CAPBAK for Windows, which stands alone or works as part of TestWorks' fully integrated STW/Regression suite of regression testing tools, helps you design and develop tests that automate the testing process. It captures all user activities during the testing process including keystrokes, mouse movements, widget calls and verification information into a "C" language script that is easily understood. The captured images provide baselines against which future reruns of the tests are compared.

Future tests then entail the playing back of these test sessions. CAPBAK's multiple synchronization modes ensure a reliable playback, so tests can be run unattended. Response images corresponding to baseline images are automatically captured. Comparison of the baseline and response images is done automatically and results are written to log file. The log file allows the tester quickly to identify where tests have failed.

The user has complete control over the tests. Both recording and playback sessions can be aborted, sped up, slowed down, or paused so the user can process other commands.

To verify tests have successfully played back, CAPBAK's CBVIEW utility displays test sessions' captured images. Tests are further verified with the CBDIFF utility which compares baseline and response file images for differences. CBDIFF's masking capability disregards those areas of images that are not necessary for comparison, such as time or date changes.

With the assistance of its other STW/Regression(tm) test management tool, SMARTS(tm), tests can be organized into an hierarchical structure for execution individually or as a part of a test suite and then conditionally evaluated according to the verification method selected.

CAPBAK has multiple capture/playback modes, including True-Time and Character level. With true time, the keyboard and mouse inputs are replayed exactly as recorded by the tester. Playback timing is duplicated from the server's own timing mechanism, allowing tests to be run as if executed by a real user. The results of the tests indicate any variances from the baseline cases, permitting the tester to determine the implication of those differences. Therefore, if a button moved to a different location in the window, it would be flagged as an error.

Character recognition allows the test to search for items that may have moved, or changed fonts since testing a previous version of the application. Character recognition helps extend the life of a test script by allowing it to adjust for minor changes in window layouts or fonts being used.

Each of these modes is advantageous at different stages of testing during the software life cycle.

The verification method can include comparing saved images with the CBDIFF utility for small tests or comparing saved log file results of captured images for large tests.

Discrepancies are indicated for further analysis in SMARTS' PASS/FAIL test execution reports and statistics.