This file contains important information that may not appear in SilkTest Online Help. Read this file in its entirety.
For information about installation, deployment, and licensing issues (including the evaluation version of SilkTest), see the SilkTest Installation Guide.
For an overview of the new features, see the What's New section below.
| Contents | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| What's New | Resolved Defects | Installation Instructions | |
| System Requirements | Known Issues | Getting Help | |
This section lists significant enhancements and changes that were made for SilkTest 2008 R2.
Warning: If you upgrade your licenses to use SilkTest 2008 R2, the new license file(s) will not contain license keys for using any SilkTest International release. The license file(s) will not contain license keys to use the .NET, AOL and BlueExpress add-ons in conjunction with any version of SilkTest which precedes SilkTest 2008, and which supports these add-ons. Please consider this before you upgrade your licenses.
With this release, a new way to execute testcases has been added. Create tests that use dynamic object recognition instead of relying on hierarchical window declarations in an include file. Scripts that use dynamic object recognition are robust and easy to maintain. Dynamic object recognition enables you to create testcases that use XPath queries to find and identify objects. Dynamic object recognition uses a Find or FindAll method to identify an object in a testcase. For example, the following code finds the first MenuItem with the caption 'Exit' in an arbitrary position in the application that you are testing.
MenuItem m = (MenuItem) Desktop.find("//MenuItem [@caption='Exit']")
To create tests that use dynamic object recognition, you must use the Open Agent. The SilkTest Open Agent supports:
You can identify control names and attributes to include in tests that use dynamic object recognition using the Record Window Identifiers dialog. The Record Window Identifiers dialog displays the XPath query string for the object on which the mouse rests. You can capture and edit locator strings in this dialog and copy them into a test.
SilkTest provides support for testing Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) applications using the Open Agent. SilkTest supports standalone WPF applications and can play back controls embedded in Framework version 3.5.
SilkTest provides several sample applications for WPF. The sample applications are installed by default and are located at Start/Programs/Borland/SilkTest 2008 R2/Sample Applications/Microsoft .NET/.
SilkTest provides support for testing web applications using the Open Agent. At this time, you can use the xBrowser extension to test applications that use Internet Explorer or embedded browser controls. For example, xBrowser support enables you to test an application that runs in Internet Explorer or a browser that is embedded within a Java SWT application.
SilkTest contains a sample Java SWT test application that contains an embedded browser. Sample applications are located at Start/Programs/Borland/SilkTest 2008 R2/Sample Applications/Java SWT/SWT Test Application
SilkTest provides support for applications that include JavaScript. While JavaScript support already exists for tests that use the SilkTest Classic Agent, now you can test JavaScript in tests that use the SilkTest Open Agent with the xBrowser extension.
You can use ExecuteJavaScript to test anything that uses JavaScript. You can:
You can enable custom attribute recording for a Java SWT or xBrowser application to make a test more stable. For example in Java SWT, the developer implementing the GUI can define an attribute (for example ‘silkTestAutomationId’) for a widget that uniquely identifies the widget in the application. A tester using SilkTest can then add that attribute to the list of custom attributes (in this case, ‘silkTestAutomationId’), and can identify controls by that unique ID. Using a unique ID is more reliable than other attributes like caption or index, since a caption will change when you translate the application into another language, and the index will change whenever another widget is added before the one you have defined already.
Using custom class attributes becomes even more powerful when it is used in combination with dynamic object recognition. For example, to find the first text field with the unique ID 'loginName' in your application, you can use the following query:
myWindow.find(".//TextField[@silkTestAutomationId='loginName']")
To create tests that use custom class attributes, you must use the Open Agent.
Earlier versions of SilkTest support suppressing controls for certain classes for .NET applications that use the Classic Agent. Now, you can also suppress the controls for certain classes for Java SWT and Windows API-based applications that use the Open Agent.
SilkTest now supports the following additional methods for Adobe Flex:
The Flex MouseMove method has been replaced with the AnyWin::MoveMouse method. If you included MouseMove methods in your Flex scripts prior to SilkTest 2008 R2, you must manually update your scripts to use the MoveMouse method. Otherwise, errors will occur with your existing scripts.
The following significant enhancements and changes were made for Silk4J.
