Testing user interface responsiveness for mobile applications

• US 8,881,111 B1
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Xamarin Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, Jason Adam, Depizzol, Vinicius Scopel, Friedman, Nathaniel Dourif, Krukow, Karl, Larsen, Jonas Maturana, Siegel, David
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, RONGFA PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US14/029,663
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 717/125
• US Class Current: 717/125
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs

Abstract

Embodiments are directed towards testing a responsiveness of a graphical user interface (GUI) for an application executing on a computer. During execution of each portion of a test, stimuli may be provided to the application. The stimuli may be provided to the application thread that is associated with rendering graphics for the GUI. Responses from the application to the stimuli may be monitored to determine a responsiveness of the application for at least one portion of the test. The responsiveness may be determined based on a wait time between providing a request and receiving a reply to the request, which may indicate that the application is in a state to accept input through the GUI. Responsiveness may be determined separately for each portion of the test. A displayable report may be generated to include the responsiveness of the application for each portion of the test.

Claims

1. A method for testing mobile applications over a network using a mobile computer that is operative to perform actions, comprising:

executing a test agent, a test script, and a mobile application on the mobile computer;

providing at least one stimulus to the mobile application during execution of each portion of the test script, wherein each stimulus requests a response from the mobile application;

employing the test agent to monitor information at the mobile computer based on at least each reply from the mobile application in response to each stimulus;

determining responsiveness of at least the mobile application for each portion of the test script executing on the mobile computer based on at least the monitored information, wherein the responsiveness is based on a time for the mobile application to return to a state to accent input through a graphical user interface after a stimulus is provided to the mobile application; and

enabling display of a report that includes at least a representation of the responsiveness of the mobile application for at least one portion of the test script that executes on the mobile computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the at least one stimulus to the mobile application, further comprises, providing the at least one stimulus to a process thread of the mobile application that also performs graphics rendering for a graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the at least one stimulus to the mobile application, further comprises, providing a heartbeat to execute with a main logical loop of the mobile application.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of requests to the mobile application;

determining a response time between a first request of the plurality of requests and a reply from the mobile application, wherein the reply indicates that the mobile application is in a state to accept input through a graphical user interface; and

determining the responsiveness of the graphical user interface based on at least the determined response time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitored information includes at least one of memory consumption, processor utilization, power consumption, and network latency.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the report includes a comparison of the responsiveness of the mobile application and at least one of memory consumption, processor utilization, power consumption, and network latency, for at least one executed portion of the test script.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the report includes a concurrent visual comparison of the responsiveness of the mobile application separately executing on each of a plurality of different mobile computers for the at least one portion of the test script.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the responsiveness of the mobile application, further comprises, determining a wait time between providing a given request to the mobile application and receiving a reply from the mobile application in response to the given request.

9. A mobile computer for testing mobile applications, comprising:

a memory for storing at least instructions; and

a processor that executes the instructions to enable actions, including;

executing a test agent, a test script, and a mobile application on the mobile computer;

providing at least one stimulus to the mobile application during execution of each portion of the test script, wherein each stimulus requests a response from the mobile application;

employing the test agent to monitor information at the mobile computer based on at least each reply from the mobile application in response to each stimulus;

determining responsiveness of at least the mobile application for each portion of the test script executing on the mobile computer based on at least the monitored information, wherein the responsiveness is based on a time for the mobile application to return to a state to accept input through a graphical user interface after a stimulus is provided to the mobile application and

enabling display of a report that includes at least a representation of the responsiveness of the mobile application for at least one portion of the test script that executes on the mobile computer.

10. The mobile computer of claim 9, wherein providing the at least one stimulus to the mobile application, further comprises, providing the at least one stimulus to a process thread of the mobile application that also performs graphics rendering for a graphical user interface.

11. The mobile computer of claim 9, wherein providing the at least one stimulus to the mobile application, further comprises, providing a heartbeat that is executes with a main logical loop of the mobile application.

12. The mobile computer of claim 9, wherein the processor that executes the instructions enables further actions, comprising:

providing a plurality of requests to the mobile application;

determining a response time between a first request of the plurality of requests and a reply from the mobile application, wherein the reply indicates that the mobile application is in a state to accept input through a graphical user interface; and

determining the responsiveness of the graphical user interface based on at least the determined response time.

