After you record a test, you can
edit it to include variable data (rather than the data that you recorded),
verification points (to confirm that the test runs as expected), transactions,
conditional processing, and custom code.
Redirection support for HTTP tests
When you run HTTP tests, redirect requests are followed
automatically, which supports common usage patterns, such as load
balancing.
Creating secondary HTTP requests
A recording creates multiple HTTP requests and
responses. In some cases, a response from the server can be dynamic,
because of which the subsequent requests might need to be modified.
While playing back the test, some of these dynamic requests might
fail. For example, recording and playback might involve a different
set of users with different permission settings or the UI elements
might have changed since the time you recorded the test.
HTTP test editor overview
With the test editor, you
can inspect or customize a test that you recorded.
Specifying the number of allowable URL redirects during test runs
When you run a test in a load-sharing environment, an unexpected
redirection loop might occur during HTTP processing. An unexpected
redirect response occurs when an HTTP request that normally returns
a specific document redirects the browser to another location.
Defining performance requirements in tests
You can define performance
requirements for elements in a test. These requirements specify acceptable
thresholds of performance and validate service level agreements.
Adding an authentication folder
Web application servers can
include an option to force a login. You might have recorded a test
with this option disabled but want to run the test with the option
enabled. Adding an authentication folder to the appropriate test request
lets you do this without recording the test again.
Verifying expected behavior
To check whether an expected
behavior occurred during a run, you add verification points. When
you run a test that contains a verification point, an error is reported
if the expected behavior did not occur. When global verification points
are disabled (the default), you can enable verification points for
a specific test.
How loops affect the state of virtual users
If verification points fail unexpectedly during a run,
the cause might be that virtual users in loops do not maintain their
original state. To enable each virtual user to enter the loop in the
original state, you can modify the test's HTTP options or add custom
code.
Splitting a test
After you record a test, you can split it into smaller
tests. By splitting a test, you can create modular building blocks
of smaller tests and combine them to make bigger tests. The original
test is unchanged.
Splitting a test page
You can split an HTTP page into two contiguous pages.
The page title, think times, primary request, and delay are automatically
recalculated for the affected pages. Customized page titles, think
times, primary requests, and delays revert to the default values.
Merging test pages
You can two or more contiguous HTTP pages into one page.
The page title, think times, primary request, and delay are automatically
recalculated for the affected pages. Customized page titles, think
times, primary requests, and delays revert to the default values.
Disabling and enabling secondary HTTP requests
You can disable all secondary requests within an HTTP performance
test or a subset of requests in the test. Secondary requests are all
requests within a page other than the primary request.
Reusing tests on different hosts: Server connection variables
Your tests represent a significant
investment in time and effort. You can share or reuse them for different
configurations and web hosts by changing the variables for the host
name and port.
Viewing a test in the Protocol Data view
The Protocol Data view enables
you to inspect the actual test data. You can see requests, response
headers, and response contents, as well as the rendered images that
you see through your browser. Use this view to obtain the information
you need to add custom code or to manually correlate data. This view
also lets you compare the recorded data with the data retrieved during
a run.
Testing Siebel applications
When you record
a Siebel application, a Siebel-specific test is automatically generated.
However, before you run this test, install the Siebel Test Automation
library and edit the test to use built-in Siebel variables.