SmarteSoft is pleased to announce that it has initiated a computer-based training (CBT) program for its flagship test automation tool, SmarteScript. The program will make SmarteSoft’s already comprehensive series of training options even more accessible to its customers.
To read more about our CBT program please click here. To see it demoed, please click here.
Face it, occasionally there is an object — or a group of objects — that gives fits to your automation project. Often, it goes like this: We testers need to select an item based on its text, and, much to our frustration, it’s embedded in an image — or we are faced with a large tree containing thousands of items that change regularly. Typically, these things are barriers to automation. Enter Optical Character Recognition (OCR). With it, the computer can “read” whatever is on the screen, wherever it is. It performs this task by looking at the image and matching what it sees to a database of known options.
With SmarteScript, you can build a database of options on install. This may take a few moments but will improve your chances of accurately recognizing characters and words. If your application uses a font that is not installed locally, we would recommend installing the font and re-building the database. To do this, select tools>options>utilities settings. Once there, click on the OCR database setup option. Again this may take some time but it is well worth the effort.
Occasionally we need to tweak the OCR engine. This is accomplished by manually editing the textract.ini file located in the directors c:/program files/smartesoft/smartescript/bin. Within this file you will find several options — here are the areas for adjustment:
[Recognition]
Include1=* (this allows you to name specific fonts to be included in the database build, * allows all installed fonts to be built into database to the maximum number defined in this file)
Include2= (additional position for inclusion of font names, can be left blank with no ill effect)
Exclude= (specific fonts to exclute, i.e. dingbats)
Italic=0 (0 will exclude italic characters from the database, 1 will include italic characters)
Bold=0 (0 will exclude bold versions of fonts from inclusion in the database, 1 will include the bold versions of fonts)
Underlined=0 (0 will exclude underlined versions of fonts, 1 will include)
Sizes=8-12 (defines the size range, can be maxed to 6-72)
Multicolor=0 (setting this to 1 will improve the performance of OCR in multicolor environments, but it will be slightly slower)
Multifont=0 ( allows for the recognition of character strings that switch font)
Line align=10
MaxNFonts=256 (setting for the maximum number of fonts, increases database build time, i.e. 4000)
Database Preload=0( if set to 1 the entire database loads into memory, using resources but improving performance)
Flip=1 (allows the recognition of upside down characters when set to 1)
MaxDepth=1 (how many colors allowed in font, 1=b/w)
Web services have become an integral part of many websites and products we have been called on to test. Testing the functionality of the application is still the straight forward method that we propose in our standard training–even if web services may require a small amount of harness building.
Service oriented applications may have data which extends beyond the display layer, such as messages which initiate a new process or procedure. Testing those messages without a back end, code driven tool can present quite a challenge.
Most testers just want to get to testing, and would like to avoid generating an application which has to be re written each time the process or data changes. To facilitate this, SmarteSoft currently recommends creating a simple form that accesses the WSDL from the server. This simple piece of HTML will provide for the inputs as well as the outputs. As this service page is created it will allow for both functional testing of the web service, as well as load testing.
Many of us are tasked with daily testing of applications,
WebSite Check
C++ App Check
>net widget Check
CICS Che…huh?
Automated testing and 3270? How are we supposed to do that? The traditional way would be to approach server side scripting, or even to look at automated tools that allow you to map screen position to the start point of a field. Some tools even allow you to send tabs and keys–but are they really maintainable?
Enter a new option.
SmarteSoft has entered into a partnership with Rocket Software to deliver BlueZone as a part of the solution. Through this partnership SmarteSoft’s SmarteScript tool is able to “see” the fields in a CICS type application as though they were input fields in a browser or desktop app. This allows the full power of automation to be applied to the data driven functional test of legacy applications.
As the 3270 user is well aware, what terminal emulation application you use does not affect the outcome of the transaction. SmarteSoft provides a license for the BlueZone product with each license of SmarteScript. Users who are currently using other solutions will find BlueZone easy to use–and you can’t beat the deal.
Our primary goal was to bring legacy system testing into the current world. No more mapping, no more server scripts. His is fully automated, data driven testing where it was just not possible before.
SmarteSuite Now Available for Legacy “Green Screen” Users
Friday, September 4th, 2009On September 3, SmarteSoft and BlueZone Software announced a combined solution that gives enterprises that develop and maintain legacy “green screen” applications on IBM System z and System i access to a game-changing suite of test automation software. By including BlueZone in SmarteSoft’s SmartScript and SmartX applications, the firms are extending support of testing applications which help to break down the walls between software development, quality assurance, and business analysis teams for “green screen”-reliant projects.
For more details, please click here.
Tags: "green screen", BlueZone, IBM system i, IBM System z, SmarteScript, SmarteSoft
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