13. The mobile computer of claim 9, wherein the monitored information includes at least one of memory consumption, processor utilization, power consumption, and network latency.

14. The mobile computer of claim 9, wherein the report includes a comparison of the responsiveness of the mobile application and at least one of memory consumption, processor utilization, power consumption, and network latency, for at least one executed portion of the test script.

15. The mobile computer of claim 9, wherein the report includes a comparison of the responsiveness of the mobile application separately executing on each of a plurality of different mobile computers for the at least one portion of the test script.

16. The mobile computer of claim 9, wherein determining the responsiveness of the mobile application, further comprises, determining a wait time between providing a given request to the mobile application and receiving a reply from the mobile application in response to the given request.

17. A system for testing mobile applications over a network, comprising:

a mobile computer that is configured to perform actions, including;

executing a test agent, a test script, and a mobile application on the mobile computer;

providing at least one stimulus to the mobile application during execution of each portion of the test script, wherein each stimulus requests a response from the mobile application; and

employing the test agent to monitor information at the mobile computer based on at least each reply from the mobile application in response to each stimulus; and

a network computer that is configured to perform actions, including;

determining responsiveness of at least the mobile application for each portion of the test script executing on the mobile computer based on at least the monitored information, wherein the responsiveness is based on a time for the mobile application to return to a state to accept input through a graphical user interface after a stimulus is provided to the mobile application; and

enabling display of a report that includes at least a representation of the responsiveness of the mobile application for at least one portion of the test script that executes on the mobile computer.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein providing the at least one stimulus to the mobile application, further comprises, providing the at least one stimulus to a process thread of the mobile application that also performs graphics rendering for a graphical user interface.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein providing the at least one stimulus to the mobile application, further comprises, providing a heartbeat that is executes with a main logical loop of the mobile application.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein providing the at least one stimulus to the mobile application, further comprises:

providing a plurality of requests to the mobile application;

determining a response time between a first request of the plurality of requests and a reply from the mobile application, wherein the reply indicates that the mobile application is in a state to accept input through a graphical user interface; and

determining the responsiveness of the graphical user interface based on at least the determined response time.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the monitored information includes at least one of memory consumption, processor utilization, power consumption, and network latency.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the report includes a comparison of the responsiveness of the mobile application and at least one of memory consumption, processor utilization, power consumption, and network latency, for at least one executed portion of the test script.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the report includes a comparison of the responsiveness of the mobile application separately executing on each of a plurality of different mobile computers for the at least one portion of the test script.

24. A processor readable non-transitory storage media that includes instructions for testing mobile applications over a network, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor enables actions, comprising:

executing a test agent, a test script, and a mobile application on the mobile computer;

providing at least one stimulus to the mobile application during execution of each portion of the test script, wherein each stimulus requests a response from the mobile application;

employing the test agent to monitor information at the mobile computer based on at least each reply from the mobile application in response to each stimulus;

determining responsiveness of at least the mobile application for each portion of the test script executing on the mobile computer based on at least the monitored information, wherein the responsiveness is based on a time for the mobile application to return to a state to accept input through a graphical user interface after a stimulus is provided to the mobile application; and

enabling display of a report that includes at least a representation of the responsiveness of the mobile application for at least one portion of the test script that executes on the mobile computer.

25. The media of claim 24, wherein providing the at least one stimulus to the mobile application, further comprises, providing the at least one stimulus to a process thread of the mobile application that also performs graphics rendering for a graphical user interface.

26. The media of claim 24, further comprising:

providing a plurality of requests to the mobile application;

determining a response time between a first request of the plurality of requests and a reply from the mobile application, wherein the reply indicates that the mobile application is in a state to accept input through a graphical user interface; and

determining the responsiveness of the graphical user interface based on at least the determined response time.

27. The media of claim 24, wherein the monitored information includes at least one of memory consumption, processor utilization, power consumption, and network latency.

28. The media of claim 24, wherein the report includes a comparison of the responsiveness of the mobile application and at least one of memory consumption, processor utilization, power consumption, and network latency, for at least one executed portion of the test script.

29. The media of claim 24, wherein the report includes a comparison of the responsiveness of the mobile application separately executing on each of a plurality of different mobile computers for the at least one portion of the test script.

30. The media of claim 24, wherein determining the responsiveness of the mobile application, further comprises, determining a wait time between providing a given request to the mobile application and receiving a reply from the mobile application in response to the given request.