Hi,I'm developing a framework around an application to be able to do tests more easily and reusable across the whole project.I'm finding a lot of trouble with the TestComplete IDE usability.The autocomplete window won't work for custom Javascript objects/classes, there are no typical helping features like Refactor, Find Usage, etc.Is there anyone working with advanced scripts and TestComplete IDE? Are you suffering the same problems?Is there any IDE alternative to develop the scripts?From TestComplete side, is there any plan to improve the code editor? The features oeffered by TestComplete are really awesome, but the editor makes things really harder...Thanks!

In my company we use sublime, notepad++ and visual studio (VS being the best of course :) ), it depends on the taste of the person writing the test.We edit the files outside TC and only use TC to organize and run tests or to do something easier to do with TC.We have a framework of functions that alows us to build tests quite fast, reusing functions based either on functionality of our app or on different "pages" of the app.

If you are able to do it with js files just write a bat file to change the extension of all your files when you need to run your tests....

I don't use JavaScript. My stuff is all VBScript (QTPro background).However, I do make extensive use of script extensions for most of our framework functionality. Once you get them working, I find they're a really neat way to integrate a lot of the framework functionality directly into the IDE, rather than having a framework "project" as we used to when I used QTPro.Definitely a feature worth looking into if you haven't already.

Hi Jose,Thanks for your feedback. It's nice to feel I'm not the only one bugged by TC code editor...I would be interested in some details of your setup if that's possible..I'm interested in some aspects like, how do you handle the changes in scripts? Do you develop them in, say, Visual Studio and then manually copy-paste them back into TC?If so, have you tried to modify directly the .sj files so the changes are automatically reflected in TC?Have you faced any issue with the fact that TC .sj files are encoded in UTF-16?I would like to hear more about that framework but I guess there's no much you are allowed to tell me about that, is there?Thanks for your help!

Q:-It's nice to feel I'm not the only one bugged by TC code editor...A:- There is already a thread on this forum asking Smartbear to improve the editor, they say they are working on it.Q:-I would be interested in some details of your setup if that's possible..A:-Ask specific questions if you like, I'll try to explain how I do it.Q:-I'm interested in some aspects like, how do you handle the changes in scripts? Do you develop them in, say, Visual Studio and then manually copy-paste them back into TC?A:-We edit the sj files directly in visual studioQ:-If so, have you tried to modify directly the .sj files so the changes are automatically reflected in TC?A:-We had some trouble with imported files in TC, sometimes they do not update automatically, but if you have TC open and change a file outside of it, when you save it, TC displays a warning asking you if you want to reload the file or notQ:-Have you faced any issue with the fact that TC .sj files are encoded in UTF-16?A:-Some of my tests have portuguese characters (comments, text to look for, etc..) so we need to be very carefull, notepad++ was the one I used to solve this problem (a lot of encoding options), sublime is a nightmare regarding that, Visual Studio I think its OK with that.Q:-I would like to hear more about that framework but I guess there's no much you are allowed to tell me about that, is there?A:-I have a gist on github with some of my helper functions, you can check it here. Mainly what I do is, when I write a function that I think I'll be using a lot of times or that might be useful to my colleagues, I put it into the helper file and commit it so everyone has access to it. We use yuidoc to document our code so that it is easy for us to look for something.Ask away, I'll help you if I can.

Tips for developing "advanced" framework and tests with Javascript

16 Replies

jose_pita
Super Contributor
12 years ago
In my company we use sublime, notepad++ and visual studio (VS being the best of course :) ), it depends on the taste of the person writing the test.

We edit the files outside TC and only use TC to organize and run tests or to do something easier to do with TC.

We have a framework of functions that alows us to build tests quite fast, reusing functions based either on functionality of our app or on different "pages" of the app.
jose_pita
Super Contributor
12 years ago
If you are able to do it with js files just write a bat file to change the extension of all your files when you need to run your tests....
Colin_McCrae
Community Hero
12 years ago
I don't use JavaScript. My stuff is all VBScript (QTPro background).

However, I do make extensive use of script extensions for most of our framework functionality. Once you get them working, I find they're a really neat way to integrate a lot of the framework functionality directly into the IDE, rather than having a framework "project" as we used to when I used QTPro.

Definitely a feature worth looking into if you haven't already.
sergi
Contributor
12 years ago
Hi Jose,

Thanks for your feedback. It's nice to feel I'm not the only one bugged by TC code editor...

I would be interested in some details of your setup if that's possible..

I'm interested in some aspects like, how do you handle the changes in scripts? Do you develop them in, say, Visual Studio and then manually copy-paste them back into TC?

If so, have you tried to modify directly the .sj files so the changes are automatically reflected in TC?

Have you faced any issue with the fact that TC .sj files are encoded in UTF-16?

I would like to hear more about that framework but I guess there's no much you are allowed to tell me about that, is there?

Thanks for your help!
jose_pita
Super Contributor
12 years ago
Q:-It's nice to feel I'm not the only one bugged by TC code editor...

