Integration functionality for a test tool for application programming interfaces

• US 20050187930A1
• Filed: 11/17/2004
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Subramanian, Sowmya, Buzsaki, George A., Nickerson, Thomas W., De Groot, Michael, Khemani, Sandeep, Harris, Larry Dean
• Granted Patent: US 7,779,036 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3668 Software testing software testing in telephone exchanges H04M3/242, testing of hardware G06F11/22

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for enabling efficient testing of application programming interface (API) frameworks and application code are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for capturing a call to an API using a framework including an execution engine that communicate with an adapter to cause the API call to be executed involves making the API call and constructing an object using metadata associated with the API call. The constructed object is converted into a node that is of a declarative metadata format, and the node is stored.

Claims

1. A method for capturing a call to an application programming interface (API) using a framework, the framework including an execution engine and an adapter, the execution engine being arranged to communicate with the adapter to cause the API call to be executed, the method comprising:

making the API call;

constructing an object using metadata associated with the API call;

converting the object into a node, the node being of a declarative metadata format; and

storing the node.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein making the API call includes providing at least one inbound parameter for use in making the API call.

3. The method of claim 2 further including:

raising an event which causes the at least one inbound parameter to be obtained.

4. The method of claim 1 further including:

obtaining at least one outbound parameter, the at least one outbound parameter being arranged to result from the API call.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein converting the object into the node includes passing the object to the execution engine, and wherein the execution engine accesses the adapter to convert the object into the node.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein storing the node includes storing the node in a repository, the repository being included in the framework.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the declarative metadata format is an XML format, and the node is an XML node.

8. A system for capturing a call to an application programming interface (API), the system comprising:

a recording tool the recording tool being arranged to construct an object with metadata that is associated with the API call;

an execution engine, wherein the recording tool is arranged to pass the object to the execution engine;

an adapter, wherein the execution engine is arranged to communicate with the adapter to cause the adapter to convert the object into a node, the node being of a declarative metadata format; and

a repository, the repository being arranged to store the node.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the adapter is further arranged to cause the API call to execute.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the recording tool is arranged to substantially directly interface with the execution engine.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the declarative metadata format is an XML format and the node is an XML node.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the recording tool is arranged to discern data associated with another API call which is to be used as an inbound parameter of the API call.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the recording tool is arranged to discern when an outbound parameter of the API call is to be used as an inbound parameter for a subsequent API call.

14. A system for capturing a call to an application programming interface (API), the system comprising:

means for making the API call;

means for constructing an object using metadata associated with the API call;

means for converting the object into a node, the node being of a declarative metadata format; and

means for storing the node.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the means for making the API call include means for providing at least one inbound parameter for use in making the API call.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the at least one inbound parameter is an outbound parameter associated with a previous API call.

17. The system of claim 15 further including:

means for raising an event which causes the at least one inbound parameter to be obtained.

18. The system of claim 14 further including:

means for obtaining at least one outbound parameter, the at least one outbound parameter being arranged to result from the API call.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the means for converting the object into the node include means for passing the object to the execution engine, and wherein the execution engine accesses the adapter to convert the object into the node.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein the declarative metadata format is an XML format, and the node is an XML node.

21. A framework suitable for use to test an application programming interface (API), the framework comprising:

a metadata provider arrangement, the metadata provider arrangement being arranged to store declarative metadata;

a metadata provider interface arranged to obtain the declarative metadata associated with a test from the declarative metadata provider;

a first test adapter, the first test adapter being arranged to include logic used to process the declarative metadata, the first test adapter further being arranged to access remote information;

a test interface, the test interface being arranged to cooperate with the first test adapter to construct the test, wherein the first test adapter is effectively interfaced with the test interface; and

a execution engine, the execution engine being arranged to communicate with the test interface to cause the test to be executed.

22. The framework of claim 21 wherein the remote information is an application associated with a first virtual machine, the first virtual machine being associated with the framework.

