Software system and methods for testing the functionality of a transactional server

• US 6,587,969 B1
• Filed: 06/21/1999
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mercury Interactive Corp. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Tapiro, Nisim, Weinberg, Amir, Kholmyansky, Maxim, Garri, Amos, Leshem, Eran, Hillel, Meni
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): McGrath, Christopher R.
• Application Number:
  US09/337,446
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• Field of Search: 714/46, 714/38, 714/1, 714/33, 714/32, 714/47, 714/25, 714/27, 714/57, 714/48, 714/26, 714/4, 345/704, 717/135, 717/126, 717/124
• US Class Current: 714/46
• 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

Abstract

A testing tool automatically records a series of user steps taken during a user session with a transactional server and generates a test for testing the functionality of server. Through a user interface of the testing tool, the user can define verification steps to automatically test for expected server responses during test execution. The testing tool displays the test to the user as a tree having nodes (displayed as icons) which represent steps of the test. Via the user interface, the user can modify node properties and perform other types of tree edit operations to edit the test, without the need to know a scripting or other programming language. When the user selects a node that corresponds to a particular field or other object of the server screen, the testing tool automatically displays the screen with the object highlighted. The testing tool also allows the test author to use a spreadsheet to conveniently specify data sets for running multiple iterations of a test; thus, the user can record a single transaction and then automatically test the transaction with other data sets.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating the generation of an automated test for testing the functionality of a transactional server, comprising:

recording an interactive user session with the transactional server during which a user performs steps of at least one transaction to be tested, wherein recording an interactive user session comprises capturing and displaying screens returned by the transactional server;

recording at least one verification step specified by the user, the verification step specifying an expected server response to be tested during execution of the test;

graphically representing the test on a display screen as a hierarchical node structure in which the transaction steps and the at least one verification step are represented as corresponding nodes, at least some of the nodes having properties that can be edited to modify the test;

monitoring user selection of nodes within the hierarchical node structure, and responding to selection of a node by displaying a captured server screen which corresponds thereto;

providing a user interface through which the user can edit the node structure, including editing properties of nodes, to modify the test; and

modifying the test in response to edits made to the node structure through the user interface;

wherein the method enables users to generate and edit automated tests without the need to use a programming language.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising running the test to test the functionality of the server, the step of running comprising executing a testscript representation of the test.

3. The method as in claim 2, wherein running the test comprises highlighting nodes of the hierarchical node structure as corresponding steps are performed.

4. The method as in claim 2, wherein running the test comprises starting and/or stopping execution at a node selected by the user within the hierarchical node structure.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the hierarchical node structure includes icons which represent types of steps.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the hierarchical node structure is a tree.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein graphically representing the test comprises constructing the hierarchical node structure on the display screen during recording of the interactive user session.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein recording a verification step comprises monitoring user selection of an element of one of the captured screens.

9. The method as in claim 1, further comprising responding to user selection of an element of a captured screen by highlighting a node which corresponds to the element.

10. The method as in claim 1, further comprising presenting the user an option, through the user interface, to specify multiple data sets to be used for multiple iterations of the test, wherein different data sets are used during different iterations, the method thereby enabling the user to re-test a transaction using multiple data sets without having to record the transaction more than once.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein presenting the user an option comprises presenting the user a spreadsheet for specifying data values.

12. The method as in claim 1, further comprising presenting the user an option to edit the test by editing a testscript representation of the test.

13. The method as in claim 1, wherein modifying the test comprises modifying an order in which steps of the test are performed in response to the user dragging and dropping a node of the node structure.

14. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a computer, is capable of performing the method of claim 1.

15. A method for generating a test for testing the functionality of a transactional server, comprising:

initiating a recording session through an interface of a testing tool;

interacting with the transactional server during the recording session to record at least one business process;

using information returned by the transactional server during the recording session to define at least one verification condition to be tested during execution of the test, wherein using information returned to define a verification condition comprises selecting an element of a captured server screen with a pointing device to cause a corresponding node of the node structure to become highlighted;

viewing a hierarchical node structure which represents the test; and

editing the node structure to modify the test.

16. The method as in claim 15, wherein editing the node structure comprises modifying properties of a node.

17. The method as in claim 15, wherein editing the node structure comprises dragging and dropping a node.

18. The method as in claim 15, further comprising, through the interface of the testing tool, entering data into a data table to specify first and second data sets to be used during first and second respective iterations of the test.

19. The method as in claim 18, wherein the data table comprises a spreadsheet.

20. A method for facilitating generation of a test for testing a transactional server, comprising:

generating a test for testing the transactional server, the step of generating comprising recording user interactions with the transactional server and screens returned by the transactional server;

displaying a node structure in which nodes represent corresponding steps of the test, at least some of the nodes corresponding to respective objects of captured screens;

in response to user selection of a node which corresponds to an object of a captured screen, displaying the captured screen to the user with the object highlighted, to thereby visually indicate a correspondence between the object and a step of the test; and

presenting the user an option to modify properties associated with the node to modify the step.

21. The method as in claim 20, wherein the object is a data entry field, and the step of presenting the user an option of modify properties comprises presenting the user an option to modify a data input value automatically entered into the field during execution of the test.

22. The method as in claim 21, wherein presenting the user an option to modify properties further comprises presenting the user an option to specify multiple data values to be entered into the field during multiple respective iterations of the test.

