Troubleshooting functional tests in Mozilla Firefox browsers

If you encounter problems while testing in Mozilla Firefox browsers, the following workarounds might help resolve them.

Note: The following issues and workarounds are applicable to Rational® Functional Tester 8.5.1 and above and Firefox 18 and above on Windows™ computers.

It is not possible to record on a Firefox browser

This problem could occur for the following reasons:
  • The browser was not properly enabled. To ensure that the browser is properly enabled, in Firefox, click Tools > Add-ons > Extensions, and verify that the Rational® Functional Tester Firefox Enabler is present and enabled.
  • Mozilla Firefox browser is associated with JRE 1.6. Ensure that your test environment has JRE 1.7, which is enabled and associated with the Firefox browser. On your Windows™ computer, this option can be controlled from Control Panel > Java (Choose Java™ 1.7) > Advanced > Default Java for Browsers> Mozilla Family.
  • JavaScript™ is not enabled on your browser. Navigate to Firefox > Options > Content and select the Enable JavaScript box.
  • The web page that you are trying to run is available on the local file system. Host the web page on a web server and then try recording. In Firefox 25, pages that are loaded from local file systems can be tested.
  • The browser was started with a blank home page that is without a home URL. Always specify a home URL for the browser.
  • The Firefox enabler extension that is installed is not the correct extension for your browser version. If you uninstall a newer version of Firefox and install an earlier version, the extension that supports testing on Firefox is not compatible with the earlier version. To ensure that you have the correct extension when you are changing versions, disable Firefox from the Enablement Wizard, and then re-enable it. Re-enabling Firefox installs the proper extension for your browser version.
  • The port number that is specified in the Firefox enabler extension options is not the same as the specified the port number specified in Rational® Functional Tester Webserver Configuration preferences. To verify the port number in Rational® Functional Tester, select Window > Preferences > Functional Test > Webserver Configuration.
  • For Firefox version 18 and above, when a document is loaded, the Firefox Enabler loads an applet that enables communication with Rational® Functional Tester. In some instances, you see an initializing screen indefinitely. This issue is most likely because the applet cannot be validated without an internet connection. To address this issue, online validation must be disabled. To disable online validation, open the Java Control Panel. In the Advanced tab, under Perform certificate revocation checks on" select the Do not check (not recommended) option. Click Apply save the changes and then click Ok to restart the browser. uses applets that are signed with secure certificates in order to comply with Java™ security features. When prompted by the browser, accept to run applet permanently to ensure Rational® Functional Tester functions properly. Also, ensure that the proper delays are in place for playback.

While recording on Mozilla Firefox browsers, some dialog boxes are recordable while others are not

Rational® Functional Tester supports the following dialog boxes:
  • Dialog boxes that are supported by Frameworks. Example: Dojo dialog box.
  • Native or XUL dialog boxes
Rational® Functional Tester does not support the following dialog boxes:
  • Recording on JavaScript™ alert boxes is not supported.

Unable to test Adobe™ Flex applications with on Mozilla Firefox browsers

Rational® Functional Tester supports testing Flex applications on Firefox up through Mozilla Firefox ESR version 10 and later releases of version 10.

Unable to test applications in Linux® with on Mozilla Firefox browsers

Rational® Functional Tester supports testing applications on Linux® with Firefox through Mozilla Firefox ESR version 17 and later releases of 17.

Unable to use Ajax related APIs on an Ajax application that is running on Mozilla Firefox browsers

Record and playback on Ajax-based actions work as expected. However, for Firefox version 18 and above, the following Ajax related APIs are not supported.
  • waitForAjaxCompleteRequests
  • waitForAjaxPendingRequests
  • setAjaxTrace
  • getAjaxPendingRequests
  • getAjaxCompletedRequests

To introduce delays, use the sleep API. For more information, see AJAX support.

Unable to test embedded PDF files in Firefox browsers

In 8.5.1, embedded PDF files in Firefox 18 and above are supported only when the PDF file is present in the browser along with other HTML controls. For example, the Recorder and Player will not recognize the PDF controls correctly if the file was opened by right-clicking the document and selecting Open with > Firefox.

Unable to launch the Verification Point Comparator from execution logs generated through Rational® Quality Manager

In the playback log, the ComparatorApplet,which is responsible for launching the Verification Points Comparator is hosted on a local server started by Rational® Functional Tester or one of its client processes. In the absence of this server, the comparator does not launch. To address this issue, ensure that Rational® Functional Tester is running on the computer where playback logs from Rational® Quality Manager are being viewed.

Unable to launch the Verification Point Comparator from playback logs on Linux® installations

On Linux® installations, the Verification Point Comparator cannot be opened through the playback logs. Instead, open the comparator from the project's logs folder (<projectname>_logs).

Unable to play a script that was recorded on a stand-alone PDF document in Firefox on an embedded PDF document

In Firefox version 19 and above, the plugin pdf.js is used to render PDF documents. This plugin renders PDF documents as HTML pages, thus Rational® Functional Tester records the controls as HTML. For a script recorded on a stand-alone PDF document to be compatible on an embedded PDF document in Firefox, you can disable the pdf.js plugin by typing about:config in the address. When prompted, click the I'll be careful, I promise!! button. Search for the pdfjs.disabled flag and right-click then select Toggle to change the value from false to true. Restart Firefox to apply the changes.

Unable to playback scripts on listbox controls when Firefox is maximized

During playback on Firefox, Rational® Functional Tester sometimes fails to click listbox controls when the browser is maximized. In order to correct this, you can adjust the zoom level of the browser or run the playback with the browser window not maximized.