Preparing the functional test environment

This section describes the tasks you must perform to configure the functional test environment.

Automatically enabled environment for functional testing
From Rational® Functional Tester version 8.2.2 onwards, Rational Functional Tester automatically enables the environments for functional testing.
Before you record
Before you can start recording functional test scripts, perform the following setup and configuration tasks:
Enabling Java environments
You need to enable Java™ environments before you can use Functional Tester to test Java applications. Functional Tester is shipped with a JRE that is automatically enabled during your installation. The JRE is called "Default JRE." To enable other JREs, or if you install a new JRE, you must run the enabler again.
Enabling web browsers
To use Rational Functional Tester to test HTML applications that run on Internet Explorer you need not manually enable the browser. It is automatically enabled when you begin recording a script. If you use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome, you must enable the browser manually.
Preparing for functional testing in Google Chrome browsers
You can use IBM® Rational Functional Tester to test HTML applications in Google Chrome browsers. To do this, you must enable the Google Chrome browser and add the extension IBM Rational Functional Tester for Google Chrome™ to the browser.
Enabling the Eclipse non-p2 based applications for functional testing
If the application under test is a non-p2 Eclipse based application, you can enable the Eclipse platform for functional testing using the Eclipse enabler.
Enabling the Eclipse p2- based applications for functional testing
If the application-under-test is based on p2-based Eclipse, you must enable the Eclipse platform for testing using the Eclipse Software Updates feature.
Enabling stand-alone Standard Widget Toolkit applications
You must enable stand-alone Standard Widget Toolkit (SWT) support before using Rational Functional Tester to test SWT applications in the application under test.
Configuring applications for testing
You must configure your Java, HTML, VB.NET, SAP GUI, Flex or Windows applications for functional testing by providing the name, path, and other information that Rational Functional Tester uses to start and run the application. You use the Application Configuration Tool to configure applications.
Configuring Java environments for testing
You need to configure your JREs for Java testing with Functional Tester. This provides path, run options, and other information that Functional Tester needs to access and use your JREs. You use the Java Environments tab of the Enable Environments dialog box to do this.
Configuring browsers for testing
You need to configure your browsers for HTML testing with Functional Tester. This provides name, path, and other information that Functional Tester needs to access and use your browsers. You use the Web Browsers tab of the Enable Environments dialog box to do this.
Browser enablement diagnostic tool
The Browser Enablement Diagnostic Tool is used to diagnose problems you might have with enabling your browser for HTML testing. The tool will diagnose the enablement problem and report how to solve the problem.
Enabling the Java plug-in of a browser
The Sun Java plug-in of your browser(s) must be enabled in order for some applets to be tested, and for the View Results link that launches the Verification Point Comparator from the HTML log to work properly. If you get an error regarding the plug-in during HTML testing, or when trying to launch the Comparator, use the following steps to fix the problem.
Adding references to external resources
Functional test scripts or projects may refer to or use external resources like the DLLs in .Net IDE or JAR files in Eclipse IDE. To enable the scripts or projects to use these files, you must add references to these files in Functional Tester.
Proxy settings for freeform DataWindow PowerBuilder controls
In Rational Functional Tester, from version 8.2.1 onwards, new proxies are available for recording and playback on freeform DataWindow PowerBuilder controls in functional test scripts. By default, in a Rational Functional Tester 8.2.1 installation, scripts that you recorded using the old proxies can be played back normally but any new scripts that you record will use these new proxies.
Setting up the environment for testing AJAX-based web applications
You can test AJAX-based applications in two different ways; by setting the Auto Trace option to true or by setting the Auto Trace option to false. If you set the Auto Trace option to false, you must use the Functional Tester APIs for AJAX in the script by manually inserting them.
Enabling AJAX support for a pre-existing script
The HTML Document control is mapped to GuiTestObject in Rational Functional Tester versions prior to 7.0.0.2. The GuiTestObject does not contain any AJAX-related APIs. To use the AJAX-related APIs, the HTML Document control must be mapped to DocumentTestObject.
Enabling SAP client and server
To use Rational Functional Tester to test SAP applications, you must enable the SAP client and SAP server.
Enabling SAP GUI for HTML applications for functional testing
Objects in SAP GUI for HTML applications contain many dynamically-changing properties, for example .url, .href, and .id. While playing back functional test scripts against these applications, the value of one or more object recognition properties may change causing a high ScriptAssure score that results in script failure. Rational Functional Tester provides a mechanism to convert the recognition property value to a regular expression for those values that change dynamically. Finding each object's dynamic recognition property and converting it into a regular expression becomes cumbersome while testing SAP GUI for HTML applications.
Enabling applications with WebDynPro controls for functional testing
When you playback functional test scripts to test HTML applications with WebDynPro controls, you may get object not found exception or a weak recognition warning even if the control exists.
Enabling SAP support for pre-existing Rational Functional Tester projects
To use the SAP support for a project that was created using the releases of Rational Functional Tester version 6, you must add two new templates (one for script headers and one for script helper headers) to the project. You will also need to update the build or reference information for the project.
Enabling the GEF application
You must enable the GEF support before using Functional Tester to test GEF objects on the application under test.
Enabling response time breakdown
You can enable response time breakdown to see how much time is spent in each part of the application as the test runs. To collect response time breakdown, the data collection infrastructure must be installed and running on all computers that are used in the distributed application under test.
Flex applications testing process
The testing process is based on the tasks that Flex developers and testers perform. The process for automating functional tests of Flex applications differs, depending on the way developers create the application under test.
Importing and exporting configuration and customization files
You can configure and customize files in the configuration and the customization directories. The configuration files contains information such as the application that must be configured for testing. However, the customization files contain information about the external jar files used in your project, customization of any recognition properties, and third-party proxy extensions. You can export these files and later deploy them using the export and import utility. The default location for the configuration and customization file is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\IBM\RFT. For example: If you want to use the same configuration and customization files on different computers, you can archive these files and later deploy them using this utility.
Setting functional test preferences
You use the Preferences dialog box to customize Functional Tester in a number of different areas, such as settings for time options; colors for the Verification Point Editor, the Verification Point Comparator, and the Object Map Editor; highlight color for test objects; operating system; playback; delays; log; playback monitor; ScriptAssure(TM); recorder; recording monitor; and the workbench.

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