SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED TESTING OF SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS WITH DYNAMIC USER INTERFACES SPANNING MULTIPLE TECHNOLOGIES

• US 20150205705A1
• Filed: 03/31/2015
• Published: 07/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Worksoft, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Worksoft, Inc.
• Inventors: YATES, ANDRES MATIAS
• Granted Patent: US 9,772,929 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

An automated software testing system tests a running application from a viewpoint of user of a graphical user interface of the running application. A programmed processor executes a plurality of meta-layer implementations defining controls of the graphical user interface using algorithms. Each of the meta-layer implementations receives at least one abstraction layer object as input and generates a second at least one abstraction layer object as output responsive to at least one of the algorithm for an associated identity, property, collection or meta-object. A plurality of declarative function modules define each algorithm for each of the plurality of meta-layer implementations. Each of the plurality of declarative function modules encapsulates a predetermined result responsive to execution of the declarative function without providing any detail of how the predetermined result is achieved.

Claims

1. An automated software testing system for testing a running application from a viewpoint of user of a graphical user interface of the running application, comprising:

a programmed processor;

a plurality of meta-layer implementations, executed by the programmed processor, defining controls of the graphical user interface using algorithms, each of the meta-layer implementations receiving at least one abstraction layer object as input and generating a second at least one abstraction layer object as output responsive to the algorithm for at least one of an associated identity, property, collection or meta-object; and

a plurality of declarative function modules for defining each algorithm for each of the plurality of meta-layer implementations, each of the plurality of declarative function modules encapsulating a predetermined result responsive to execution of the declarative function without providing any detail of how the predetermined result is achieved.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of meta-layer implementations and their algorithms create a generic user interface control hierarchy.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the meta-layer implementations comprise identity meta-objects for use in creating the generic user interface control hierarchy.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a common user interface for emulating user interaction interactions occurring external to the running application between the user and the graphical user interface, each of the meta-layer implementations providing a generic representation of graphical visual controls of the graphical user interface of the running application to emulate the user interactions with the graphical user interface occurring external to the running application.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the generic representation comprises a technology independent representation.

6. A method of testing a running application from a viewpoint of a user of a graphical user interface of the running application, comprising:

defining, using a programmed processor, generic control implementations of the graphical user interface using collection driven algorithms;

defining, using the programmed processor, a plurality of hierarchical declarative function meta-objects for each of the collection driven algorithms of at least one of an identity, property, collection or action meta-object associated with the plurality of the implementations, each of the plurality of declarative function meta-objects encapsulating a predetermined result responsive to execution of the declarative function without providing any detail of how the predetermined result is achieved; and

receiving at least one abstraction layer object as input and generating a second at least one abstraction layer object as output responsive to the algorithm for an associated meta-object of an implementation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of implementations and their meta-object algorithms create a generic user interface control hierarchy.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the implementations comprise identity meta-objects for use in creating the generic user interface control hierarchy.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising a common user interface for emulating user interaction interactions occurring external to the running application between the user and the graphical user interface, each of the object collections providing a technology-independent representation of graphical visual controls of the graphical user interface of the running application to emulate the user interactions with the graphical user interface occurring external to the running application

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the generic representation comprises a technology independent representation.

11. A non-transitory, computer readable medium including instructions which, when executed by a programmed processor, implement an automated software testing process for testing a running application from a viewpoint of a user of a graphical user interface of the running application comprising:

defining, using a programmed processor, generic control implementations of the graphical user interface using collection driven algorithms;

defining, using the programmed processor, a plurality of hierarchical declarative function meta-objects for each of the collection driven algorithms of at least one of an identity, property, collection or action meta-object associated with the plurality of the implementations, each of the plurality of declarative function meta-objects encapsulating a predetermined result responsive to execution of the declarative function without providing any detail of how the predetermined result is achieved; and

receiving at least one abstraction layer object as input and generating a second at least one abstraction layer object as output responsive to the algorithm for an associated meta-object of an implementation.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of implementations and their meta-object algorithms create a generic user interface control hierarchy.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the implementations comprise identity meta-objects for use in creating the generic user interface control hierarchy.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising a common user interface for emulating user interaction interactions occurring external to the running application between the user and the graphical user interface, each of the implementations providing a generic representation of graphical visual controls of the graphical user interface of the running application to emulate the user interactions with the graphical user interface occurring external to the running application.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the generic implementation comprises a technology independent representation.