Silk4J provides support for testing Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) applications. Silk4J supports standalone applications and can play back controls embedded in Framework version 3.5.
Silk4J provides support for testing web applications. At this time, you can use xBrowser to test applications that use Internet Explorer or embedded browser controls. For example, xBrowser support enables you to test an application that runs in Internet Explorer or a browser that is embedded within a Java SWT application.
With this release, the execution of testcases has been completely revised. Testcases no longer rely on hierarchical object recognition or object declarations. This release relies on dynamic object recognition. Scripts that use dynamic object recognition are robust and easy to maintain. Dynamic object recognition enables you to write testcases that use XPath queries to find and identify objects. Dynamic object recognition uses a Find or FindAll method to identify an object in a testcase. For example, the following code finds the first MenuItem with the caption Exit in an arbitrary position in the application that you are testing.
MenuItem m = (MenuItem) desktop.find("//MenuItem [@caption='Exit']");
You can include custom attributes in a Java SWT or xBrowser application to make a test more stable. For example, in Java SWT, the developer implementing the GUI can define an attribute, such as silkTestAutomationId, for a widget that uniquely identifies the widget in the application. A tester using Silk4J can then add that attribute to the list of custom attributes (in this case, silkTestAutomationId), and can identify controls by that unique ID. For example, to find the first text field with the unique ID loginName in your application, you can use the following query:
myWindow.find(".//TextField[@silkTestAutomationId='loginName'])"
Using a unique ID is more reliable than other attributes like caption or index, since a caption will change when you translate the application into another language, and the index will change whenever another widget is added before the one you have defined already.
Use the Silk4J Spy to identify the caption or the XPath locator string for GUI objects. You can copy the relevant XPath locator strings and attributes into the Find methods in your scripts.
Reference the online help in the Silk4J plugin for more information about the product.
TopYour computer must meet the hardware requirements listed below:
| System Area | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Platform | Windows 2000 version 5.0, SP4; Windows XP version 5.1, SP1, SP1a, and SP2; Windows Server 2003 SP1; Windows Vista; Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS version 2.1 and 3.0; or Solaris version 9 and 10 |
| Processor | Intel Pentium processor running at 1 GHz |
| RAM | 1 GB RAM on a Windows machine. Add to this the amount of RAM required to run your application under test. |
| Hard disk space | 600 MB You may need to double the amount of hard disk space if you download and install the product locally. |
This section includes information about the supported environments and technologies for SilkTest 2008 R2:
SilkTest 2008 R2 runs on the following platforms:
SilkTest 2008 R2 supports applications that use the following browsers:
SilkTest 2008 R2 supports applications developed in:
Note: .NET Framework 3.0 uses the Common Language Runtime of .NET Framework 2.0, so WinForms and WebForms developed with .NET 3.0 are supported. However, the new components in .NET 3.0, including the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), are supported on the SilkTest Open Agent only.
Note: SilkTest provides support for testing applications built with PowerBuilder, but does not support new controls developed in PowerBuilder 6.5 and later.
Note: Motif 2.1 should be binary compatible with Motif 2.2 and 2.3 on the Linux and Solaris platforms, but it has not been tested. For Solaris 9 and 10 and Linux 2.1, SilkTest was built with Motif 2.1. For Linux 3.0, SilkTest was built with Motif 2.2.
Note: To replay Motif testcases on Solaris 9 or 10 in SilkTest 2008, a SilkTest_Agent_Sun_Sol license is required. To replay Motif testcases on Red Hat Enterprise Workstation 3.0 or 4.0 in SilkTest 2008, a SilkTest_Agent_RH_Linux license is required.
Additionally, the SilkTest Extension Kits provide specialized support of custom objects. See the SilkTest 2008 Extension Kit for Windows and the SilkTest 2008 Extension Kit for .NET PDFs, located in the Documentation folder of your SilkTest installation, for more information.
Supported environments, by platform, are listed below. For supported environments, technical support is available and defects can be logged. Note that it is not possible to test all combinations. Experience indicates that various combinations can result in different behavior with SilkTest. Borland makes every attempt to test as many of these combinations as possible.
Windows 2000 (v 5.0, SP4)
Note:Testing was performed on Windows Vista Ulitmate only. However, all versions of Vista are supported.
