Testing with Rational® ClearCase®

As you develop your Rational® Functional Tester test scripts and the supporting files that accompany those scripts, you can use Rational® ClearCase® as your software configuration management system to maintain an auditable and repeatable history of your organization's test assets.

Using Rational® ClearCase® allows you to share projects, scripts, script templates, test datasets, and object maps across the testing team. You can manage changes in test assets stored in the Rational® Functional Tester project and in software system development from requirements to release.

Rational® Functional Tester works with Rational® ClearCase®. Rational® ClearCase® must be purchased separately. You must install Rational® ClearCase® to use the Rational® Functional Tester Rational® ClearCase® integration.

If you are using a version of Rational® ClearCase® earlier than this version, you must update the Rational® ClearCase® type managers to recognize Rational® Functional Tester test object map files on Windows® systems.

Rational® Functional Tester works in a Rational® ClearCase® view enabled for Unified Change Management (UCM) if the view was created as part of a single-stream UCM project. Rational® Functional Tester does not work in views that are part of multistream UCM projects.

Here is a scenario of how to use Rational® Functional Tester and Rational® ClearCase® to manage test assets:

  • Check out a test script in Rational® Functional Tester. Rational® ClearCase® checks out the script and all supporting Rational® Functional Tester files if you check them out from Rational® Functional Tester.
  • Edit a checked out copy of the script or any of the supporting files using Rational® Functional Tester.
  • Check in a test script in Rational® Functional Tester to create a new version of the script. Rational® ClearCase® stores the version permanently in the VOB and checks in all supporting Rational® Functional Tester files.

Rational® Functional Tester, Eclipse Integration, compiles the project when an element changes. If you are using a dynamic view, automatic compilation can be time consuming, depending on the size of the project. To disable this feature, click Window > Preferences and clear the Perform build automatically on resource modification checkbox. Rational® Functional Tester, Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Integration, does not automatically compile the project when an element changes.

You can use the Rational® Functional Tester integration with Rational® ClearCase® to perform these tasks:

  • Perform Rational® ClearCase® tasks from the Functional Test Projects view for Rational® Functional Tester, Eclipse Integration or from the Solution Explorer for Rational® Functional Tester, Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Integration.
  • Create a Rational® Functional Tester project and add it to source control from Rational® Functional Tester.
  • Add an existing Rational® Functional Tester project to source control after you create it in a Rational® ClearCase® view.
  • Add a Rational® Functional Tester script to source control.
  • Remove a Rational® Functional Tester script from source control.
  • Check out a Rational® Functional Tester script from source control.
  • Check in a Rational® Functional Tester script to create a new version of the script with changes.

    A merge operation occurs during checkin if another user has checked in the same file. To merge is the process of combining the contents of two or more files into a single new file. The first user to check in the file creates a new version. The second user to check in the file is required to merge. If Rational® ClearCase® can manage combining the multiple edits to the file, the changes are merged into a new version of the file automatically. If the edits conflict or cannot be resolved, users must resolve the conflicts. Rational® ClearCase® starts the Diff Merge tool, in which you can view the differences and merge two or more files, if necessary.

  • Restore the previous version of a script.
  • Refresh the local, snapshot view with the most current copy of a script. This operation is necessary only with snapshot views.
  • List all scripts and files checked out in the current view.
  • Compare differences between the current script and its immediate predecessor.
  • Manage the supporting files for each script easily when you add a script to source control, check in or check out a script, or get the latest version of a script, all the supporting Rational® Functional Tester files for that script are managed.
  • View a history of the changes made to a script.