CAPBAK/X(tm), one of the programs in TestWorks' fully integrated STW/Regression tool suite (along with EXDIFF and SMARTS), is designed to overcome the tedious and error-prone process of manual testing by automating it. It captures into a "C" language test script all user activities during the testing process including keystrokes, mouse movements, widget calls and verification information. EXDIFF, one of CAPBAK/X's companion products, in turn supports Character Verification, determining a successful test regardless of differences in font or background color.

Future test runs then entail the playing back of these test sessions to determine if an application performs as expected. Each playback test session is executed as if the user is running the test. CAPBAK/X's automatic synchronization ensures a reliable playback, allowing tests to be run unsupervised as many times as the tester wants.

Response images and extracted characters corresponding to their baselines are automatically captured, with comparisons done on-the-fly in a batch process later.

Test sessions can also be played back on a "preview" display window. As a program traces through the recorded test script file, keyboard and mouse events are shown, allowing the user to relate an event with its corresponding recorded test script code. When an error is detected, the user can directly modify the recorded test script.

CAPBAK/X's editing utility inserts sleep commands or increases delays at button clicks and carriage returns, sets maximum and minimum delays on key clicks, pauses after certain defaults, strips extraneous mouse movements, and decomposes the recorded tests script into smaller sub-files.

With the help of its other STW/Regression(tm) companion tools, EXDIFF(tm) and SMARTS(tm), the testing process is completely automated. The SMARTS test management system organizes CAPBAK/X's test sessions into an hierarchical structure for execution individually or as a part of a test suite and then conditionally evaluates each test according to the verification method selected, whether True-Time, Character Recognition or Object Mode. STW/Regression is the only regression toolset available which offers interchangeable triple-mode testing in a single test session. Discrepancies are reported by SMARTS for further analysis. Extraneous discrepancies, however, can be discarded in the comparison process via the EXDIFF product. SMARTS' test execution reports and statistics show the PASS/FAIL results for a test or a test suite.

A modified version of the X-server behaves just like a standard X-server, except it is simulated in memory and not tied to any physical screen. This allows playback activity to run in the background, freeing the screen to continue executing other processes or commands.

Virtual Playback plays back recorded keystrokes and mouse movements to the Virtual X-server. Screen image response files are saved to regular bitmap files that can be compared to the baseline images on a PASS/FAIL criteria.

CAPBAK/X can confirm tests on one machine that were initially created on a different machine with a different display size, allowing for portability.

CAPBAK/X works from a graphical user interface (GUI), and offers unique command line functionality. It also has the capability of issuing record/playback commands from configurable keyboard function keys.