getting a handle on these controls

PLease note we are running Test Complete 7.

We have an app with a fairly complicated UI. It is written in VB6 and uses quite a few custom controls. When we record tests or write the test scripts by hand, a lot of the controls we wish to use or examine are not readily exposed to Test Complete. So we wind up using coordinates. That tends to be a bit unreliable. So I am trying to get a firm handle on how Test Complete works.

My journey to understanding started with some controls

XTPDockBar

XTPToolBar

The response I received from you loverly Smartbear folk was that I could access them through MSAA. Great!

I went looking for further understanding of how to get directly to controls, how would I know if they work with MSAA, I found this

http://smartbear.com/support/viewarticle/14477/

Which talks about Open Applications in Visual Basic.

I find myself looking for an OVERVIEW of the myriad of ways one can get to a control then perhaps links to info about each way. I see two ways here Open Applications in Visual Basic and MSAA. It is hard to know WHAT Open Applications in Visual Basic IS...

When I sought to confirm that the Open Applications in Visual Basic plug-in was installed, I followed the information on the aforementioned link. According to that article I need this dll

TlbInf32

Which is automatically installed by VB6.... Except that it is not present on my development VM on which VB6 is installed. Would one imagine that it must also be included in the installer for Test Complete to be able to get to controls?

Later on the article tells me

y default, the Visual Basic Open Applications plug-in (tcOpenApps2.pls) is installed in the <TestComplete>\Bin\Extensions folder. For detailed information on how to install this plug-in, see Installing Extensions. I see no such file.

So I am looking for a basic UNDERSTANDING of the ways in which it may be possible to get directly to controls. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

12 Replies

YMinaev
Staff
15 years ago
Hi,

Since you're using a VB 6 application, there's no need to use MSAA. VB 6 applications are Open by default. This means that TC has access to all native members which belongs to classes of controls used in your application. These members (properties, methods and fields) are those accessible in VB 6, developers use them to interact with controls in applications they create.

To work with the target controls in TC, you can use the same approach which you'd use in your application to do the same things (for example, item the data stored in a control, etc.). You just need to obtain the control you want to work with (it will be shown in the Object Browser where you can see its full name and properties and capture it from the screen by using the mouse pointer) and call its methods or get/set its property values.

To check whether your application is recognized as Open, you just need to start it and expand its process's node in the Object Browser. If you see objects named as 'VBObject(something)', your application is recognized as Open. Otherwise, check whether the Visual Basic Open Applications plug-in is enabled in the 'File | Install Extension...' dialog. If there's no such plug-in, launch TC's installer in Modify mode and make sure that open-app support is enabled in the list of installed features.

This is what I recommend doing first.
vthomeschoolmom
Super Contributor
15 years ago
Reminder: test Complete 7.2...

My issue is with some of the third party controls. I have a form that is very heavily tested. It uses Janus GridEx 2000. (WndClass reports as ThunderRT6UserControlDC).

We cannot get at the rows or columns of the grid that I can find. This and the True DB Grid that we use elsewhere are used in Storage mode so not bound to an underlying data table.

How do I crack the grid nut, I ask!

Thanks
YMinaev
Staff
15 years ago
Hi,

It doesn't matter whether a grid is bound to a data table or not. All values you see in the grid are stored inside the control itself. Check the list of its properties in the Object Browser. There should be those which will provide you with access to the grid's date - something like 'Items', 'Data', 'Cells', etc.

As for Janus GridEX 2000, you can find an example of working with it in the "Working With Grids" help topic.
vthomeschoolmom
Super Contributor
15 years ago
Super duper. Thanks for the example. That is going to help!
vthomeschoolmom
Super Contributor
15 years ago
I appreciate your patience oh fearless people who already know Test Complete as I endeavor to achieve a better understanding.

I am reading through the link given as well as some of the pertinent links within. I come to the topic of Open Applications. My help file tells me that VB6 is open by definition. It makes reference to TldbInf32.dll which I can confirm is present in the windows\system32 folder. It then makes reference to "By default, the Visual Basic Open Applications plug-in (tcOpenApps2.pls) is installed". I do not see that file in my TestComplete 7\Bin\Extensions folder. (Side note for what it is worth, I also have TC8 installed on some of these machines as of a few days ago. This seems not to have changed 7's behavior at all..)

I see tcOpenAppCore.pls, tcOpenAppHook.dll and tcOpenAppServices.tlb. But not tcOpenApps2.pls.

The properties that you say I should be able to see in the object browser; cell, item, data, I don't see at all.

I will continue reading the working with grids material. But I am concerned that I am missing something regarding the openness of this application. If you could comment on what I am seeing above, I woudl appreciate it.

Thanks
tristaanogre
Esteemed Contributor
15 years ago
TC 7 didn't have tcOpenApps2.pls. Instead, it has a particular file tcVBOpenApp.pls for VB apps. Verify that is installed in the extensions folder.

Secondly, while the file may be installed, it might be disabled. Go to File | Install Extensions and make sure that the VB Open App extension is listed and that it is selected (see the screenshot attached).

Rather basic stuff to go through, I know, and I thank you for your patience in going through these "baby steps"... at least I'm not asking you to participate in "Death Therapy"... and if you get the reference, you've gone up a couple of points in my book.
vthomeschoolmom
Super Contributor
15 years ago
Robert, where do I send your cupcake to thank you for all your help. ;) Unfortunately, I am not content until I understand everything. So I may ask more questions.

Thanks!
tristaanogre
Esteemed Contributor
15 years ago
Questions are always welcome!

As for the cupcake, there's an orphanage in Katmandu that I help to support... seriously... send all cupcakes there. The kids need the joy.

Or, if that's out of scope, just pay it forward anyway you can. :-)
vthomeschoolmom
Super Contributor
15 years ago
I will send cupcakes to an orphange here in your name. They would be stale before they got there!
vthomeschoolmom
Super Contributor
15 years ago
For the record, I believe that the help I received here has helped my crack a nut that has been causing our scripts to be very unreliable. Thanks folks!