Watching a virtual user during a test run

The Browser page in the Protocol Data view displays browser results during an individual HTTP test run. The Browser page displays each page in real time.

Before you begin

Verify that real-time support is enabled. Click Window > Preferences > Test > HTTP Protocol Data View
  1. Verify that Enable real-time protocol data support is selected.
  2. Select which page you want the Protocol Data view to display by default. The Browser page renders the visual data, and the Event Log page displays a table of page titles, response times, verification point failures, and unexpected response codes. You can switch between the pages when you watch the user.

Procedure

  1. In the Test Navigator, browse to an HTTP test and double-click it.
    The test opens.
  2. Click Run > Run As > Test.
  3. In the Protocol Data view, click the Browser tab.
    The HTTP pages are displayed. Because the protocol data is used, the Browser page might not render the contents exactly as a web browser would render the contents. But even if an HTTP page does not display correctly, you can still use the information on the Request, Response Headers, Response Content, and Event Log pages to help you debug the test.
  4. Use the playback buttons in the Protocol Data view to control the real-time browser display. The playback buttons control only the Protocol Data view. They do not pause or stop test execution. If you pause the real-time browser display and then click Play, the page displayed in the Browser window is the next page loaded by the playback engine. Use the Back and Forward buttons to control the display of pages that have already been loaded. If a problem occurs during playback, pause the test and use the Back and Forward buttons to move to the page where the problem occurred. The Request, Response Headers, and Response Content pages show the information for the primary request.

Results

The information on each page is updated in real time as you run the test. The Event Log page shows the response time, verification point failures, unexpected response codes, and messages for each request. All of the other pages in the Protocol Data view display an Event Log summary bar while tests are running. The Event Log summary bar shows the number of verification point failures, unexpected response codes, and messages for the current page request.Event Log summary bar

An unexpected response code is defined as a response code not in the 200 or 300 range. Response codes outside the 200 and 300 range that were recorded or that are represented in a response code verification point are not considered unexpected. For example, a response code of 404, "Not Found," is an unexpected response code, unless there is an associated response code verification point. If a 404 response code occurred while recording and then during playback the response code is also 404, this is not considered unexpected. Messages include data correlation failures and custom code messages.

All pages in the Protocol Data view are active and updated while a test is running. Any of the events in the Event Log summary bar might indicate playback failures that require further investigation. After a test runs, you can also view the test log to debug the test. To learn more about the test log, see Viewing test logs.