A:- There is already a thread on this forum asking Smartbear to improve the editor, they say they are working on it.

Q:-I would be interested in some details of your setup if that's possible..

A:-Ask specific questions if you like, I'll try to explain how I do it.

Q:-I'm interested in some aspects like, how do you handle the changes in scripts? Do you develop them in, say, Visual Studio and then manually copy-paste them back into TC?

A:-We edit the sj files directly in visual studio

Q:-If so, have you tried to modify directly the .sj files so the changes are automatically reflected in TC?

A:-We had some trouble with imported files in TC, sometimes they do not update automatically, but if you have TC open and change a file outside of it, when you save it, TC displays a warning asking you if you want to reload the file or not

Q:-Have you faced any issue with the fact that TC .sj files are encoded in UTF-16?

A:-Some of my tests have portuguese characters (comments, text to look for, etc..) so we need to be very carefull, notepad++ was the one I used to solve this problem (a lot of encoding options), sublime is a nightmare regarding that, Visual Studio I think its OK with that.

Q:-I would like to hear more about that framework but I guess there's no much you are allowed to tell me about that, is there?

A:-I have a gist on github with some of my helper functions, you can check it here. Mainly what I do is, when I write a function that I think I'll be using a lot of times or that might be useful to my colleagues, I put it into the helper file and commit it so everyone has access to it. We use yuidoc to document our code so that it is easy for us to look for something.

Ask away, I'll help you if I can.
veronica_glynn
Contributor
12 years ago
Hi there .. It sounds like I may be having a similiar problem with my JavaScript / framework scripts/files. A quick synoposis, we create online tests for students so that the Instructor may use them electronically as they see fit. Of course that is a very high level view, but I need to be able to edit questions within a test bank. Our ID's are dynamic. Actually everything in our system is dynamic, so my developer wrote me a couple lines of javaScript to help pull out the info I will need. My issue is trying to implement this in my scripts? I would appreciate any help.

I have 2 functions. Do I create a .js file and place it in my TestComplete folder?

Do I need to attach it to my Project? I keep reading that we call the function that is located on the 'Page' but this function does not appear within our script. It is an 'on the fly' item.

I am really lost. So any help offered would be mucho appreciated!

Example and what I 'think' I need to do (I am using VB )

editQuestion = Call Aliases.browser.pageCogneroTestGenerator.contentDocument.Script.function GetIDOfRightPaneElement(whichIndex)

{

var jArray = jQuery(".questionContentItem");

if (jArray.length > whichIndex)

{

return jArray[whichIndex].id;

}

else

{

return null;

}

}

I pretty much know that isn't correct. I just don't know what in the heck I need to do with it.

1. Do I create the .js file with my 2 javaScript functions and then reference it within my TestComplete Script?

2. If so, how do I do that? I could not find any 'helper' code that showed me how to correctly reference these items.

Thanks much and sorry for hijacking this forum issue.. :-)
sergi
Contributor
12 years ago
Hi Jose, I've done some quick tests with Eclipse + JSDT. I've created a new Javascript project and linked all the .sj files.

The files can be modified (need to assign Javascript editor to .sj files and open them as UTF-16) and so far Eclipse recognizes perfectly the classes, methods and properties in the opened file but I'm facing a couple of problems:

The files can't be referenced between them. I can't figure out how to do it (the "//USEUNIT" obviously works only in TC)

Sometimes a unit file modified in Eclipse turns completely blank in TC after refreshing (and will remain like that).

Doyou have any clue?

How do you manage this references between files outside of TC?

Which type of Visual Studio projects do you create?

Thanks again!

P.S. Veronica, I have no clue since I haven't used TC for web testing. If you open a new thread I think someone will be able to help you better than here.
Philip_Baird
Community Hero
12 years ago
Hi Sergi, on top what advice Jose has given I would also advise

1. Don't try and write your JScript as you would for a Browser. The Test Complete runtime is quite different and some Browser design patterns don't fit very well

2. Get a good understanding of Script Extensions and get a feel for when to use them over referenced Script Units

Regards,

Phil Baird
Philip_Baird
Community Hero
12 years ago
Hi Veronica, from your post I can see two potential problems

1. You indicate you are using VBScript and the example is JScript, the only way to utilise JScript in a VBScript project is to contain the JScript in a Script Extension

2. The code snippet appears to reference jQuery to find elements which is not available in Test Complete

In the past when dealing with dynamic ids in Browser pages I have used XPath evaluation methods of the Page Object, such as:

EvaluateXPath

FindChildByXPath

QuerySelector

QuerySelectorAll

Regards,

Phil Baird
jose_pita
Super Contributor
12 years ago
When using other editors you lose intellisense of other units.

Using sublime you can open a folder (like a project on eclipse) and every time you type it shows all the available "functions" on all the folders, thing is, you have to know wich ones to use.

Bottom line: pray so that smartbear updates the editor on TC soon enough :D