Non-client-specific testing of applications

• US 20040041827A1
• Filed: 08/30/2002
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Kolb, Martin, Dinkel, Markus, Denkel, Christian, Cohrs, Christian, Bischof, Jorg
• Granted Patent: US 8,682,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/704
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

Computer-implemented methods, systems, computer programs and data files implement and use techniques for recording and recreating user interactions with an application program. User actions performed in interacting with an application program in a first user interface environment are detected, and an abstract representation of the user actions is recorded. The user actions access one or more components of the first user interface environment, which implement user interface elements of the application program. The abstract representation describes the user actions in a format independent of the components of the first user interface environment. The abstract representation is usable in a second user interface environment to recreate results of the user actions in the application program. The abstract representations can be used to test application programs in different user interface environments.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

detecting user actions performed in interacting with an application program in a first user interface environment, the user actions accessing one or more components of the first user interface environment, the one or more components implementing user interface elements of the application program; and

recording an abstract representation of the user actions describing the user actions in a format independent of the components of the first user interface environment, the abstract representation being usable in a second user interface environment to recreate results of the user actions in the application program.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the abstract representation in the second user interface environment to recreate results of the user actions in the application program.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

using the abstract representation includes generating one or more commands that, when executed in the second user interface environment, cause the application program to recreate results of the user actions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

using the abstract representation includes using the commands to access one or more components of the second user interface environment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the abstract representation includes information representing the one or more user interface elements and one or more calls to methods of the user interface elements, the method calls corresponding to the user actions;

the method further comprising modifying the abstract representation in response to user input specifying one or more modified parameter values for one or more of the method calls corresponding to the user actions; and

wherein using the abstract representation includes calling one or more methods of user interface elements of the application program with the modified parameter values.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

detecting user actions includes receiving user input specifying one or more changes to elements of a user interface of the application program; and

recording the abstract representation includes identifying, in response to the user input specifying changes, one or more user interface elements having a changed state and recording, for each of the identified user interface elements, information representing the changed state.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

receiving the user input specifying one or more changes triggers a transmission from a client hosting the application program in the first user interface environment to a server; and

the abstract representation is recorded before the transmission from the client to the server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

detecting user actions includes receiving a stream of user input actions specifying changes to elements of a user interface of the application program; and

recording the abstract representation includes recording information representing each action in the stream of user input actions.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the abstract representation to generate one or more commands that, when executed in the first user interface environment, cause the application program to recreate results of the user actions; and

executing the commands in the first user interface environment to recreate results of the user actions in the application program.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the abstract representation is recorded in a format that is not proprietary to the first or second user interface environments.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the format is an XML format.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the XML format is defined by a schema including information describing a plurality of environments for the application program, a set of user interface elements provided by the application program in each of the plurality of environments, and, for each user interface element in the set of user interface elements, a set of one or more properties and/or methods that can be called in response to user actions performed on the corresponding user interface element.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein:

using the abstract representation includes generating, in a format proprietary to the second user interface environment, one or more commands that, when executed in the second user interface environment, cause the application program to recreate results of the user actions.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first and second user interface environments are selected from user interface environments that provide distinct component frameworks into which user interface components operate.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the abstract representation.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an abstract representation of user actions performed in interacting with an application program in a first user interface environment, the user actions accessing one or more components of the first user interface environment, the one or more components implementing user interface elements of the application program, the abstract representation describing the user actions in a format independent of the components of the first user interface environment; and

using the abstract representation in the second user interface environment to recreate results of the user actions in the application program.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the user actions performed in interacting with the application program define one or more calls to methods of the one or more user interface elements of the application program; and

the abstract representation includes information representing the one or more user interface elements and the one or more method calls.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein:

using the abstract representation includes generating one or more commands that, when executed in the second user interface environment, cause the application program to recreate results of the user actions.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the user actions performed in interacting with the application program in the first user interface environment define one or more calls to methods of user interface elements of the first instance of the application program; and

the commands define one or more calls to methods of user interface elements of the application program in the second user interface environment.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

modifying the abstract representation in response to user input specifying one or more modified parameter values for one or more of the method calls defined by the user actions; and

wherein using the abstract representation in the second user interface environment includes calling one or more methods of user interface elements of the application program with the modified parameter values.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the abstract representation is recorded in a format that is not proprietary to the first or second user interface environments.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein:

the format is an XML format defined by a schema including information describing a plurality of environments for the application program, a set of user interface elements provided by the application program in each of the plurality of environments, and, for each user interface element in the set of user interface elements, a set of one or more properties and/or methods that can be called in response to user actions performed on the corresponding user interface element.

23. A data file stored on a computer-readable medium for describing user actions in an application program, the data file comprising:

an abstract representation of user actions performed in interacting with an application program in a first user interface environment, the user actions accessing one or more components of the first user interface environment, the one or more components implementing user interface elements of the application program, the abstract representation describing the user actions in a format independent of the components of the first user interface environment, the abstract representation being usable in a second user interface environment to recreate results of the user actions in the application program.

24. The data file of claim 23, wherein:

the user actions define one or more calls to methods of one or more user interface elements in the first instance of the application program; and

.

the abstract representation includes information representing the one or more user interface elements and the one or more method calls.

25. The data file of claim 23, wherein:

the abstract representation includes information representing a state of each of one or more user interface elements of the application program.

26. The data file of claim 23, wherein:

the abstract representation includes information representing actions in a stream of user input actions specifying changes to elements of a user interface of the application program.

27. The data file of claim 23, wherein:

the abstract representation is recorded in a format that is not proprietary to the first or second user interface environments.

