FAQ: Web UI testing
This topic answers a few generic questions about using the IBM® Rational® Functional Tester Web UI extension.
- Why should the documents be loaded in Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 Standard mode?
- Why do I see the phrase WebDriver Text displayed in the bottom right corner of the Mozilla Firefox browser while playing back a Web UI test script?
- Why am I unable to record a Web UI test using Microsoft Internet Explorer?
- Why does it take so long to start recording a Web UI test using Firefox?
- What can I do if the browser does not start during recording?
- Why do I see variations in the recording and playback of a Web UI test on different browsers?
- Why does the recorder stop abruptly while recording in Microsoft Internet Explorer on a Windows computer?
Why should the documents be loaded in Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 Standard mode?
The Web UI extension only supports Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 and above. You cannot record
or playback the Web UI test scripts if the documents are loaded in modes other than the Internet
Explorer 9 Standard mode. This is because the web sites that do not use <!DOCTYPE
html> at the beginning of the page source render the page in Internet Explorer 9 Quirk Mode
or in an older version of Internet Explorer by default; this limitation causes the Javascript APIs
used in the Web UI extension to not work as expected. Hence, ensure that you always load the
documents in Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 Standard mode.
Why do I see the phrase WebDriver Text displayed in the bottom right corner of the Mozilla Firefox browser while playing back a Web UI test script?
The message originates from the Selenium API that the Web UI extension uses to open the Firefox browser. The Web UI application does not have any control over the display of the message, but it is not in any way impact the script playback. You can ignore the message.
Why am I unable to record a Web UI test using Microsoft Internet Explorer?
In Internet Explorer, open and disable protected mode for all zones.
Why does it take so long to start recording a Web UI test using Firefox?
The delay occurs because Rational® Functional Tester must first invoke Selenium to start the Firefox browser.
What can I do if the browser does not start during recording?
- Check that the internet proxy settings are set correctly. (In Internet Explorer, go to to make any necessary changes.
- Close Rational® Functional Tester.
- Kill the following browser-specific processes:
- InternetExplorerDriver.exe
- ChromeDriver.exe
- All FireFox instances
Why do I see variations in the recording and playback of a Web UI test on different browsers?
Recording and playback of a Web UI test depends on the properties of each control on a Web page. For example, in one browser a search button might be implemented as a text box, whereas in another browser the search button might be implemented as a jQuery control. To play back a recorded script in a different browser, you might need to edit the control recognition properties in the recorded script or insert a suitable action.
Why does the recorder stop abruptly while recording in Microsoft Internet Explorer on a Windows computer?
This is a limitation that the Web UI extension inherits from Selenium in case of non-admin accounts. When you are logged in as a non-administrator on a Windows computer, ensure that the Internet Explorer runs in unprotected mode. In Internet Explorer, open . Select Internet zone and clear the check box Enable Protected Mode.