This is a guest article from J.B.Rajkumar. The author has good experience in Automation Tools and is currently working with a top MNC.
This tutorial will completely educate you on the basics of Rational Robot – IBM Test Automation Tool.
Let’s move ahead!!
Learning the Basics of Rational Robot (7.0)
#1) Features of Rational Robot: Rational Robot is an Automated Functional and Regression Testing tool for automating Windows, Java, IE and ERP applications under windows platform.
Rational Robot provides test cases for common objects such as menus, lists, bitmaps and specialized test cases for objects specific to the development environment.
It integrates with tools like Rational Test Manager, Rational ClearQuest and Requisite Pro in the Rational Unified Processor for Defect Tracking, Change Management, and Requirement Traceability. It also supports UI technologies like Java, Web, all VS.NET controls, Oracle Forms, Borland Delphi and Sybase Power Builder applications.
#2) Rational Administrator: It is a tool for managing associations between Rational artifacts such as Test Datastores, Requisite Pro projects, and Rose models.
- Rational Projects are created using a Rational Administrator.
- Users and Groups can be maintained.
- Project assets can be upgraded
#3) Recording Options: Using Object-oriented technology, Rational Robot identifies an object by its name property not by its location coordinates.
There are two different options:
- GUI – Functional Testing
- VU – Performance Testing
#4) SQABasic Language: SQABasic is similar to Microsoft Visual Basic. All the scripts will be in scriptname.rec format. When you playback the script, Robot automatically compiles and runs the script, which repeats your actions and executes the verification points.
#5) Shell Scripts: It is a master script that calls other automated scripts and plays them back in sequence.
“call script test1” is a command to call a script named test1. Combined into a single shell script, scripts can run in unattended mode and perform comprehensive test coverage. It centralizes test results in one test log.
#6) Low-Level Recording: Turn “Low-Level Recording On” in Robot during recording, mouse, and keyboard actions are automatically stored in an external file.
#7) Verification Points: Verification points verify if a certain action has taken place, or verify the state of an object.
There are 11 Verification points in Robot as stated below.
- Alpha-Numeric: Verifies alphanumeric data. Used for editing boxes, pushbuttons, labels, text fields, etc.,
- Object Properties: Tests object attributes such as color, font, and position.
- Menu: Verifies the menu values and optionally their state (enabled or disabled) of the window.
- Clip Board: Verifies the contents of the windows clipboard.
- Window Existence: Tests to see if a particular window does or does not exist on the screen.
- Region Image: Graphically compares an area of the screen you specify.
- Window Image: Graphically compares an entire window such as a window box.
- Object Data: Test data content of objects (e.g., Dropdown)
- File Comparison: Compare the contents of two files (size and the contents)
- File Existence: Checks for the existence of a specified file.
- Module Existence: Used to verify whether a specified module is loaded into a specified context, or loaded anywhere in memory.
While you are creating verification points, there will be two options i.e., Wait State and Expected Results.
Wait states are useful when AUT requires an unknown amount of time to complete a task. Using a wait state keeps the verification point from failing if the task is not completed immediately or if the data is not accessible immediately.
Expected Results – Click Pass or Fail in the Verification Point Name dialog box.
#8) Variable Window: During debugging, if you want to examine variable and constant values, you can use the variables window. Click on View ->Variables.
#9) Object Mapping: If AUT contains a custom object or any object that Robot does not recognize, then you can create a custom object mapping before starting the recording, by adding the object’s class to the list of classes that Robot recognizes, and then associating the class to a standard object type.
Robot saves this custom class/object type mapping in the project and uses it to identify the custom object during playback.
#10) Debug Tools
- Animate(F11): Animation mode allows you to see each line of the script as it executes.
- Step Over(F10): Use to execute a single command line within a script.
- Step Into(F8): Used for single-step execution.
- Step Out(F7): Use to step out of the called script and return to the calling script.
- Go Until Cursor(F6): Use to playback the active GUI script, and stop at the text cursor location.
#11) Library Files and Header Files: Header files have .sbh extensions and contain procedure declarations and global variables referred to in your script files. There are two types of library files.
Those with .sbl extensions can’t have verification points. Those with .rec extensions are stored in the project and can have verification points. Both the Header and library are in \SQABAS32 in the project directory.
#12) Image Masks used for Dynamic Objects: Image masks are used to hide an area of the screen. When you playback a script that contains an Image VP and a mask, Robot ignores the masked area when comparing actual results to the recorded baseline.
#13) Data Pool: A Data Pool is a test dataset that supplies data variables in a test script during playback. Using Data Pools allows you to run multiple iterations of a script using different data each time. This can be created and managed using a Test Manager for Data-Driven tests.
#14) Important Web Site for Rational Robot Trial Version Download and Rational Robot tutorial:
Hope this tutorial will be a good start for those who want to learn Rational Robot.
