Improved Keyword Test correction when renaming Aliases
Hello! Whenever an alias is changed in a project's NameMapping file, TestComplete will offer to automatically correct any items in Keyword Tests that use the alias. However, I have found that this feature only works with Test Actions (On-Screen Action, If Object, etc.) and Checkpoints (Property Checkpoint, Region Checkpoint, etc.) Currently, Logging items (Log, Post Screenshot, etc.) and Statements (While Loop, If... Then, Set Variable Value, etc.) do not get updated automatically with this feature. Having this functionality would help greatly reduce errors that result from partial renaming jobs.
Github Copilot Integration
GitHub Copilot suggests code completions as developers type and turns natural language prompts into coding suggestions based on the project's context and style conventions. One new idea would be having a copilot plugin for testcomplete would increase productivity and coding efficiency URL for reference - https://github.com/features/copilot
Differentiate between a runtime error and a checkpoint error
Given this ability to determine test complete behavior on error: I would like to differentiate a runtime error as with an error in test creation and a test failure or checkpoint error. Something similar to many unit test frameworks assert fail so that I can have different playback behavior and a failure specific event
OCR in UI Test Automation: Extending Coverage Where Traditional Identification Breaks Down
Automated UI testing increasingly operates in environments where traditional object identification is not reliable. Modern applications frequently render text and controls using custom graphics, canvases, charts, and dynamically generated visuals that do not expose accessible properties or stable locators. As a result, automation tools that rely solely on object hierarchies and properties can struggle to validate what is actually presented to the user. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) addresses this gap by enabling automation to extract and interpret text directly from what is rendered on screen. Instead of depending on the underlying implementation of a control, OCR works at the visual layer, analyzing pixels and patterns to recognize characters and convert them into machine readable text. This capability allows automated tests to validate user visible content in situations where traditional approaches fall short. Why OCR Matters in Real World UI Testing In many business critical applications, text is not always exposed through standard UI controls. Common examples include: Charts and dashboards rendered using custom drawing libraries Canvas based interfaces and rich graphical components Embedded documents such as PDFs or reports Custom buttons, labels, or alerts built without standard accessibility metadata In these scenarios, the risk is not just test fragility it is blind spots. If automation cannot confirm what text is displayed, teams are forced back to manual validation for critical user facing information. OCR enables tests to verify visible content regardless of how it is implemented. By converting visual text into actionable data, OCR allows teams to assert that values, labels, messages, and statuses shown to users are correct, even when object level access is unavailable. This makes OCR especially valuable for validating end-to-end business workflows where correctness depends on what users actually see, not just what the application internally represents. OCR as Part of TestComplete’s Object Recognition Strategy TestComplete incorporates OCR as part of its broader approach to handling complex and non standard user interfaces. OCR is available directly within the platform and can be applied to many different types of application testing without requiring separate tools or configurations. When TestComplete encounters unsupported or custom controls, OCR can be used to: Recognize text from a specified screen region Extract and compare visible text against expected values Locate UI elements based on displayed text rather than coordinates Interact with visual elements by identifying their text content OCR actions can be recorded automatically during test creation when traditional object recognition is not possible. Teams can also explicitly define OCR based checkpoints to validate messages, labels, and dynamic values that appear during test execution. By allowing interactions to be driven by recognized text instead of fixed screen positions, OCR based tests tend to be more resilient to layout changes and UI adjustments. See OCR in Action A short demonstration shows how OCR is applied in real testing scenarios, including recognizing text in custom or unsupported controls, validating user visible messages, and driving interactions based on on screen text rather than fixed coordinates. The demo focuses on practical use cases where traditional object identification is not available. Expanding Automation Coverage Without Increasing Fragility One of the persistent challenges in UI automation is balancing coverage with maintenance. Scripts that rely on brittle locators or coordinates often fail when visual layouts change, even if the underlying functionality remains correct. OCR helps mitigate this issue by anchoring tests to user visible content rather than implementation details. This is particularly useful for: Validating alerts or error messages drawn directly on the UI Verifying values inside charts or graphical widgets Testing applications with frequent visual refinements but stable business logic By enabling validation at the visual layer, OCR reduces the need for workarounds or manual testing in areas that were previously difficult to automate. The result is broader coverage with fewer fragile dependencies. OCR as a Bridge Between User Experience and Automation OCR is not intended to replace traditional object based testing. Instead, it complements it by extending automation into areas where conventional techniques are insufficient. Within TestComplete, OCR functions as a bridge between how users experience an application and how automated tests validate it. When automation can read and verify the same information a human user relies on, test results better reflect real world behavior and risk. As applications continue to evolve toward richer and more visually driven interfaces, OCR plays a key role in ensuring automated testing remains aligned with actual user experience not just underlying code structure.Accessibility Testing Made Easy: How TestComplete Ensures Web Compliance
Most test automation focuses on functionality but in regulated industries like healthcare, finance, and education, teams must also prove accessibility and compliance. TestComplete’s Web Audit Checkpoints make this simple by integrating accessibility scans directly into automated tests, identifying errors like missing alt text, deprecated tags, and invalid HTML. Teams can set practical thresholds (e.g., zero critical errors, limited warnings) to balance enforcement and flexibility. This ensures every regression run checks not only if features work, but if they meet legal and usability standards. The result is faster compliance, reduced risk, and higher-quality user experiences for everyone. Check out our demo video to see how accessibility testing in TestComplete fits seamlessly into your automation pipeline and helps you build more inclusive, compliant web applications.Question of The Day
Not many questions from me lately ......and who would have thought I would become somewhat proficient at Python and Data Mapping Taking a second to say thanks to those who have helped. We are all learners. Now does any body have a script that will write my daily status report. Have a great Holiday weekendAuto Generate PDF Report
It would be very useful to have a feature where the test logs can be automatically generated to PDF files. Essentially, rather than manually generate a PDF report as an export as instructed in Test Complete documentation: https://support.smartbear.com/testcomplete/docs/testing-with/log/working-with/exporting/index.html#pdf have the PDF report generate with a simple "writeLogToPDF" command. Thanks for your consideration!Number of Checkpoint required in Log Summary and log Object
I have noticed that sometime test complete script fails to execute complete scripts and log the results with Zero Warnings and Errors reason could be any but result is incomplete execution of script. When we generate and send email through log object we only gets number of Errors and Warnings which are misleading results or numbers. When we go to the details we find that scripts execution is incomplete. I request you to add number of checkpoints validated by scripts in Log summary (I have highlighted the place to show in attached snapshot). Even if number of Errors and Warnings would be Zero and if we don't get the desired number of checkpoints which could also be zero, we can easily identify that scripts fail to complete their execution.
