Using 'Timer' for Modal Overlays

[Al2]

Hi,

I have a question related to the use of Timer.

I don't understand what unit_name refers to here? 

I was running a program without using any unit reference and it errored. Any help would be appreciated!

Thank you

Al

[tristaanogre]

unit name = code unit.

In the screenshot below, the items in the red box are units.  Within those units, you write functions, methods, routines, etc.  So, for your question, if I have a routine that I want to run on a timer called 'fightMe' and that routine is in the unit 'BridgeOfKhazadum', then the syntax of that Timer would be to use 

var MyTimer = Utils.Timers.Add(10000, 'BridgeOfKhazadum.fightMe', true);

[Al2]

Thank you @tristaanogre  I was thinking the same and then I exported funtion, and there was an error. so it confused me. I should not export and just use it with filename reference.

So, I'm using this callTimerRoutines function to call the 'timeRoutine' function.

When the 'timeRoutine' is called and the object in the if statement doesn't exist, it should just move on without waiting to find that object, but it's not the case.

What I see is  this. Why would it wait for this object if the object doesn't exist?

function callTimerRoutines(){ 
    var MyTimer = Utils.Timers.Add(10000, "Startup.timeRoutine", true);
}

//StartUp unit

function timeRoutine(){ 
if(!Aliases.panelErrorpanel.Exists){
Log.Message("Move");
}else{ 
Log.Error(Aliases.panelErrorpanel.panelErrorContent.panelErrorContainer.textContent);
Log.Picture(Sys.Desktop, "Modal Dialog", ) 
Aliases.panelErrorpanel.panelErrorContent.panelErrorContainer.buttonOk.ClickButton();
}
}

Appreciate your help!

Thank you

Al

[tristaanogre]

If you understand objects, then you understand properties of objects.  Exists is a property of the object Aliases.panelErrorpanel.  In order to check the Exists property, it first needs to detect if the object exists.  Well, if the object does not exist, it can't check the Exists property so, most likely, you'll get an error in your log saying something like "Aliases.panelErrorpanel does not exist"... which you're like... "Well, DUH!!!"

So... to check existance of an object as you want to, rather than just checking the Exists property, you need to first Wait to see if the object comes around.  If it does , THEN you can start looking at properties.

So...  Just some light reading...https://support.smartbear.com/testcomplete/docs/app-objects/common-tasks/checking-existence.html

From that, I'd change your code to the following (see below).  Note the use of WaitAliasChild.  I have the timer set to 20 seconds on that method.  That means, it will wait up to 20 seconds for the object to return.  If it does, the object itself is returned and "Exists" is true.  If it doesn't, then a "stub" object with no properties but the "Exists" property is returned and that has a value of "false".

function callTimerRoutines(){ 
    var MyTimer = Utils.Timers.Add(10000, "Startup.timeRoutine", true);
}

//StartUp unit

function timeRoutine(){ 
if(!Aliases.WaitAliasChild('panelErrorpanel', 20000).Exists){
Log.Message("Move");
}else{ 
Log.Error(Aliases.panelErrorpanel.panelErrorContent.panelErrorContainer.textContent);
Log.Picture(Sys.Desktop, "Modal Dialog", ) 
Aliases.panelErrorpanel.panelErrorContent.panelErrorContainer.buttonOk.ClickButton();
}
}

[Al2]

So a couple of things based on what I'm trying to achieve: 

1. I'm using the conditional statements here. If the 'exists' is false, it should just go inside 'if' block immediately.

2. I don't want to wait for the object to appear on the UI, because I'm not really waiting for it. Just in case that object shows up, I'd take an action and move forward. That's why I'm using 'exists' property. AND it didn't crash or logged errors and just seems to work as I'd expect (But I don't know why It starts searching for the object instead of moving on if the object doesn't exist. It should just return a boolean value and move on).

3. About the WaitAliasChild property. I have a more relaible program that handles wait pretty well, but again it's not useful here as I'm not waiting for the object. 

So still my question is - why would it wait if the object doesn't exist?

Thank you

Al

[tristaanogre]

Because of timing... you need to wait for it... sometimes the object comes up immediately, sometimes it doesn't, so you need to detect it.  And the Wait methods are what you need for it.  Even if it doesn't exist... because, if you think about it, you, watching the screen, knows that... but the automation as it's running does not.  It needs to check for it, look for it. So, you "Wait" for it before it returns the property... and as mentioned, you should use the WaitAliasChild because, if it doesn't exists, it might not return properly.

You can adjust that wait time in WaitAliasChild.  Increase it or decrease it as necessary.  It's the "maximum" time.

Basically... this is Best Practice for TestComplete for detecting the existance of objects, especially if you don't know at the time you call the code if the object will be there at all.

[tristaanogre · Accepted solution]

As an example.... let's consider the following basic OOP code

class myObject{
    constructor(){
        this.Exists = true;
        this.someText = 'I think therefore I am';
    }
}

function testObject(){
    
    if (!someObject.Exists){
        Log.Message('It does not think therefore it is not')
    }
    someObject = new myObject();
    if (someObject.Exists){
        Log.Message(someObject.someText);
    }
}

Obviously, this is bad code. I'm trying to use the "Exists" property of someObject before the object is instantiated.  In doing so, I actually get an error in my log telling me, in no uncertain terms "Um, you did a dumb...someObject doesn't exist so I have no idea what you want me to do".

What TestComplete does is that, once it finds an object and identfies it, it puts a wrapper around it based upon the kind of object it is that contains properties like "Exists" and "Visible" and so forth and contains methods like WaitChild and WaitWindow and so on.  

So, in your case, you actually start with on object, Aliases.  That's a built in, root core object of the tool itself.  It has the WaitAliasChild method built into it.  You pass in the name of a child Alias (needs to be mapped and defined ahead of time) so that, at run time, you can check to see if the object referenced by that Alias is actually present in memory in your operating system.  Before you can do ANYTHING with that object, we need to make sure it's there... kind of like making sure you instantiate someObject before you try and use its properties.  So, you call WaitAliasChild as part of your detection logic.  For example, this code actually works properly if the object does not exist because we first check to see if it IS an object of the correct type before we try and reference it.

var someObject;

class myObject{
    constructor(){
        this.Exists = true;someObject
        this.someText = 'I think therefore I am';
    }

}


function testObject(){


    if (!(someObject instanceof myObject)){
        Log.Message('It does not think therefore it is not')
    }
    else {
        
        if (someObject.Exists){
            Log.Message(someObject.someText);
        }
    }
}

See?  This is why TestComplete "waits" for onscreen components before attempting to interact with them.  It's to make sure that it actually is present in memory before you access any of it's properties.

[Al2]

Thanks @tristaanogre  This is a very good explanation. 

Thank you

Al