Method and apparatus for testing a software program using mock translation input method editor

• US 8,117,021 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2008
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Atkin, Steven Edward, Ross, Joseph C., Tsai, Minto, Yamamoto, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Neway, Samuel G
• Application Number:
  US12/113,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20080201696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• Field of Search: 704/8, 717/124, 717/125
• US Class Current: 704/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3672 Test management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/55 Rule-based translation

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for testing software programs running on a data processing system. Text is translated from the source language to the target language to form translated text in response to a user input, containing the text in a source language. The text is entered through a computer interface in the data processing system. The translated text is inserted into a user interface of the software program to be tested to form inserted, translated text. The software program is written using the target language. A determination is made as to whether the software program functions correctly using the inserted, translated text.

Claims

1. A data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a memory, wherein the memory contains a set of instructions; and

a processing unit, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to;

translate text from a source language to a target language to Form translated text in response to user input containing the text in the source language, entered by a user through a computer graphical user interface screen presented to the user by the data processing system;

display the translated text on the computer graphical user interface screen, wherein the computer graphical user interface screen includes options presented on the computer graphical user interface screen for the user to select both a source language and a translation mode at any time, wherein the translation mode includes a default translation mode and a lookup translation mode that are selectable by the user, wherein the lookup translation mode displays a popup window with a plurality of possible translated text inputs that are selectable by the user;

insert the translated text into a user interface of a software program to be tested to form inserted, translated text, wherein the software program is written in the target language, and wherein the insertion of the translated text is initiated in response to another user input to commit the translated text displayed on the computer graphical user interface screen; and

determine whether the software program functions correctly using the inserted, translated text.

2. A data processing system for testing a software program, the data processing system comprising a computer graphical user interface screen for receiving input from a user of the data processing system, and further comprising:

translating means, responsive to user input containing text in a source language, entered by the user through the computer graphical user interface screen presented to the user by the data processing system, for translating the text from the source language to a target language to form translated text;

display means for displaying the translated text on the computer graphical user interface screen, wherein the computer graphical user interface screen includes options presented on the computer graphical user interface screen for the user to select both a source language and a translation mode at any time, wherein the translation mode includes a default translation mode and a lookup translation mode that are selectable by the user, wherein the lookup translation mode displays a popup window with a plurality of possible translated text inputs that are selectable by the user;

inserting means for inserting the translated text into a user interface of the software program to be tested to form inserted, translated text, wherein the software program is written in the target language, and wherein the inserting means is initiated in response to another user input to commit the translated text displayed on the computer graphical user interface screen; and

determining means for determining whether the software program functions correctly using the inserted, translated text.

3. The data processing system of claim 2, wherein the translating means comprises:

preserving means for preserving selected source language characters in the text; and

replacing means for replacing selected source language characters with target language characters.

4. The data processing system of claim 2, wherein the determining means includes:

validating means for validating target language handling capabilities in back end logic of the software program in response to an insertion of the inserted, translated text.

5. A computer program product encoded in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and operable in a data processing system for testing a software program, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions, responsive to user input containing text in a source language, entered by a user through a computer graphical user interface screen presented to the user by the data processing system, for translating the text from the source language to a target language to form translated text;

second instructions for displaying the translated text on the computer graphical user interface screen, wherein the computer graphical user interface screen includes options presented on the computer graphical user interface screen for the user to select both a source language and a translation mode at any time, wherein the translation mode includes a default translation mode and a lookup translation mode that are selectable by the user, wherein the lookup translation mode displays a popup window with a plurality of possible translated text inputs that are selectable by the user;

third instructions for inserting the translated text into a user interface of the software program to be tested to form inserted, translated text, wherein the software program is written in the target language, and wherein the third instructions for automatically inserting are initiated in response to another user input to commit the translated text displayed on the computer graphical user interface screen; and

fourth instructions for determining whether the software program functions correctly using the inserted, translated text.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the computer graphical user interface screen includes an option for a user to enable and disable translation of the text.