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Rational® Functional Tester
Test Author Guide
This guide describes how to create test scripts and enhances them by applying different test elements such as dataset, variables, and verification points.
Testing in the Functional Test perspective
When you develop Java, HTML, or Terminal-based applications, you can use IBM® Rational® Functional Tester to create traditional functional tests for these applications. You must first record the tests and then use Rational Functional Tester to run the tests before you can view the test results.
Testing terminal-based applications
Use the Rational® Functional Tester Terminal-based Applications feature to create test scripts and automate your host-application test cases. You can test host attributes, host field attributes, and screen-flow through a host application. It uses terminal verification points and properties, as well as synchronization code to identify the readiness of terminal for user input.
Extension for Terminal-based Applications window
Use the Extension for Terminal-based Applications window to connect to the host and record or play back host interactions in the scripts.
Advanced Connection Settings window
You can configure the basic settings and advanced settings using Advanced Connection Settings window.
SSL overview
The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol creates a standard SSL connection between the client and the server. The client contacts the server and checks to make sure that the server has a valid certificate. This type of connection ensures that all data exchanged between client and server is encrypted, and is therefore not readable by a third party on the Internet.

Rational® Functional Tester
- Release Notes
  This document contains information about what's new, installation instructions, known problems in and contact information of IBM Customer Support.
- System Requirements
  This document includes information about hardware and software requirements for IBM® Rational® Functional Tester.
- Getting Started Guide
  This guide provides an overview of Rational® Functional Tester. You can find the task flows to get you started with Rational Functional Tester. This guide is intended for new users.
- Tutorials
  This section contains the tutorials which explains the main features of Rational® Functional Tester.
- Samples
  This section describes about the sample project which can be used with Rational® Functional Tester to test the functionality of an application.
- Administrator Guide
  This guide describes how to install IBM® Rational® Functional Tester software. After you install the software, you can perform administration tasks such as license configuration and integration with other products. This guide is intended for administrators.
- Test Author Guide
  This guide describes how to create test scripts and enhances them by applying different test elements such as dataset, variables, and verification points.
  - Testing in the UI Test perspective
    When you develop web applications, Windows-based applications, or mobile applications, you can use IBM® Rational® Functional Tester to create functional tests for these applications. You must first record the tests and then use Rational Functional Tester to run the tests before you can view the test results.
  - Testing in the Functional Test perspective
    When you develop Java, HTML, or Terminal-based applications, you can use IBM® Rational® Functional Tester to create traditional functional tests for these applications. You must first record the tests and then use Rational Functional Tester to run the tests before you can view the test results.
    - Preparing the functional test environment
      This section describes the tasks you must perform to configure the functional test environment.
    - Managing functional test projects
      A functional test project stores application test assets such as scripts, object maps, verification point baseline files, and script templates. You must create a functional test project before you can record scripts.
    - Working with functional test scripts (Windows-only)
      This section describes the process of creating functional test scripts to test your applications.
    - Working with verification points
      Verification points verify that a certain action has taken place, or verify the state of a control or an object. When you create a verification point, you are capturing information about a control or an object in the application to establish this as baseline information for comparison during playback.
    - Driving functional tests with external data
      This section describes techniques you can use to data-drive functional tests with external data.
    - Managing functional test assets
      You can integrate Rational® Functional Tester with IBM® Rational ClearCase® or Rational Team Concert™ and manage functional test assets using any of these source control management tools.
    - Testing terminal-based applications
      Use the Rational® Functional Tester Terminal-based Applications feature to create test scripts and automate your host-application test cases. You can test host attributes, host field attributes, and screen-flow through a host application. It uses terminal verification points and properties, as well as synchronization code to identify the readiness of terminal for user input.
      - Importing certificates from the server for secured connections
        Starting from Rational® Functional Tester 9.1.1, you can import certificates from the server to connect to the host machines securely. You can create a CustomizedCAs.p12 / CustomizedCAs.jks keystore through the Extension for Terminal-based Applications that produces the *.p12/JKS file. This file passes the host server's self-signed certificate credentials to the terminal to allow a secure connection.
      - Creating a host connection script
        You can create a host connection script so that you can interact with the host session, navigate to other screens, and create data verification points.
      - Recording a host connection script
        You can automate the testing of a host application by recording a script that connects to, and interacts with a host system. The session is recorded as a set of commands and can be played back at a later time. This allows you to automate the navigation to specific screens.
      - Extension for Terminal-based Applications window
        Use the Extension for Terminal-based Applications window to connect to the host and record or play back host interactions in the scripts.
        Configuring basic connection properties
