Introduction to JavaStar: The Continuum of GUI Test Tools


To place JavaStar in the continuum of developing test tools, it makes sense to look at how GUI test tools have developed over the years and what features they offer.

The first GUI test tools were coordinate-based, using bit-mapped images. These tools recorded keystrokes and mouse movements based on the screen coordinates affected, and then played them back to simulate user interaction. One of the problems with this approach was that any change to the GUI meant that tests had to be re-recorded; it was nearly impossible to edit them.

Later test tools improved GUI testing by simulating an object-oriented approach. The tool defined "widgets" in the program under test, and would send events to these widgets to simulate user interaction. Here, a change to the GUI meant editing all tests, but at least it was easier to edit them.

When the concept of window declarations of GUI maps was developed, test developers had a way to abstract component information. By abstracting the component information, developers could deal with GUI changes that would otherwise break existing tests. Tweaking the map for an application would update all tests by reference. This worked well except for internationalization, where most products required a map for every locale.

JavaStar continues the evolution by providing an object-oriented tool that offers an easy way to generate declarations for the program under test. JavaStar uses Java to ensure a true object-orientation, not a simulation. JavaStar accesses the Java AWT components used to create the GUI of the test program and works directly with these components in the tests it creates. Because these tests are created in Java, they are object-oriented.




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