23. The framework of claim 21 wherein the remote information is an application associated with a different virtual machine than a virtual machine associated with the framework.

24. The framework of claim 21 wherein the remote information is a remote database that is not part of the framework.

25. A method for running an application programming interface (API) test comprising:

obtaining test data, the test data including declarative metadata, the test data being obtained using a test declarative metadata adapter of a first class;

providing the test data to a test interface; and

executing a test associated with the test data using the test interface, wherein executing the test associated with the test data using the test interface includes calling a first test adapter of the first class to obtain testing logic for executing the test associated with the test data, the first test adapter being in communication with the test interface, the first test adapter being arranged to include a generic test adapter portion that defines at least one tag that is common to a plurality of test adapters of the first class and a test adapter portion that defines at least one tag that is not common to the plurality of test adapters of the first class, the first test adapter further being arranged to access one of an application and a database.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the application is an application that is arranged to execute on a virtual machine that is common to the first test adapter and the application.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the application is an application that is arranged to execute on a different virtual machine than a virtual machine that is associated with the first test adapter.

28. A system suitable for use to test an application programming interface (API), the system comprising:

a framework arranged to perform an API test by causing a test script associated with the API test to be executed, the framework including a test interface and an execution engine, the execution engine being arranged to communicate with the test interface to cause the API test to be executed, the test script including declarative metadata, the framework further including a rendering interface in communication with the execution engine and at least one renderer in communication with the rendering interface, the rendering interface being arranged to facilitate a transformation of information associated with the API test, the at least one renderer being arranged to implement the rendering interface; and

an application, the application being arranged to communicate with the rendering interface through the at least one renderer.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the application is one of a diagnostics application, an application arranged to record the test script, JDeveloper, and WinRunner.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the at least one renderer arranged to implement the rendering interface includes a diagnostics renderer, the diagnostics renderer being arranged as an interface between the application and the rendering interface.

31. The system of claim 28 wherein the rendering interface is arranged to transform data obtained from the execution engine into a first format which is understood by the first renderer, and the at least one renderer is arranged to transform the data from the first format which is understood by the first renderer into a second format which is understood by the application.

32. A method for interfacing an application with a framework, the framework being arranged to execute an API call, the framework including an execution engine and at least one adapter, the execution engine being arranged to cause the at least one adapter to execute the API call, the API call being specified in declarative metadata, the method comprising:

integrating the application with a rendering arrangement, the rendering arrangement being arranged to enable the application to communicate with the execution engine; and

executing the API call, wherein the API call executes while the application communicates with the execution engine.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the rendering arrangement includes a rendering interface and a first renderer, the rendering interface being arranged to transform data obtained from the execution engine into a first format which is understood by the first renderer, the first renderer being arranged to transform the data from the first format which is understood by the first renderer into a second format which is understood by the application.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the rendering arrangement further includes a second renderer, the second renderer being arranged to transform the data from the first format into a third format.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein the declarative metadata is XML.

36. A framework with which an application is interfaced, the framework being arranged to execute an API call specified in declarative metadata, the framework comprising:

means for integrating the application with the framework to enable the application to communicate with the execution engine; and

means for executing the API call, wherein the API call executes while the application communicates with the execution engine.

37. The framework of claim 36 wherein the means for integrating the application with the framework include means for transform data obtained from the execution engine into a format which is understood by the application.

38. A method for recording a first API test comprising:

embedding a first expression in an inbound parameter of a call associated with the first API test, the first expression being arranged to indicate that the inbound parameter of the call is to be obtained from a second API test, the inbound parameter of the call being an outbound parameter of the second API test; and

recording the inbound parameter of the call.

39. The method of claim 38 further including:

embedding a second expression in an outbound parameter of the call associated with the first API test, the second expression being arranged to indicate that the outbound parameter of the call is to be an input parameter to a subsequent API test; and

recording the outbound parameter of the call.