If you have any questions please feel free to drop them in the comment section below.
@Subhas
pls use google u will get lot of freeware which supports desktop application but there is no guarantee that will give 100% sure result.
well,its nice to read &getting an idea about the topic.My hearty thanks to the author Mr.J.B.Rajkumar,for giving a brief description on “Rational Robot”.For a beginner,it creates the fundamentals in mind.Thank you.
Hey Rajkumar!!!
thanx dear for this information.. i hope it will be very helpful for those who are interested in Automated testing. This article explains the whole proceedue of Rational Robot an IBM (7.0) and also other versions.
thanx again
(just4miki@hotmail.com)
I am happy to read some useful information about this tool. I have been searching about Rational Robot in various websites. It is really rare to get such kind of information in internet…
Thank you very much for your valuable effort…
Yes. It is well for the beginners. Suppose if the beginners don’t have knowledge in programming, they need example for each and every tool. So it is better give some ex. for each. Any way thanks for the same, it is very much useful to me.
I am learning the ration robot tool nowdays and finds this article very helpful.
Information given above for rational automation tool is very informative.
Keep going…
Thanks
sumitra
I went to the link to down load but I do not see the product, is it name got changed? Or rolled into another production, I really appreciate if you can provide details
thank you
laki
hi, this is very informatic one. thank u. i got more information related to this in http://www.macrotesting.com too
hi rajkumar
thanks for your information. this article is very helpful to me and others who wants to learn rational Robot. right now iam working on Qtp and i would like to learn IBM functional tool as well as so this will be very helpfull to me.
once again thanks
from
balu
Hi guys,
In our company we have got brought the licence for Rational Robot, and ever one in the company is new to this tool, if some one can help me my sending the basic notes or some document how to go about useing this tool, then that would be great
Good basic overlook
Thanks….
To Sri
I don’t think, you can find the text book on Rational Robot. You can visit IBM site, there you can find lot of materials on Robot. You can also download the trial version of Rational Robot (7.0) and work on that by using Help.
Hello Rajkumar,
what a beautiful article, realy greate.the information which was given on automation (Rational Robot) is very good.i have some doubts that are cleared now.Keep it more and more, once again thanks to u for ur valuable info.
Good work Rajkumar. Thanks for sharing bullet-ed points on the tool.
ADVANCE QA TESTING TRAINING @ NICT , BANGALORE
1. ADVANCE MANUAL TESTING CONCEPTS WITH REAL TIME IMPLEMENTATION
2. QTP
3. WIN RUNNER
4. TEST DIRECTOR
5. BASICS OF LOAD RUNNER
WEEK END CLASSES ALSO AVAILABLE ( FOR WORKING PEOPLE)
FOR FURTHER DETAILS CALL TO NICT(JAYANAGAR) @ (080)22443347 WITH EXT 21.
THANKS.
Thank u Rajkumar.
Hi everybody
can u give me ‘IBM rational tool’ training institutes details in Hyderabad. It would be very helpful to me.
How many types of rational tools are there plz give me this information
Thanks
Thanx for the nice info…
give me example of software bug report on boundary side
Hi Raj,
Thats a brilliant post giving a detailed overview for begginers like me. Thank you very much for the valuable information.
Best wishes,
Maruthachelvi.K
Thanks raj for giving us a basic overlook on Rational Robot. This will be very useful to people starting up with this tool.
Congrats!!!
Uma.
Thanx RajKumar for providing an valuable robot information.
it’s really very nice
Hi all,
i’m newbie in automation testing tools. Can u guys suggest me some free automation testing tools that run in ubuntu?. I’m about to test my web application.
Thanks.
its a good website i hope
To Kanchan,
This is an IBM Tool, widely used by many clients. You must learn this tool thoroughly, get help from the people who use this tool in the real time environment and then apply for the job. Based on your effort and knowledge, you will get the job. All the Very Best.
hi raj
i got brief idea about the rational robot … thanks for your help.
Hi
Thanks for this useful information. I recently downloaded Rational Robot trial version but many features like Session Recording, Test manager are disabled. Any idea if they are disabled because of trial version or I require to cofigure something to enable them?
Hi all,
i m using rational robot for testing my product.shall i use if and else function in rational robot.bcoz my product have two version.can any 1 explain me….
Any prescribed book for rational functional test for beginners????
Do pass folks!!!
fatimajax@yahoo.com
really very useful for biggners and one thing more u can add like screen shot of each topic
Hi Rajkumar,
Thanks for giving us a basic overlook on Rational Robot.
I am happy to read some useful information about this tool.
thnks for providing such a valuable information which is used for beginners….
I can use any automation tool (IBM) with AS-400?
TKS!
