Systems and Methods for Automating Test Scripts for Applications That Interface to Payment Networks

• US 20160328316A1
• Filed: 05/08/2015
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Balsavias, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 10,210,075 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 11/3684 for test design, e.g. generating new test cases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3692 for test results analysis

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for use in testing a target application, including target applications for a payment network. One exemplary method includes generating a test script for the target application, based on at least one requirement of the target application. The test script defines at least one input to the target application and associated with the at least one requirement. The exemplary method further includes binding, in response to a user input, at least one element of the target application to at least one input of the test script.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for use in testing a target application, the target application configured to generate at least one output based on at least one input, the method comprising:

generating, at a computing device, a test script for the target application, based on at least one requirement of the target application, the test script defining at least one input to the target application and associated with the at least one requirement; and

binding, at the computing device, in response to a user input, at least one element of the target application to at least one input of the test script.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein binding the at least one element to at least one input of the test script includes:

causing to be displayed, at a user computer device, at least one interface including the element of the target application;

causing to be displayed, at the user computing device, a variable interface identifying the at least one input;

receiving, at the computing device, a selection of the at least one element within the interface, indicating the at least one element is associated with the at least one input; and

appending, at the computing device, an identifier of the at least one element to the test script.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the variable interface includes one or more of at least two options to bind the at least one input.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least two options include:

a name, identifier, attribute and/or definition of the at least one input.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the test script is independent of the target application, and based on the at least on requirement of the target application.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the test script includes identifying at least one story associated with the at least one requirement and appending the at least one story to the test script.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the test script defines a schedule of execution for the test script over a predefined interval.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the test script includes at least one identified dataset, which is used in each of the scheduled execution for the test script over the predefined interval.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the test script is further based on multiple requirements of the target application;

and

wherein the test script defines multiple inputs to the target application, each one of the multiple inputs associated with an element of one of the multiple requirements of the target application; and

wherein binding includes binding each of the multiple inputs of the target application to the associated element of the multiple requirements.

10. A computer-implemented method for use in testing a target application, the method comprising:

at a first time, executing a test script for a target application, the test script defining at least one input to an element of a target application;

capturing and storing, in a computing device, an output from the target application at a first instance, in response to said at least one input to said element of the target application; and

at a second later time, executing said test script for the target application;

wherein prior to the second later time, but after the first time, the target application is revised;

capturing the output from the target application at a second instance, in response to said at least one input to said element of the revised target application;

comparing said output captured at the first instance and said output captured at the second instance; and

when a difference is identified, which is unrelated to the revision to the target application, generating an observation.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each of said outputs includes an interface, which is displayed in response to the at least one input to the element of the target application;

and

wherein comparing said output captured at the first instance and said output captured at the second instance includes comparing the code associated with the interfaces.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the output is a batch file;

and

wherein comparing the batch file for the first and second instance includes comparing multiple fields of data within the batch files.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising revising the test script, prior to the second later time, based on the revision to the target application, the revision to the test script including an intended change in the output and/or another output of the target application.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein each of said outputs includes an interface, which is displayed in response to the at least one input to the element of the target application;

and

wherein comparing said output captured at the first instance and said output captured at the second instance includes an image comparison of the interfaces.

15. A computer-implemented method for use in testing a target application, the method comprising:

deploying, to an application computing device, an application monitor, the application computing device hosting the target application;

executing, by a test computing device, a test script directed to the target application during a test interval, the test script defining an input to the target application and at least one expected output when the target application receives said input;

identifying, at the test computing device, an observation when the output of the target application, in response to said input, is different than the at least one expected output;

communicating an observation flag to the application monitor;

receiving, from the application computing device, forensic details associated with the application computing device, the forensic details generated within a predefined interval of the observation; and

storing, at the test computing device, the forensic details associated with the observation.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising detecting the difference in the output and the at least one expected output, based on a comparison of a prior output from the target application.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the forensic details include one or more log files from the application computing device.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising, when the observation is identified, capturing an output provided from the target application to the test computing device;

and

storing, at the test computing device, the output associated with the observation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the output includes an interface;

and

wherein identifying the observation is based on a comparison of the interface to a previously captured interface.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising communicating a capture flag to the application monitor, when no observation is identified;

receiving, from the application computing device, forensic details associated with the application computing device; and

storing, at the test computing device, the forensic details associated with the time, date and/or test script conditions associated with the capture flag.