TestComplete_ Object identification

Question

I'm trying to get fields or objects in Desktop application with TestComplete. But get a problem, because I can't get ID, because there are no ID! But other properties such as MappedName, FullName.. can change by themselves when I do new start of application.. And in the end, there are no stable and unique properties that I can use.

Is any of you had the same problem?

Please, help me to solve this problem. I need to write automation tests (I use Visual Basic language)..but don't know how I can get the objects then...

Answer 1

With a desktop application you've got several ways you can do this:

• Have the developers set a distinctive ID for every field - This is by far the best option because it will save you a lot of time and is relatively low effort on the part of the dev team. It may not be possible if you are working with an application that uses specialized components or is written with a tool TestComplete doesn't fully support.
• Look for properties that don't change with each build - This is more time-consuming, but can be done by looking for labels, captions, and so forth. Your test code may need to do things like find the button with the caption "Update"
• Manually map the objects you're dealing with to an object name you choose - TestComplete will automatically map an object name to its name and path within the application. You need to edit the mapping to identify the object by something that doesn't change, then give the mapped object a unique name you can use throughout your script code. This has the added advantage that when an object is removed from a form or moved to a different form, you don't need to make major changes to your code - you modify the object map, the navigation code, and the code that interacts with that specific item to use the new flow, and you're done.
• Use keyboard shortcuts if all else fails - this is the worst way to deal with the items, but it can be done: your application will have keyboard shortcuts (or at minimum, tab stops). Using them to get to the part of the application you're working with is fragile and will cost you a lot in rework every time the forms and process flows change, but it will give you a way to reach the objects you need to interact with. Sometimes this is the only way you can interact with an object - if your version of TestComplete doesn't fully support the application components, this may be your only option.

I've used all these methods, and combined them - where components didn't give me any other means to access them, I used the tab/keyboard shortcuts and keystrokes method (and commented my code extensively). Elsewhere I used IDs if I could get the developers to provide them, and static properties if I couldn't. And everything I could get an object handle on got mapped.

Answer 2

We have done something like below. First we know the object type, ex; textfield, passwordfield or button ext,.. This object wont change only we can proceed or else you need to find difference type unique value. Then we write small function to get object count of that object type. Then we can identify the object from that. Ex; Let say your page have two text fields, then scripts will return two for object type text. Then you can access first one or second one. http://community.smartbear.com/t5/Functional-Web-Testing/I-am-getting-more-object-number-than-actual-values-when-I-try-to/m-p/103022#M25323

Answer 3

It depends on the object and properties used.

1) If objects are dynamic then it would be difficult for developers to hard code IDs. In this case you should look for data associated with object.

2) Properties like MappedName and FullName depend on the whole hierarchy leading up to the object, so if any parent object moves or changes then this property will change too.

3) Properties that are auto-generated will change with each build. You should talk to your developers to hard code certain properties with a unique value/id, that way these will not change with each build and you can use it for testing.