28. The data file of claim 27, wherein:

the format is an XML format.

29. The data file of claim 28, wherein:

the XML format is defined by a schema including information describing a plurality of environments for the application program, a set of user interface elements provided by the application program in each of the plurality of environments, and, for each user interface element in the set of user interface elements, a set of one or more properties and/or methods that can be called in response to user actions performed on the corresponding user interface element.

30. A system for recording a sequence of user actions, comprising:

an application program executing in a first user interface environment, the first user interface environment including one or more components implementing user interface elements of the application program;

a scripting engine operable to detect a user action performed in interacting with the application program in the first user interface environment, the scripting engine being operable to generate an abstract representation of the user action, the abstract representation describing the user actions in a format independent of the components of the first user interface environment, the abstract representation being usable in a second user interface environment to recreate results of the user actions in the application program; and

a recorder configured to record the abstract representation.

31. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for storing instructions for representing user interactions with an application program, the computer program product being operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

detect user actions performed in interacting with an application program in a first user interface environment, the user actions accessing one or more components of the first user interface environment, the one or more components implementing user interface elements of the application program; and

record an abstract representation of the user actions describing the user actions in a format independent of the components of the first user interface environment, the abstract representation being usable in a second user interface environment to recreate results of the user actions in the application program.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

use the abstract representation in the second user interface environment to recreate results of the user actions in the application program.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein:

the instructions to use the abstract representation include instructions to generate one or more commands that, when executed in the second user interface environment, cause the the application program to recreate results of the user actions.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein:

the instructions to use the abstract representation include instructions to use the commands to access one or more components of the second user interface environment.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein:

the abstract representation includes information representing the one or more user interface elements and one or more calls to methods of the user interface elements, the method calls corresponding to the user actions;

the computer program product further comprising instructions to modify the abstract representation in response to user input specifying one or more modified parameter values for one or more of the method calls corresponding to the user actions; and

wherein the instructions to use the abstract representation include instructions to call one or more methods of user interface elements of the application program with the modified parameter values.

36. The computer program product claim 31, wherein:

the instructions to detect user actions include instructions to receive user input specifying one or more changes to elements of a user interface of the application program; and

the instructions to record the abstract representation include instructions to identify, in response to the user input specifying changes, one or more user interface elements having a changed state and recording, for each of the identified user interface elements, information representing the changed state.

37. The computer program product of claim 36, further comprising instructions to:

trigger a transmission from a client hosting the application program in the first user interface environment to a server in response to user input specifying one or more changes; and

wherein the abstract representation is recorded before the transmission from the client to the server.

38. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein:

the instructions to detect user actions include instructions to receive a stream of user input actions specifying changes to elements of a user interface of the application program; and

the instructions to record the abstract representation include instructions to record information representing each action in the stream of user input actions.

39. The computer program product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

use the abstract representation to generate one or more commands that, when executed in the first user interface environment, cause the application program to recreate results of the user actions; and

execute the commands in the first user interface environment to recreate results of the user actions in the application program.

40. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein:

the abstract representation is recorded in a format that is not proprietary to the first or second user interface environments.

41. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein:

the format is an XML format.

42. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein:

the XML format is defined by a schema including information describing a plurality of environments for the application program, a set of user interface elements provided by the application program in each of the plurality of environments, and, for each user interface element in the set of user interface elements, a set of one or more properties and/or methods that can be called in response to user actions performed on the corresponding user interface element.

43. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein:

the instructions to use the abstract representation include instructions to generate, in a format proprietary to the second user interface environment, one or more commands that, when executed in the second user interface environment, cause the application program to recreate results of the user actions.

44. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein:

the first and second user interface environments are selected from user interface environments that provide distinct component frameworks into which user interface components operate.

45. The computer program product of claim 31, further comprising:

instructions to store the abstract representation.

46. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for recreating user interactions with an application program, the computer program product being operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

receive an abstract representation of user actions performed in interacting with an application program in a first user interface environment, the user actions accessing one or more components of the first user interface environment, the one or more components implementing user interface elements of the application program, the abstract representation describing the user actions in a format independent of the components of the first user interface environment; and

use the abstract representation in the second user interface environment to recreate results of the user actions in the application program.

47. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein:

the user actions performed in interacting with the application program define one or more calls to methods of the one or more user interface elements of the application program; and

the abstract representation includes information representing the one or more user interface elements and the one or more method calls.

48. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein:

the instructions to use the abstract representation include instructions to generate one or more commands that, when executed in the second user interface environment, cause the application program to recreate results of the user actions.

49. The computer program product of claim 48, wherein:

the user actions performed in interacting with the application program in the first user interface environment define one or more calls to methods of user interface elements of the first instance of the application program; and

the commands define one or more calls to methods of user interface elements of the application program in the second user interface enviroment.

50. The computer program product of claim 49, further comprising:

instructions to modify the abstract representation in response to user input specifying one or more modified parameter values for one or more of the method calls defined by the user actions; and

wherein the instructions to use the abstract representation in the second user interface environment include instructions to call one or more methods of user interface elements of the application program with the modified parameter values.

51. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein:

the abstract representation is recorded in a format that is not proprietary to the first or second user interface environments.

52. The computer program product of claim 51, wherein:

the format is an XML format defined by a schema including information describing a plurality of environments for the application program, a set of user interface elements provided by the application program in each of the plurality of environments, and, for each user interface element in the set of user interface elements, a set of one or more properties and/or methods that can be called in response to user actions performed on the corresponding user interface element.