Note: .NET Framework 3.0 uses the Common Language Runtime of .NET Framework 2.0, so WinForms and WebForms developed with .NET 3.0 are supported. However, the new components in .NET 3.0, including the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), are supported on the SilkTest Open Agent only.
Silk4J supports the following technology domains using the SilkTest Open Agent:
Silk4J requires Eclipse 3.4.
SilkTest supports testing Flex 2.0.1 and 3.0 applications using the following browsers:
Note: Currently, Adobe offers experimental support for Flex applications in AIR. As a result, you may encounter issues when testing Flex in Adobe AIR that are not related to SilkTest.
SilkTest supports the following Java components:
SilkTest supports Infragistics NetAdvantage WinForms UltraWinGrid and UltraWinToolbar controls within the following versions of the NetAdvantage Suite:
SilkTest can be configured post-installation to support NetAdvantage version variations in the last two version fields, for example, x.x.20061.28, as described in the SilkTest Online Help.
The CLR 2.0 library differs from the CLR 1.1 library. As a result, .dll files cannot be shared between CLR 2.0 and 1.1.
SilkTest's Data Driven Workflow supports:
SilkTest accesses the preceding databases using ODBC and therefore supports the versions of those databases that have a working ODBC driver.
Note: The SilkTest Select Data Source dialog box allows you to choose either the Silk DDA Excel or the Segue DDA Excel data source. For new data driven testcases, choose the Silk DDA Excel data source. Choose the Segue DDA Excel data source for backward compatibility. This allows existing .g.t files that reference Segue DDA Excel to continue to work.
SilkTest's interface with the PVCS proprietary API supports:
| Database version (archive directory) | Supports PVCS version |
| 6.5 | 6.5, 6.7, 7.5 |
| 6.7 | 6.7, 7.5 |
| 7.5 | 7.5 |
We assume that you are familiar with PVCS and are familiar with how PVCS works. If you are not, consult your PVCS documentation and PVCS release notes for more information.
TopThe following items have been resolved in SilkTest 2008 R2.
| Defect # | Description | Fix Applied | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31900 | SilkTest crashes when you use the View -> Expression functionality in Debug mode. | 2008 R2 | |
| 32161 | Using the wrong datatype for the second parameter of SetUserOption function crashes the application under test. | 2008 R2 | |
| 32970 | The Update Expected results option in SilkTest clears the expected results file instead of updating the expected results with the actual results. | 2008 R2 | |
| 35556 | Internet Explorer and Firefox show different behavior in setting HTML options. | 2008 R2 | |
| 36037 | Using a string as TABLECOL returns an error. | 2008 R2 | |
| 36501 | Java application crashes, regression issue from SilkTest 7.5 to 2008. | 2008 R2 | |
| 37315 | Regression issue: cannot successfully record interactions with .Net sample dropdowns. | 2008 R2 | |
| 39017 | Rewrite the Sys_GetFreeDiskSpace() method. | 2008 R2 | |
| 39027 | Regression issue: cannot successfully record interactions with .Net sample dropdowns. | 2008 R2 | |
| 39127 | GetMultiText() does not return empty lines. | 2008 R2 | |
| 39134 | Choosing "Results > Delete ...", is not displaying any results. | 2008 R2 | |
| 39200 | Window cannot be the desktop error when running the VerifyBitmap function in SilkTest 2008. | 2008 R2 | |
| 39241 | Regression issue: GetContents() to be returned to its previous behavior. | 2008 R2 | |
| 39348 | SilkTest does not get the contents of HtmlList. | 2008 R2 | |
| 39383 | Mouselock issue with Win32 and Normal play_mode. | 2008 R2 | |
| 39432 | TrueLog causing “*** Error: Expecting a machine handle” on remote tests | 2008 R2 | |
| 39531 | When executing scripts from command line, the startup Splash screen does not disappear and menu items are disabled . | 2008 R2 | |
| 39543 | Unable to execute DoubleClick method in Flex 2 application. | 2008 R2 | |
| 39682 | Press/ReleaseKeys() does not work against the browser parent of a Flex application. | 2008 R2 | |
| 39886 | SilkTest help cannot be closed before the Verify Window Edit window. | 2008 R2 | |
| 40380 | SetText for ComboBoxes does not work with the Open Agent. | 2008 R2 | |
| 40468 | Cannot run testcase from a test plan where test data has more than 2000 characters. | 2008 R2 | |
| 40529 | Calling GetContents() on a Silk4J table returns {NULL, NULL, NULL...}. | 2008 R2 | |
| 40838 | Problem recognizing Windows File Dialog fields may break existing scripts because a class is ignored. | 2008 R2 | |
| 40847 | "Internal error in open agent" (Eclipse SWT 3.3 and Open Agent). | 2008 R2 | |
| 40983 | SilkTest 'Search Dialog' functionality fails under specific circumstances. | 2008 R2 | |
| 41176 | Flex automation functions incorrectly when the "wmode" parameter is used. | 2008 R2 |
The following are known issues in SilkTest 2008 R2.
