Jul
16
2010

File dialog automation using White framework

Today TeamCity was showing me one functional test failure on my WPF application.

I already discussed about this problem here: White’s tip for your automated WPF functional tests
The solution I presented at that time was working on my local development environment but not on my Continuous Integration system; aka TeamCity. So I went for another solution which was searching for the filename ComboBox and was setting the value.

This was working for some time but today not anymore. The issue I discovered is that using the ComboBox needed that the path was already used in the past otherwise setting the value was failing. So I was stuck and had to find another solution.

I fired spy++ and searched for a solution and after some debugging I came to the following one:

var openModalWindow =
    MainWindow.ModalWindow("Please choose a Zip file", InitializeOption.NoCache);

MainWindow.WaitWhileBusy();
Assert.IsNotNull(openModalWindow);

var filePath = Path.Combine(GetCurrentPath(), filename);

var filenameTextBox =
    openModalWindow.Get<TextBox>(SearchCriteria.ByAutomationId("1148"));
filenameTextBox.SetValue(filePath);

openModalWindow.Keyboard.PressSpecialKey(KeyboardInput.SpecialKeys.RETURN);

This is working on my local environment but also on TeamCity!

The key point was to find the TextBox with the AutomationId of 1148.

Jun
11
2010

From WPF functional Unit Tests to Specifications using MSpec and White

I am in the train back home and wanted to try out quickly to migrate our WPF functional tests written has Unit Tests to BDD Specifications.

Here is the code I started from, pure Unit Test using NUnit and White

[Test]
public void Opening_Valid_VersionZip()
{
    OpenAndWait("Product.zip");

    Assert.That(MainWindow.Title.Equals("Product.zip - Innoveo Skye® Editor"));
    Assert.That(Status.Text.Equals("product"));
    Assert.That(ProductTree.Nodes.Count >= 1);
    Assert.IsFalse(SplashScreen.Visible);
    Assert.IsTrue(SaveButton.Enabled);
    Assert.IsTrue(ActivateButton.Enabled);
}

Now the same functional test written as a BDD specification using MSpec

[Subject("OpenVersionZip")]
public class when_user_open_valid_versionzip : MainWindowViewSpecs
{
    Establish context = () => {};

    Because of = () => OpenAndWait("Product.zip");

    It should_display_mainwindow_title_correctly = () =>
        MainWindow.Title.ShouldEqual("Product.zip - Innoveo Skye® Editor");

    It should_display_status_correctly = () =>
        Status.Text.ShouldEqual("product");

    It should_display_the_product_tree = () =>
        ProductTree.Nodes.ShouldNotBeNull();

    It should_hide_the_splashscreen = () =>
        SplashScreen.Visible.ShouldBeFalse();

    It should_enable_save_button = () =>
        SaveButton.Enabled.ShouldBeTrue();

    It should_enable_activate_button = () =>
        ActivateButton.Enabled.ShouldBeTrue();
}

And the output in ReSharper MSpec plugin

4687909611_49a4e5a71a_o[1]

Which one do you prefer? I personally have made my choice.

Jan
28
2010

White’s tip for your automated WPF functional tests

When you build automated WPF functional test using White in which you need to open a file through a Windows open file dialog, you will be confronted with the following issue. Windows open file dialog remember the last path with which you opened a file.

So you might have some unit tests that are green for a while which starts to be red for no apparent reasons.

The solution I came to is as this.

First I use Visual Studio, Copy to Output Directory, to copy the needed file to the output directoy in which your software will be started by the unit tests, e.g. for notValidVersionZip.zip

4309956698_b62daf51f5_o[1]

So now I am sure that the needed file is in the same path than the application. I then also need to be sure that when the application start the Windows open file dialog it points to this path. In the past implementation I was just using a filename and was lucky enough the path used by the Windows open file dialog was the correct one.

