Rational Functional Tester Essentials and Advanced Workshop

Foundations

Rational Functional Tester (RFT)

An IBM automated testing tool for functional and regression testing of GUI and data-driven applications.

Automated Functional Testing

Using tools to execute tests of application behavior automatically, giving fast, repeatable feedback.

Regression Testing

Re-running tests to ensure new changes don't break existing functionality.

Why Automate

Automation increases test coverage and speed and frees testers from repetitive manual execution.

Recording

Record and Playback

Recording user interactions to generate a test script that can be replayed automatically.

Test Script

The generated code that drives the application and checks results during a test.

Object Recognition

How RFT identifies UI elements so scripts can interact with them reliably.

Object Map

A repository of recognized UI objects and their properties used by scripts.

Verification

Verification Point

A checkpoint in a script that verifies the application's state or output matches expected results.

Baseline and Comparison

Capturing expected results and comparing actual results against them during playback.

Data Verification

Checking that displayed or stored data matches expected values.

Data-Driven

Data-Driven Testing

Running the same test with multiple data sets to cover many cases efficiently.

Datapools

Sources of test data that feed values into data-driven tests.

Parameterization

Replacing hard-coded values with variables so tests can run with different inputs.

Scripting

Scripting Model

The programmatic structure (often Java or VB.NET) behind RFT scripts for customization.

Custom Code

Adding code to scripts to handle logic, conditions, and reusable functions.

Reusable Methods

Factoring common steps into shared methods to reduce duplication and ease maintenance.

Advanced

Maintainable Test Suites

Designing scripts and object maps so tests are robust and easy to update as the app changes.

Handling Dynamic Objects

Techniques for recognizing UI elements whose properties change at runtime.

Error Handling

Managing unexpected states so tests fail gracefully and report useful information.

Test Organization

Structuring scripts, object maps, and data for reuse and scalability.

Integration

Integration with Quality Manager

Linking RFT tests to test plans and results in Rational Quality Manager for management and reporting.

Continuous Testing

Running automated tests as part of the pipeline for frequent, reliable feedback.

Best Practices

Automation Best Practices

Clear object maps, data-driven design, reusable code, and maintainable structure for reliable automation.