EasyTest Configuration
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One of the EasyTest components is the test configuration file. This topic describes the purpose of the configuration file and its format. For general information on how to run test scripts, refer to the Run Tests topic.
To be able to perform a test script, EasyTest requires the Config.xml configuration file to be present in the directory containing the test script. You can have as many test script files in a folder as required, and only one configuration file is needed. If it is not present in the folder, EasyTest will not be able to perform tests. The configuration file serves as the central store for configuration information. Configuration settings such as the definitions of the applications to be tested and test databases to be used are stored in this file. There are two main benefits of having the configuration information stored separately in the configuration file. First, if you need to change a particular setting, you can easily do it in a single place. Second, since the configuration information is separated from the actual testing procedures, you can use a single set of test scripts to test different XAF applications.
The configuration file is an XML file with the Options root element. This element has a single DefaultTimeout attribute that specifies the default testing time limit in minutes. The Options element also has several child elements that contain configuration information. These elements are Applications, TestDatabases and Aliases. Let’s take a closer look at these elements.
Applications Element
This element contains definitions of the applications that can be tested by the test scripts located in the configuration file’s folder. You can define as many applications as required. This has no direct effect on test scripts. Each test script in turn, must contain at least one reference to an application defined in the configuration file. The Applications element comprises Application elements, whose format differs for Windows Forms and ASP.NET Web Forms applications. The following tables describe this format.
For Windows Forms applications:
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Specifies the name of the Application element. This name is used to differentiate between different applications. The Application command takes this name as the parameter. |
| FileName | Specifies the fully qualified name of the application’s executable file. You can use the built-in [ConfigPath] alias to specify a path relative to the Config.xml file location. |
| Arguments | Optional. Specifies the command-line arguments passed to the application when it is started. |
| AdapterFileName | (For .NET 6+ projects) The path to the WinForms EasyTest adapter. To use the standard adapter, specify the following path: %PROGRAMFILES%\DevExpress 23.2\Components\Bin\NetCore\DevExpress.ExpressApp.EasyTest.WinAdapter.v23.2.dll |
| AdapterAssemblyName | (For the .NET Framework projects) Specifies the name of the Windows Forms EasyTest adapter. This is an EasyTest assembly that contains a platform-specific functionality. The attribute contains the adapter’s assembly filename, assembly version, culture and public key. |
| CommunicationPort | Specifies the communication port number that will be used by EasyTest when testing the application. |
To test ASP.NET Web Forms applications, either the Visual Studio built-in web server or the Internet Information Services can be used. When using the Visual Studio built-in web server, the Application element format is the following:
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Specifies the name of the Application element. This name is used to differentiate between different applications. The Application command takes this name as the parameter. |
| SingleWebDev | Optional. Normally, after a test has been performed, the web server is restarted. If this attribute is set to true, then the web server is not restarted after a test script has successfully passed. You can specify this attribute to speed up test execution. Note that if a test did not pass, the web server is restarted, regardless of this attribute’s value. |
| PhysicalPath | A path to the folder containing the application. You can use the built-in [ConfigPath] alias to specify a path relative to the Config.xml file location. |
| Url | The application’s web address. |
| AdapterAssemblyName | Specifies the name of the ASP.NET Web Forms EasyTest adapter. This is an EasyTest assembly that contains a platform-specific functionality. The attribute contains the adapter’s assembly filename, assembly version, culture and public key. |
| IgnoreCase | Specifies whether the test ignores case when refering to UI element names, captions, or tags. |
When using the Internet Information Services to test an ASP.NET Web Forms application, the Application element format is the following:
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Specifies the name of the Application element. This name is used to differentiate between different applications. |
| Url | Specifies the application’s web address. |
| AdapterAssemblyName | Specifies the name of the ASP.NET Web Forms EasyTest adapter. This is an EasyTest assembly that contains a platform-specific functionality. The attribute contains the adapter’s assembly filename, assembly version, culture and public key. |
The following code snippet illustrates a sample Applications element for the .NET Framework projects.
<!-- For the .NET Framework projects -->
<Applications>
<Application
Name="MyTestSolutionWin"
FileName="[ConfigPath]\..\MySolution.Win\TestSolutionWin.exe"
Arguments="-Debug"
AdapterAssemblyName="DevExpress.ExpressApp.EasyTest.WinAdapter.v,
Version=.0,
Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=b88d1754d700e49a"
CommunicationPort="4100"/>
<Application
Name="MyTestSolutionWeb"
SingleWebDev="True"
PhysicalPath="[ConfigPath]\..\MySolution.Web"
Url="http://localhost:4030"
AdapterAssemblyName="DevExpress.ExpressApp.EasyTest.WebAdapter.v,
Version=.0,
Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=b88d1754d700e49a"/>
<Application
Name="MyTestSolutionWebIIS"
Url="http://localhost/MySolution.Web/Default.aspx"
AdapterAssemblyName="DevExpress.ExpressApp.EasyTest.WebAdapter.v,
Version=.0,
Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=b88d1754d700e49a"/>
</Applications>
The following code snippet illustrates a sample Applications element for .NET 6+ projects.