        You can configure the basic connection properties such as host, terminal type, port, code page, and screen size.
        Connecting to a virtual terminal (UNIX) session
        The host terminal panel shows the default values for a TN3270 terminal connection when you launch Extension for Terminal-based Applications. You can also connect to a VT (UNIX) session.
        Extension for Terminal-based Applications preferences
        You can set the synchronization settings using Extension for Terminal-based Applications Preferences window.
        Advanced Connection Settings window
        You can configure the basic settings and advanced settings using Advanced Connection Settings window.
        Advanced connection properties
        You can configure the advanced connection properties.
        SSH overview
        The Secure Shell (SSH) is a set of protocols for implementing secure sessions over a non-secure network, such as a standard TCP/IP network. The Extension for Terminal-based Applications supports SSH connections to VT sessions.
        SSL overview
        The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol creates a standard SSL connection between the client and the server. The client contacts the server and checks to make sure that the server has a valid certificate. This type of connection ensures that all data exchanged between client and server is encrypted, and is therefore not readable by a third party on the Internet.
        Using SSL to connect to host machines
        IBM® Rational® Functional Tester Extension for Terminal-based Applications requires a security utility such as OpenSSL or IBM Certificate Management to produce the *.p12 file that will pass the host servers self-signed certificate credentials to the terminal to allow a secure connection. Although IBM Certificate Management that runs on Windows®, Linux®, AIX®, or Solaris distributed platforms is not included with Rational Functional Tester, it is shipped with other IBM products such as IBM Personal Communications, IBM Host On-Demand, and IBM HTTP server. You can easily create the *.p12 file if you have access to this utility.
        Importing certificates from the server for secured connections
        Starting from Rational® Functional Tester 9.1.1, you can import certificates from the server to connect to the host machines securely. You can create a CustomizedCAs.p12 / CustomizedCAs.jks keystore through the Extension for Terminal-based Applications that produces the *.p12/JKS file. This file passes the host server's self-signed certificate credentials to the terminal to allow a secure connection.
        Recognition properties
        You can set the recognition property for screens, fields and characters to increase the flexibility of your script when defining a screen. Each object has a set of recognition properties, which are typically established during recording. To find an object in the application-under-test during playback, Rational® Functional Tester compares the object in the application with recognition properties in the test object map. Each property of a test object has an associated recognition weight value, which is a number from 0 to 100. Rational Functional Tester uses the weight value for each recognition property to determine the importance of the property.
    - Troubleshooting issues
      You can find information about the issues or problems that you might encounter while working with the Functional Test perspective in Rational® Functional Tester. Details about issues, their causes and the resolutions that you can apply to fix the issues are described.
  - Extending the UI Test perspective with custom code
    You can use custom code to extend the default Web UI testing capabilities. You can write custom Java™ code and call the code from the test. You can also specify that results from the tests that are affected by your custom code to be included in reports.
  - Extending the Functional Test perspective
    You can use custom code to extend the default functional testing capabilities. You can write custom code and call the code from the test. You can also specify that results from the tests that are affected by your custom code to be included in reports.
  - Experimental Features
    Rational® Functional Tester contains a set of pre-releases that enable you to test various experimental features. These experimental features, while still in progress, are introduced early in the release to seek your feedback on its overall functionality and performance. You can play around with these capabilities before they are made available and supported as a general feature in an upcoming release.
- Test Execution Specialist Guide
  This guide describes how to automate the playback of the tests by using different methods such as Docker, IBM® Cloud Private, Jenkins and so on. The test results can be pushed to Rational® Test Control Panel.
- Test Manager Guide
  This guide describes how to keep track of the performance of the application by evaluating the test results. Following topics cover how you can work with the test results.
- Troubleshooting
  This guide describes how to analyze and resolve some of the common problems that you might encounter while you work with Rational® Functional Tester.
- Reference Guide
  This guide describes the additional topics to gain more knowledge about Rational® Functional Tester.
- All Guides (PDF)
  You can find the link to view or download the content of the release notes, system requirements, and persona guides of IBM® Rational® Functional Tester as a PDF file.
- Security Considerations
  You can take certain actions to ensure that your installation is secure, customize your security settings, and set up user access controls.
- Notices
  This document provides information about copyright, trademarks, terms and conditions for the product documentation.

SSL overview

The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol creates a standard SSL connection between the client and the server. The client contacts the server and checks to make sure that the server has a valid certificate. This type of connection ensures that all data exchanged between client and server is encrypted, and is therefore not readable by a third party on the Internet.

Extension for Terminal-based Applications supports SSL connections to host sessions using Host On-Demand SSL functions. The SSL connection to a 3270 session is set up by using an open source SSL package called Stunnel.

Stunnel is a program that enables encrypting arbitrary TCP connections inside SSL and is available on both UNIX and Windows operating systems. With Stunnel you can secure non-SSL aware daemons and protocols by providing the encryption that requires no changes to the daemon code.