• Scenario 1
• Scenario 2
• Scenario 3     
  
• Scenario 4
• Scenario 5
• Scenario 6

Scenario 1: New application to test, hours to turn it around

Your Situation

R&D have just released their first test candidate to you several days late, and you have a couple of days before they start their fault-fix round.

Solution

In this situation you would usually be required to test the application under test (or AUT) using ad-hoc, manual (explorative) testing. However, with SVaT you can quickly and efficiently design and create a number of automated test scripts that can be executed by your test automation tool and reused for later test candidates of the AUT.

The steps you take, using SVaT's inbuilt test automation tool for Java / Swing applications, Test Performer, are outlined here:
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1. Preparation: Install SVaT and AUT (more...less...)
   
   Install SVaT (the System Verification and Test suite) and the AUT (the application under test).
   
   Time: at least 10 minutes.
   
   
   Install SVaT (the System Verification and Test suite) and the AUT (the application under test), i.e.
   1. Install SVaT
      Run the provided SVaT installer and make a few decisions about where to install SVaT.
      
      You need at least the Personal Edition of SVaT for this.
      
      If you have not already installed Java you must install it before you can install SVaT. Java is included with SVaT, or you can use an existing installation if appropriate.
      
      Time: 5 minutes.
      
      
   2. Install the Application Under Test (AUT)
      Next step is to install the Application Under Test following whatever instructions your R&D group gave you.
      
      Time: at least 5 minutes
      
      
2. Template Creation: Capture the GUI structure and use it to create Templates (more...less...)
   
   The next step is to capture the GUI structure of the AUT so that you can easily reference each GUI element in your test scripts.
   
   Time: 30 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes
   
   
   The next step is to capture the GUI structure of the AUT so that you can easily reference each GUI element in your test scripts.
   
   Different test automation tools may have different ways to do this, but here we assume that your AUT is written in Java, and will be tested with the Test Performer that comes with SVaT.
   
   
   

   1. Start the Test Performer in recording mode
      Start the Test Performer in recording mode by launching the TestPerformerRecorder script. The Test Performer's simple GUI will appear, which enables you to record the GUI structure and content of your Application at various points in the execution.
      
      Time: 1 minute
      
      
   2. Start the AUT
      Next you wrap the AUT in a special Test Performer wrapper and execute it. This will link the AUT to the Test Performer you have just started so that you can record the GUI elements in the application.
      
      Time: 10 minutes
      
      
   3. Capture the GUI structure in Test Performer
      Now you can capture the layout of the GUI elements displayed by the AUT. You do this by putting the AUT in a state where a unique set of windows is shown, then name a Template, and pressing "Record".
      
      This is repeated for each different set of windows/GUI elements shown by the AUT.
      
      Once all the different sets of windows/GUI elements you need have been recorded, you close the Test Performer Recorder window and the definitions will be saved.
      
      Time: 10 minutes to 1 hour
      
      
   4. Create Templates
      Once you have captured the definitions of your GUI elements, you can create the Templates by importing the GUI element definitions into SVaT's Verification Designer. This forms the basis for your test scripts.
      
      Time: 5 minutes
      
      
3. Test Creation: Create the test scripts in SVaT (more...less...)
   
   You are now ready to create the automated test scripts for the AUT. You do this by using the unique graphical interface of SVaT's Verification Designer to specify the expected behaviours of the AUT. This specification is called a Design.
   
   Time: minimum 30 minutes
   
   
   You are now ready to create the automated test scripts for the AUT. You do this by using the unique graphical interface of SVaT's Verification Designer to specify the expected behaviours of the AUT. This specification is called a Design.
   
   The Design will contain all the information needed to generate the final test scripts. Furthermore, if a test command tests something that is to be constant throughout the execution of the AUT, such a command can be specified once but will be included in numerous places in the final test scripts.
   
   Time: minimum 30 minutes
   
   
4. Generation and Execution: Generate test scripts, run them against the AUT (more...less...)
   
   Once at least one behaviour has been defined (not necessarily in full), you can generate a set of executable test scripts directly from your design. Such test scripts can then be executed directly by the Test Performer or another test automation tool.
   
   Time: from 6 minutes
   
   
   Once at least one behaviour has been defined (not necessarily in full), you can generate a set of executable test scripts directly from your design. Such test scripts can then be executed directly by the Test Performer or another test automation tool.

   1. Generate test scripts
      When at least one behaviour have been (partially) defined, you can request the Verification Designer to generate a set of test scripts that can be executed by the Test Performer or another test automation tool. The test script generation only requires you to specify a few parameters about the properties of the generated test scripts, e.g. for which test automation tool, full or reduced set, etc.
      
      Time: 1-10 minutes (depending on number of test scripts generated)
      
      
   2. Run the generated test scripts
      Once the test scripts have been generated, they can be executed using the automated test tool they were generated for, in this case SVaT's Test Performer.
      
      Time: from 5 minutes
      
      
5. Fault detection: Examination of Results (more...less...)
   
   Once the test scripts have been executed, you can load the results back into SVaT and examine them in direct relation to the original Design.
   
   Time: 5 minutes to 1 hour (depending on number of errors)
   
   
   Once the test scripts have been executed, you can load the results back into SVaT and examine them in direct relation to the original Design.
   
   You will see the results directly represented in relation to your original test design. The original design is overlaid with the test results, and errors highlighted there. This can save a great deal of time because it draws attention directly to the failing steps and can eliminate the need to investigate duplicate errors.
   
   Time: 5 minutes to 1 hour (depending on number of errors)
   
   
6. Outcomes
   
   This took all day - but only a day. What were the benefits?
   
   The benefits of this approach, even for just a day's work, include:

   • You now have a reusable set of test scripts that you can apply to each new test candidate - saving time for later test candidates (the ease and speed of adapting an existing test to a new GUI structure is highlighted in Scenario 2).
   • It is easy to extend the set of test scripts, even if you do not have the AUT available.
   • You have an automated trace of the tests you have made and executed, and can use this as documentation in your test reports and as an audit trail later, as needed.
   • Finding and reporting faults becomes much easier and by using your test scripts you should be able to reproduce them easily.
   • If you should be unavailable at a critical time, then it will be much easier for somebody else to build upon your test scripts because the syntax used in SVaT is so intuitive.