Hi,
I am working as an associate engineer and involved in Manual Testing for about 2 years. Currently we are planning to perform performance Testing with Test Complete Automation tool, Can any one of you suggest me basic ideas/materials for the Performance testing with Test Complete tool (Script Based testing)
Hi Rajkumar
I can use any automation tool (IBM) with AS-400?
TKS!
This is a good article! I would look forward to other articles on Rational Functional Tester and Rational Performance Tester.
Need to learn RFT(Rational Functional Test) in detail.
I know the basics and working of RFT.
Kindly share your ideas!!!
Thanks,
Fatima J
fatimajax@yahoo.com
could you please tell any one what are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Relational Quality Mangager (RQM)?
Good one.
hi i am sagar thank you for giving such type of good material for understnding purpose
Hi,
Is there anyone kindly help me in finding a open source functional testing tool for desktop/system based application.
Thanks.
hello
i am complety new person this field tell me the basics of the Rational robot and QTP i donot know what is going on
Hi Rajkumar,
I t very nice, that u have shared ur thoughts about Rational Robot. I hope it will be useful for the ppl, who wants to learn RR. Good work.
this provide an valuable info to us thak u
Hi,
Can you please give the RFT 8.1 ( Functional Tester)
study center in chennai.
Thanks
HI,
I am not able to record window while recording desktop application on Windows 7 with rational Robot.
Any one has any idea about this ?
It recognize first click correctly but for second click of any window it fails.
I am using rational Robot 7.0.3
Hi Prashant
i want to work on rational robot but i am not able to get any download link for it.
if you able to provide the link or zip file it is really helpful for me.
email : np60460@gmail.com
Thnx for providing such a valuable information.
(parag_tri@yahoo.co.in)
Some additional benefits of test automation:
1. Matured testing process
2. Maximized test coverage which will assure the quality of the deliverables consistently
3. Elimination of the risk of over sight of quality in repeated tests
4. Faster Execution of the tests in multiple environments
5. More focus on new features
6. Enhanced product quality
http://www.aspiresys.com/testautomationroi/
Dear Rajkumar,
Thanx for the article.Clears lot of doubts on basics of rational robot.Keep publishing more.
Regards
Gopinath
thanks for providing the information need some depth info about Rational Robot
Very good article………keep it up
Thank u Rajkumar.
@Gopi
IBM Testing Tools
1. Rational Robot (Functional & Performance Testing)
2. RFT 8.1 ( Functional Tester)
3. RPT 8.0 (Performance Tester)
4. CQTM (ClearQuest and Test Manager) Bug Tracking tool
5. RTM (Rational Test Manager) Management Tool
6. RQM (Rational Quality Manager) Latest, web based Management Tool
hi i have a doubt about ……..
oss testing ,
tdd testibg can u pls explain any one of u
Good one
Hello Friends,
I am keenly looking for a functional testing tool only for desktop application testing not any web based application testing. And the tool should be a open source tool. Please anyone let me know about such a tool. It’s an urgent.
Thanks
Subhas
Hi Raj,
Nice to see your post. Just wanted to know how are the openings for Rational tools.
hi guys can any one of u can send me some project details
billa
i am new to this Automation tool.i am able to understand what is given in this website.hope you keep posting
To Rahul,
Thanx Rahul, I have gone through the process you are telling, but unable to get a freeware tool for desktop application testing. Some tools I got are not freeware. I have to buy that tool. But I am looking for any freeware tool. Please Let me know any links for that.
Thanx
Subhas.
Are there any good books on “IBM Rational Robot” i.e. what is the best way to learn it. Iam a novice to this, so please bear with me.. THanks.
i want to know the details of robotics workshops
I was working with RRobot about 10 years ago. You should note that there is a specific function call (can’t recall the name of it off the top of my head… will see if I can find some of my old testing code) which is/was of critical importance. It allowed you to write much more functional scripts. The function call allowed you to check in your CODE what the value in a field was, as well as to directly push values into the field.
The benefit to this is that it’s possible to write your code to test the value of a field, note that it is wrong, and signal a fail to the log, then FORCE THE FIELD to the known correct value, then proceed as though it did have the correct value in it. Thus you can avoid cascade errors, where one test causes all subsequent ones to fail, negating the subsequent value of a run. So a test run can, in fact, identify multiple failures rather than be limited to only one per run.
This is very significant when a test run (typically a full regression suite) takes hours to run (often overnight). Instead of the suite only finding a few errors, it can find dozens because it didn’t just crap out when the first error happened.
to
Mr.J.B.Rajkumar sir,
I want to thank you for giving such good information and i also want to know is there any jobs available for graduate fresher with this tool. If yes, then who many and where itget from?
thanking you.
Hi friends please help me
Can any of you give me good topic for presentation in Software testing.
Suggest me some good interesting topic
Cheers, Pavitra