Web UI recording

IBM® Rational® Functional Tester provides multiple ways to create Web UI tests using the Test Workbench perspective. You can create a Web UI test by using the Web UI Recorder that is included with the test workbench. In addition, you can create a Web UI test for a web application that is already running in an instance of the Chrome, Firefox, or Safari browser. You can also initiate a recording from a step of an existing test. From version 9.0, you can play back tests on Microsoft Edge browser but they must be recorded on Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer browser.

Recording a Web UI test using the Web UI Recorder

With this style of recording, the Web UI Recorder starts the browser and configures the test environment before you start the recording. This style of recording provides a unified recording capability that lets you capture both functional and HTTP traffic in the same recording. As a result, you can generate both a Web UI functional test and an HTTP load test from the same recording session.

Support is provided for Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer on Windows computers, Chrome and Firefox on Linux computers, and Safari, Chrome, and Firefox on Macintosh computers.

Recording a Web UI test using a running browser instance

With this style of recording, you can record functional tests for web applications that are already running in an existing browser tab or window. You cannot, however, generate HTTP load tests. To use this style of recording, you must install a Web UI browser extension for each supported browser.

Support is provided for Chrome and Firefox on Windows and Linux computers and for Safari, Chrome, and Firefox on Macintosh computers. Internet Explorer is not supported.

Recording Web UI steps to add to an existing test

If you already have a test and want to add more steps to it, open the test and initiate the recording from a step after which you want to add the new steps. This style of recording is useful when the task flow of an application has changed in a newer version of the application and you want to update the existing test script.

Variable for storing the name of the browser used to record the test

Prior to 9.1.1, you could define a variable in a test to specify the web browser to use for running the test. The feature was available for running a test from the command line, as part of a schedule from IBM Rational Performance Tester, or from IBM Rational Quality Manager. The reserved name for this variable is RTW_WebUI_Browser_Selection. However, after defining the variable, if you ran the test from the Test Workbench perspective, the browser selected in the Run configuration dialog box took precedence over the browser specified in the variable.

Now, IBM Rational Functional Tester creates a test variable automatically whenever a new Web UI test is recorded or when an old test is used that does not already have this variable defined.

You can use this test variable in If conditions to assign different behavior for different browsers. Doing so allows you to create more robust tests that will run successfully in more than one browser.

During test execution, the value of the test variable is set to the name of the browser on which the test is being run. If you select Firefox in the run wizard, the value of the variable is set to Firefox, thus ignoring the original value that was set in the test during recording or while editing the test. For a command line or a Schedule execution, the value that was set in the test is used, since in these cases there is no run wizard.

During test execution, an If condition accepts the following value names:

Firefox
Chrome
Internet Explorer
Safari
Microsoft Edge

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