<!-- For .NET 6+ projects -->
<Applications>
<Application
Name="MyTestSolutionWin"
FileName="[ConfigPath]\..\MySolution.Win\TestSolutionWin.exe"
Arguments="-Debug"
AdapterFileName="%PROGRAMFILES%\DevExpress 23.2\Components\
Bin\NetCore\DevExpress.ExpressApp.EasyTest.WinAdapter.v23.2.dll"
CommunicationPort="4100"/>
</Applications>
TestDatabases Element
This element contains database definitions used by the DropDB and RestoreDB script commands. You can define as many databases as you want. Since the database definitions are only required for the DropDB and RestoreDB commands, the TestDatabases element can be empty if your scripts do not use these commands.
EasyTest can use either Microsoft SQL Server or Microsoft Access (Jet) databases for testing purposes. The TestDatabases element consists of the Database elements whose format varies for different database management systems. For the Microsoft SQL Server databases, the Database element has the following format.
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| xsi:type | Specifies the type of the database in use. For Microsoft SQL Server databases the value is TestMSSQLDatabase. |
| Server | Specifies the SQL server instance name. For example, this attribute can be (local) for Microsoft SQL Server or (localdb)\mssqllocaldb for Microsoft SQL Server Express LocalDB. |
| DBName | Specifies the database name. The DropDB and RestoreDB commands take this name as the parameter. |
| BackupFileName | Optional. Specifies the fully qualified name of the database backup file. This attribute is required by the RestoreDB command. You can use the built-in [ConfigPath] alias to specify path relative to the Config.xml file location. |
An optional Login element is available for the Microsoft SQL Server databases.
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| UserID | Specifies the login that must be used when accessing the database. |
| Password | Specifies the password that must be used when accessing the database. |
For the Microsoft Access databases, the Database element has the following format.
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| xsi:type | Specifies the type of the database in use. For Microsoft Access databases, the value is TestAccessDatabase. |
| DBSourceLocation | Specifies the fully qualified database file name. You can use the built-in [ConfigPath] alias to specify a path relative to the Config.xml file location. |
| DBName | Specifies the database name. The DropDB and RestoreDB commands take this name as the parameter. |
| BackupFileName | Optional. Specifies the fully qualified filename of the database backup file. This attribute is required to use the RestoreDB command. You can use the built-in [ConfigPath] alias to specify a path relative to the Config.xml file location. |
The following code snippet illustrates a sample TestDatabases element.
<TestDatabases>
<Database xsi:type="TestMSSQLDatabase"
Server="(local)"
DBName="MySolutionTestDatabase"
BackupFileName="\\TestServer\Backups\MySolutionTestDatabase_backup.dbbak">
<Login UserID="" Password=""/>
</Database>
<Database xsi:type="TestMSSQLDatabase"
Server="(localdb)\mssqllocaldb"
DBName="MySolutionTestDatabaseWin"/>
<Database xsi:type="TestAccessDatabase"
DBSourceLocation="D:\Test\MySolution.mdb"
DBName="AccessTestDatabase"/>
</TestDatabases>
Aliases Element
The Aliases element is used to define EasyTest configuration aliases. EasyTest aliases can be thought of as environment variables. To use an alias, you first need to define it in the Aliases element and assign a value to it. Then, the alias name can be used in configuration files and in script files. When a test script is performed, the alias name found in the configuration or script files is replaced with the alias value. You can use existing aliases when defining a new alias. Additionally, you can use Windows environment variables, to specify an alias value.
The Aliases element consists of the Alias elements, which have the following format.
Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
Name | Specifies the alias name. |
Value | Specifies the alias value. |
ProfileName | Optional. Specifies the profile with which the alias is associated. Profiles allow an alias to have several values. So, you can define several aliases using the same name by specifying different profiles. This attribute is used by the TestExecutor utility. This utility takes a command-line argument, which specifies the profile to be used. |
To use an alias in the configuration file or test scripts, enclose the alias name in square brackets.
The following code snippet illustrates a sample Aliases element.
<Aliases>
<Alias Name="DomainUserName" Value="%USERDOMAIN%\%USERNAME%"/>
<Alias Name="TestsPath" Value="D:\Tests"/>
<Alias Name="TestsPath" Value="S:\GlobalTests" ProfileName="Global"/>
<Alias Name="Version" Value="v"/>
<Alias Name="Port" Value="4125"/>
<Alias Name="Url" Value="http://localhost:[Port]"/>
</Aliases>
There is also a built-in ConfigPath alias whose value is the configuration file location (as its name implies). For instance, you can use this alias when specifying FileName and PhysicalPath values.