23. The method as in claim 20, wherein the step is a verification step for verifying at least one characteristic of the object, and the step of presenting an option to modify properties comprises presenting the user an option to specify an expected characteristic of the object.

24. The method as in claim 20, further comprising responding to user selection of a second object of the captured screen by highlighting a node associated with the second object.

25. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a computer, is capable of performing the method of claim 20.

26. A computer-implemented method for facilitating the generation of an automated test for testing the functionality of a transactional server, comprising:

recording an interactive user session with the transactional server during which a user performs steps of at least one transaction to be tested, wherein recording an interactive user session comprises capturing and displaying screens returned by the transactional server;

recording at least one verification step specified by the user, the verification step specifying an expected server response to be tested during execution of the test;

graphically representing the test on a display screen as a hierarchical node structure in which the transaction steps and the at least one verification step are represented as corresponding nodes, at least some of the nodes having properties that can be edited to modify the test;

responding to user selection of an element of a captured screen by highlighting a node which corresponds to the element;

providing a user interface through which the user can edit the node structure, including editing properties of nodes, to modify the test; and

modifying the test in response to edits made to the node structure through the user interface;

wherein the method enables users to generate and edit automated tests without the need to use a programming language.

27. The method as in claim 26, further comprising running the test to test the functionality of the server, wherein running the test comprises executing a testscript representation of the test.

28. The method as in claim 27, wherein running the test further comprises highlighting nodes of the hierarchical node structure as corresponding steps are performed.

29. The method as in claim 27, wherein running the test comprises starting and/or stopping execution at a node selected by the user within the hierarchical node structure.

30. The method as in claim 26, wherein the hierarchical node structure includes icons which represent types of steps.

31. The method as in claim 26, wherein the hierarchical node structure is a tree.

32. The method as in claim 26, wherein graphically representing the test comprises constructing the hierarchical node structure on the display screen during recording of the interactive user session.

33. The method as in claim 26, wherein recording a verification step comprises monitoring user selection of an element of one of the captured screens.

34. The method as in claim 26, further comprising monitoring user selection of nodes within the hierarchical node structure, and responding to selection of a node by displaying a captured server screen which corresponds thereto.

35. The method as in claim 26, further comprising presenting the user an option, through the user interface, to specify multiple data sets to be used for multiple iterations of the test, wherein different data sets are used during different iterations, the method thereby enabling the user to re-test a transaction using multiple data sets without having to record the transaction more than once.

36. The method as in claim 35, wherein presenting the user an option comprises presenting the user a spreadsheet for specifying data values.

37. The method as in claim 26, further comprising presenting the user an option to edit the test by editing a testscript representation of the test.

38. The method as in claim 26, wherein modifying the test comprises modifying an order in which steps of the test are performed in response to the user dragging and dropping a node of the node structure.

39. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a computer, is capable of performing the method of claim 26.

40. A computer-implemented method for facilitating the generation of an automated test for testing the functionality of a transactional server, comprising:

recording an interactive user session with the transactional server during which a user performs steps of at least one transaction to be tested;

recording at least one verification step specified by the user, the verification step specifying an expected server response to be tested during execution of the test;

graphically representing the test as a hierarchical node structure in which the transaction steps and the at least one verification step are represented as corresponding nodes, at least some of the nodes having properties that can be edited to modify the test;

providing a user interface through which the user can edit the node structure, including editing properties of nodes, to modify the test; and

modifying the test in response to edits made to the node structure through the user interface;

wherein the method enables users to generate and edit automated tests without the need to use a programming language.

41. The method as in claim 40, further comprising running the test to test the functionality of the server, the step of running comprising executing a testscript representation of the test.

42. The method as in claim 41, wherein running the test comprises highlighting nodes of the hierarchical node structure as corresponding steps are performed.

43. The method as in claim 41, wherein running the test comprises starting and/or stopping execution at a node selected by the user within the hierarchical node structure.

44. The method as in claim 40, wherein the hierarchical node structure includes icons which represent types of steps.

45. The method as in claim 40, wherein the hierarchical node structure is a tree.

46. The method as in claim 40, wherein graphically representing the test comprises constructing the hierarchical node structure during recording of the interactive user session.

51. The method as in claim 40, further comprising presenting the user an option, through the user interface, to specify multiple data sets to be used for multiple iterations of the test, wherein different data sets are used during different iterations, the method thereby enabling the user to re-test a transaction using multiple data sets without having to record the transaction more than once.

52. The method as in claim 51, wherein presenting the user an option comprises presenting the user a spreadsheet for specifying data values.

53. The method as in claim 40, further comprising presenting the user an option to edit the test by editing a testscript representation of the test.

54. The method as in claim 40, wherein modifying the test comprises modifying an order in which steps of the test are performed in response to the user dragging and dropping a node of the node structure.

55. A testing tool that embodies the method of claim 40.

47. The method as in claim 47, wherein recording an interactive user session comprises capturing and displaying screens returned by the transactional server.

48. The method as in claim 47, wherein recording a verification step comprises monitoring user selection of an element of one of the captured screens.

49. The method of claim 47, further comprising monitoring user selection of nodes within the hierarchical node structure, and responding to selection of a node by displaying a captured server screen which corresponds thereto.

50. The method as in claim 47, further comprising responding to user selection of an element of a captured screen by highlighting node which corresponds to the element.