Release Notes - Rational Functional Tester 8.6.0.1

This document contains information about system requirements, installation, and new features in IBM® Rational® Functional Tester, version 8.6.0.1. It also provides information about contacting IBM Software Support.

Description

Rational Functional Tester is an object-oriented automated testing tool that tests HTML, Java™, Dojo, Ajax, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft .NET, Microsoft Silverlight, Microsoft Visual Basic, Siebel, Flex, SAP, GEF, and PowerBuilder applications that run on Microsoft Windows or Linux operating systems. You can also test Adobe PDF documents. You can test IBM zSeries, IBM iSeries®, and IBM pSeries applications by using the extension for terminal-based applications that is provided by Rational Functional Tester. With Rational Functional Tester, you can record reliable and robust scripts that you can play back to validate new builds of a test application.

Rational Functional Tester is available in two integrated development environments: Eclipse and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET. The product records user actions to create simplified test scripts that are easy to understand on the Rational Software Delivery Platform. Rational Functional Tester supports two scripting languages for advanced users. Rational Functional Tester Eclipse Integration uses the Java language, and Rational Functional Tester Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Integration uses the Microsoft Visual Basic .NET language and the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET development environment.

To view the list of domains, software, and platforms that are supported for functional testing in each release of Rational Functional Tester and the compatible versions of Rational products that can be integrated with Rational Functional Tester, see: Software Product Compatibility Reports.

What's new in version 8.6.0.1

Rational Functional Tester, version 8.6.0.1 includes the following features and enhancements:
  • Support for Mozilla Firefox, version 31 and 32: Rational Functional Tester supports Mozilla Firefox, version 31 and 32.
  • Support for Google Chrome, version 36, 37, and 38: Rational Functional Tester supports Google Chrome, version 36, 37, and 38.
  • Support for Oracle Java 7 and its updates: Rational Functional Tester supports Oracle Java 7 and all its updates up to version 67.

What's new in version 8.6

Rational Functional Tester, version 8.6 includes these features and enhancements:
  • Microsoft .NET 4.5.1 support: Rational Functional Tester supports the testing of applications that are built with Microsoft .NET 4.5.1. For more information, see .NET support.
  • Dojo 1.9 support: Rational Functional Tester supports the testing of HTML applications that are built by using Dojo 1.9 toolkit. For more information, see Dojo support.
  • Support for testing Flex applications using Internet Explorer 11: Rational Functional Tester supports the testing of Flex applications using Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 browsers. For more information, see Flex support.

System requirements

For information about hardware and software requirements for Rational Functional Tester version 8.6, see system requirements.

Installing Rational Functional Tester, version 8.5 or later

For information about installing version 8.6, see: Installation roadmap.

Installing Rational Functional Tester through Rational Test Workbench

Rational Functional Tester is also included in the Rational Test Workbench package. You can use the Rational Functional Tester license when you install Rational Functional Tester through the Rational Test Workbench package.

Installing Rational Functional Tester 8.5 or later .NET 2010 help

If you installed Rational Functional Tester 8.5.1 Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 .NET Integration, you must install Rational Functional Tester Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 .NET help manually.

  1. After you install Rational Functional Tester 8.5.1 Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 .NET Integration, open Rational Functional Tester, click Help and then click Manage Help Settings. This opens the Visual Studio Help Library Manager.
  2. Select the Install content from disk option.
  3. Click Browse and select the helpcontentsetup.msha file that is available by default in the Rational Functional Tester installation directory\IBM\SDP\FunctionalTester\vsnet\MSDNHelp\VS2010 directory. The help manifest files for other translations are found within the locale folders available in the VS2010 directory. Click Next.
  4. Select RFT and click Add. The Update button is enabled.
  5. Click Update. You are prompted to confirm the installation. Click Yes. The Rational Functional Tester .NET help is installed as local help for Visual Studio 2010.
Note: To view the Rational Functional Tester .NET Scripting help in the Visual Studio 2010 IDE, you must enable the local help option in the Help Library Manager.

Tip: To view the complete table of contents of the installed local help in the Visual Studio 2010 IDE, install the Visual Studio Help Keyword Index plug-in that is available from the Microsoft website. Alternatively, you can upgrade to Visual Studio 2010 Service Pack 1 to view help in the Microsoft Help Viewer.

Known limitations and workarounds

Adobe Flex support
  • Testing Flex applications is supported only on 32-bit browsers.
  • Testing Flex applications is not supported on Mozilla Firefox 17.0 and above.
  • Testing Flex applications is not supported on Google Chrome browsers.
  • While taking a data verification point on multiple selected elements of a Flex list control, all the selected values are not picked up.
  • Insert Test Object does not work for Flex and SparkFormControl.
  • It is not possible to play back actions that are recorded on the vertical scroll bar of a SparkList.
Microsoft Silverlight support
  • Rational Functional Tester supports recording Silverlight applications only on 32 bit Internet Explorer.
Microsoft .NET 4.5 support
  • Recording actions on the drop-down list of a RibbonFilterMenu is not supported.

Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate support

Note: This limitation only applies to 64-bit version of Windows.
If you face any errors related to the loading of the package while creating a project in Rational Functional Tester, Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate Integration, use the following workarounds:
  • Download and install any missing dependencies (for example, msvcp80.dll and msvcr80.dll). For details, see the technote titled Rational Functional Tester integration with Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 does not work as expected.
  • If that does not help solve the problem, use the following workaround:

    1. Close Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate.
    2. Open the command prompt. The default location is C:\Windows\SysWOW64\cmd.exe.
    3. Change to the vsnet directory. The default location is C:\Program Files(x86)\IBM\SDP\FunctionalTester\vsnet.
    4. Type regedit RftVsNet.reg.
    5. In the message dialog box, click Yes to continue.
    6. Change to the vsnet\bin subdirectory.
    7. Type regsvr32 RftVs10.dll. A success message appears.
    8. Open the Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate Integration.
    9. Create a project.
PDF 9.0, 10.0 and 11.0 file testing support
  • When you record on the Reader toolbar buttons in Adobe Reader 10.0 and 11.0, the action is recorded as click(atPoint(x,y)).
  • When you record on a PDF file that is opened in a Mozilla Firefox browser, you must first record actions in the browser and then begin the recording on the PDF file.
  • Playback fails when only the find() API is used to locate objects. As a workaround, click the captured object first and then play back.
  • In the Rational Functional Tester Microsoft Visual Studio Integration, the PDF crashes during the playback, following a few clicks.
Other limitations and workarounds
  • If you are using JRE 1.6 Update 17 or later, and you want to open the Verification Point Comparator from the detailed playback log of a script that was played back from Rational Quality Manager, you must disable the next-generation plug-in on the workstation where you are opening the Comparator.
Known problems are also documented in the form of individual technical notes in the Support Knowledge Base. As problems are discovered and resolved, the knowledge base is updated and maintained with new information. By searching the knowledge base, you can quickly find workarounds or solutions to problems. The following links run customized queries of the live Support Knowledge Base:

Contacting IBM Software Support

IBM Software Support provides you with technical assistance.

For FAQs, lists of known problems and fixes, and other support information, visit the product support page for Rational Functional Tester software at http://www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/tester/functional/support/.

For product news, events, and other information, visit the product home page for Rational Functional Tester Software at http://www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/tester/functional/index.html.

Before you contact IBM Software Support, gather the background information that you need to describe your problem. When you are describing a problem to an IBM Software Support specialist, be as specific as possible and include all relevant background information so that the specialist can help you solve the problem efficiently. To save time, know the answers to these questions:

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