden file using at least one tag from a tag set;

comparing the output response to the golden file;

creating the tagged entity using at least one tag chosen from the tag set;

locating a source of error if the output response varies from the golden file;

correcting the extractable embedded example if the output response varies from the golden file; and

generating a comparison result after comparing the output response to the golden file.

18. A computer system for testing an embedded example in a graphical user interface documentation, comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a storage device;

a computer display; and

software instructions stored in the memory for enabling the computer system under control of the processor, to perform;

creating an extractable embedded example by tagging the embedded example;

extracting the extractable embedded example from the graphical user interface documentation to generate an extracted example;

selecting a tagged entity from the extracted example;

interpreting the tagged entity to generate an interpreted tagged entity;

creating a test suite using the interpreted tagged entity;

selecting a graphical tool against which to execute the test suite;

executing the test suite against the graphical tool to generate an output response; and

verifying the output response.

19. The computer system of claim 18, tagging the embedded example comprising delineating the embedded example using at least one tag chosen from a tag set.

20. The computer system of claim 18, interpreting the tagged entity comprising using a set of rules comprising a context-free grammar.

21. The computer system of claim 18, executing the test suite comprising:

setting a current context of the graphical tool;

selecting a widget from the test suite; and

generating a test statement directed to the widget if the widget is found in the current context.

22. An apparatus for testing an embedded example in graphical user interface documentation, comprising:

means for creating an extractable embedded example by tagging the embedded example;

means for extracting the extractable embedded example from the graphical user interface documentation to generate an extracted example;

means for selecting a tagged entity from the extracted example;

means for interpreting the tagged entity to generate an interpreted tagged entity;

means for creating a test suite using the interpreted tagged entity;

means for selecting a graphical tool against which to execute the test suite;

means for executing the test suite against the graphical tool to generate an output response; and

means for verifying the output response.