To get to the correct path is easy. We just navigate to the correct path using the Windows open file dialog in an automated way. The correct path is the path in which the application as been started, so you can get it like that:

  1. /// <summary>
  2. /// Gets the current path.
  3. /// </summary>
  4. /// <returns></returns>
  5. private static string GetCurrentPath()
  6. {
  7.     return Path.GetDirectoryName(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().CodeBase);
  8. }

We have the correct path and we still need to automate the Windows open file dialog to navigate to that path. We can do this like that:

  1. protected void Open(string filename)
  2. {
  3.     OpenButton.Click();
  4.  
  5.     var openModalWindow =
  6.         MainWindow.ModalWindow("Please choose a Zip file", InitializeOption.NoCache);
  7.     Assert.IsNotNull(openModalWindow);
  8.  
  9.     var splittedPath = GetCurrentPath().Split(new[] { '\\' });
  10.  
  11.     foreach (var pathPart in splittedPath)
  12.     {
  13.         openModalWindow.Enter(pathPart);
  14.         openModalWindow.Keyboard.PressSpecialKey(KeyboardInput.SpecialKeys.RETURN);
  15.         openModalWindow.WaitWhileBusy();
  16.     }
  17.  
  18.     openModalWindow.Enter(filename);
  19.     openModalWindow.Keyboard.PressSpecialKey(KeyboardInput.SpecialKeys.RETURN);
  20. }

Basically we split the path into it different path parts that White will enter into the dialog followed by a enter. Don’t forget to use the method WaitWhileBusy() after each enter, otherwise it will be too fast and sometime your test will not go to the correct path and then will not find the file.

Finally White enter the filename followed by enter and the file is opened.

Nice!

If you are using like me ReSharper to run your unit tests don’t forget to set it up to run tests from Project output folder.4309993844_8d9e828f8c_o[1]

Jan
28
2010

Automated WPF functional tests using White

I’d like to introduce a tool that I have added for a month or two in my toolset. This tool is White from ThoughtWorks. Here is the description of White:

White: Automate windows applications

White supports all rich client applications, which are Win32, WinForm, WPF and SWT (java).
It is .NET based and hence you wouldn't have use proprietary scripting language. You can use your favourite .NET language, IDE and tools for developing tests/automation programs.
White provides consistent object oriented API for all kinds of applications. Also it hides all the complexity of Microsoft's UIAutomation library and windows messages (on which it is based).
(While WHITE is completely ready to be used, the documentation is still work under progress. Please do point out the areas which needs documentation.)

When I found White with it’s version 0.19, I was a bit skeptical about the state of this piece of software. But it is really ready to be used.

By the way the latest version 0.19 of White supports also Silverlight.

I had the need to automate some functional tests of a WPF application that I am working on. When such an application is growing it becomes more and more difficult to do functional tests manually, so it needs automation.

So what I was searching for was something that would let me write unit tests in C# with NUnit which automate a WPF application. It is not that I don’t want to learn another language but I needed to be efficient so I preferred to use something I knew. And what I have found is White.

I have tested it with the RadRibbonBar for WPF of Telerik and it works just great. btw Thanks to Telerik for the offered license, which my company Innoveo Solutions also ordered now.

If you are starting with automated functional testing I recommend you to read the Functional Testing. It explains step by step how to write automated functional tests with White. The basic can be also used with another tool.

It is funny to see you application running without you clicking around.

I still need to have this run by our build server, TeamCity. I have currently not done any investigation on that point. I plan to have those tests running at least nightly, but I have to see how the unit tests could be started on an environment with a desktop.

Nov
30
2007

Visual Studio and PowerShell Trick

This end of afternoon I worked on the mapping part of my new project for innoveo solutions, a blog engine.

Till now I was using the XML Persistence Engine of Euss but it was time to go to a real mapping and a database.

I ended up with some .bat file in my solution.

For example diffMapping.bat uses WinMerge to compare the mapping I currently use to one that I just generated out of my Domain assembly.

Then I wanted to be able to run this .bat script from the IDE, without having it in Visual Studio 2005 External Tools menu (not tried with 2008 currently). So I tried the right click on the .bat Open With, then gave the path of cmd.exe. That's was not working, it just opened a cmd prompt.

Then I pointed Open With to PowerShell exe and it works!!! It will run you .bat file from Solution Explorer. You can even define it as the default program for .bat and double clicking on a .bat file in Solution Explorer will run it.

Nice no ?!

About Laurent

Laurent Kempé

Laurent Kempé is the editor, founder, and primary contributor of Tech Head Brothers, a French portal about Microsoft .NET technologies.

He is currently employed by Innoveo Solutions since 10/2007 as a Senior Solution Architect and certified Scrum Master.

Founder, owner and Managing Partner of Jobping, which provides a unique and efficient platform for connecting Microsoft skilled job seekers with employers using Microsoft technologies.

Laurent was awarded Most Valuable Professional (MVP) by Microsoft from April 2002 to April 2012.

JetBrains Academy Member
Certified ScrumMaster
My status

Twitter

Flickr

www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos and videos from Laurent Kempé. Make your own badge here.

Month List

Page List