szDir value in the Install.iss file to reflect the location where you want to install SilkTest to, for example szDir=C:\Program Files (x86)\Borland\SilkTest. For detailed information on using the silent installer, see the SilkTest Installation Guide. [38734]coveragepath={"C:\Program Files\Borland\SilkTest\JavaEx\TestApp.jar"} in the command line results in a compile error. [38190]VerifyProperties() fails for a dialog, e.g. "File open" or "Save as", regardless of which property was selected for verification, call SetActive() for the dialog window before. The problem is that otherwise the Exists property is always false, which causes VerifyProperties() to fail.
[34128]SetText() is appending characters instead of substituting characters. Workaround: Use ClearText() before calling SetText(). This prevents the extra characters from being appended.
[31961]QAPHlprObjClass from the Enabled list and click the Disabled option button in the Settings group box. Click OK to save the change.
[28551]browserChild in Internet Explorer 7 does not have the parent Browser as default. This is due to the implementation of IE7. If the existing browserChild windecl does not have the parent statement, you may see a runtime error similar to "browserChild xxx not found".
Workaround: Add parent Browser to the windecl.ShowHtmlForm=TRUE and ShowBorderlessTables is a value less than 1.0, SilkTest cannot recognize controls within a table even if ShowBorderlessTablesFlags is set to "input" or to "img|input".
Workaround: Do not set ShowHtmlForm=TRUE.
[27979]Find and FindAll methods do not find objects inside Adobe Air and the Flex Standalone Player if you search from the desktop or from the main application window. Workaround: Use hierarchical object recognition to get to the FlexApplication object inside Flex and then use the Dynamic approach starting at the Flex application. [42103]sleep(1) function between the OLAPDataGrid control and the commands that continue the recording in the Flex application. [38538]mx:FormItem label=" "
mx:Button id="myButton" label="Validate" click="{updateLabel ()}"/
/mx:FormItem
You can monitor this issue at: https://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/FLEXENT-747
typekey statement in the Flex Automation API does not support all keys. You can use the input text statement to resolve this issue.For more information about the Flex Automation API known issues, see the Adobe Flex Release Notes.
SilkTest does not support the following Adobe AIR functionality:
WINDOW controls = menu.Find("./MsuiaMenuItem[@name='Controls']")
controls.Expand()
LIST OF WINDOW controlItems = controls.FindAll("./MsuiaMenuItem")
controlItems[1].Invoke()
In the example, a menu with the name "Controls" is searched and opened. Then, all direct child Menu Items are looked for and invoked. This works no matter when a menu is opened.
[41266]SetActive method call just prior to the action in question in the testcase.
[28138]raise statement that specifies a command line, then the corresponding error entry in a TrueLog file will include the command line in the Description field for the error. For example:raise 10, "Exception 10", "Notepad.exe"Exception 10Notepad.exeFor information about installation, deployment, and licensing issues (including the evaluation version of SilkTest), see the SilkTest Installation Guide.
For information about using SilkTest, see the SilkTest Online Help, available from Help > Help Topics. You can also walk through the SilkTest tutorials, available from Start > Programs > Borland > SilkTest 2008 R2 > Documentation.
Borland offers a variety of support options. To find out about support options, refer to Borland Answers at http://support.borland.com. From the web site, you can:
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