Home
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.
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.
Creating verification points
You can create verification points to test application objects. Verification points are used to verify that the property values is as expected. When you create a verification point, you are capturing information about an object in the application to establish this as baseline information for comparison during playback.
Creating properties verification points
You can create property verification points to test the properties of an object in your application. When you record the verification point, a baseline of the property is created. Every time you play back the script, the property is compared to check if any changes have occurred. This helps in identifying any mismatch in property.
Properties for verification points
When you create verification points, the Verification Point and Action Wizard - Perform an Action window displays only the properties that apply to the selected component.

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
  You can learn to start using Rational® Functional Tester by reviewing the information in the Tutorials for the UI Test perspective and Functional Test perspective.
- Samples
  You can find the sample project that you can use 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 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.
        Verification points
        Verification points are used to test properties of application windows or fields.
        Creating verification points
        You can create verification points to test application objects. Verification points are used to verify that the property values is as expected. When you create a verification point, you are capturing information about an object in the application to establish this as baseline information for comparison during playback.
        Creating data verification points
        You can create data verification points to test the data in your application. When you record the verification point, a baseline of the data is created. Every time you play back the script, the data is compared to check if any changes have occurred. This helps in identifying any mismatch in data.
        Creating properties verification points
        You can create property verification points to test the properties of an object in your application. When you record the verification point, a baseline of the property is created. Every time you play back the script, the property is compared to check if any changes have occurred. This helps in identifying any mismatch in property.
        Properties for verification points
        When you create verification points, the Verification Point and Action Wizard - Perform an Action window displays only the properties that apply to the selected component.
        Character property verification points
        You can create character property verification points to test the character in your application. When you record the verification point, a baseline of the character is created. Every time you play back the script, the character is compared to check if any changes have occurred. This helps in identifying any mismatch in character.
        Row property verification points
        You can create row property verification points to test a row in your application. When you record the verification point, a baseline of the row is created. Every time you play back the script, the row is compared to check if any changes have occurred. This helps in identifying any mismatch in rows.
        Properties of field property verification points
        You can create field property verification points to test the fields in your application. When you record the verification point, a baseline of the field is created. Every time you play back the script, the field is compared to check if any changes have occurred. This helps in identifying any mismatch in field.
        Properties of screen property verification points
        You can create screen property verification points to test the screen in your application. When you record the verification point, a baseline of the screen is created. Every time you play back the script, the screen is compared to check if any changes have occurred. This helps in identifying any mismatch in screen.
        Properties of display property verification points
        You can create display property verification points to test the display in your application. When you record the verification point, a baseline of the display is created. Every time you play back the script, the display is compared to check if any changes have occurred. This helps in identifying any mismatch in display.
        Properties of operator information area (OIA) property verification points
        You can create OIA property verification points to test the OIA in your application. When you record the verification point, a baseline of the OIA is created. Every time you play back the script, the OIA is compared to check if any changes have occurred. This helps in identifying any mismatch in OIA.
        Properties of operator information area (OIA) data verification points
        You can create OIA data verification points to test the OIA data in your application. When you record the verification point, a baseline of the OIA data is created. Every time you play back the script, the OIA data is compared to check if any changes have occurred. This helps in identifying any mismatch in OIA data.
        Creating character verification points
        You can create a character verification point to test the properties of a certain character in your application. The character is a part of a host text field (ECLField). The character can be in any host text field that is identified by the Rational® Functional Tester. When you record the verification point, a baseline of the character is created. Every time you play back the script, the character is compared to check if any changes have occurred. This helps in identifying any mismatch in character.
        Creating row verification points
        You can create a row verification point to test the properties of a certain row in your application. The row is a part of a ECL screen. When you record the verification point, a baseline of the row is created. Every time you play back the script, the row is compared to check if any changes have occurred. This helps in identifying any mismatch in row.
        Logging window content
        You can log the contents of a window in a correctly formatted log file. The log contains the record of events that occur when recording the script.
        Extension for Terminal-based Applications states
        Rational® Functional Tester tracks the state of Extension for Terminal-based Applications sessions as you record a script and interact with the host session. To determine the state of the session, Rational Functional Tester checks whether the host session has focus. If the host session does not have focus, it waits for 0.5 second to see whether it gains focus. If the host session does not gain focus during that time, it returns the focus state to the frame. If the host session does have focus after the wait, Rational Functional Tester queries the synchronization code for the state of the terminal.
        Synchronization algorithms
        Extension for Terminal-based Applications has three synchronization algorithms to determine the state of the terminal. The state of the terminal depends on the loading of presentation space.
        Playing back host connection script
        You can play back all your recorded actions, such as starting an application, the actions you perform, and stopping the application. There are several prerequisites to meet before you can reliably play back a script
        Programmatic screen scraping for Terminal-based applications
        With programmatic screen scraping, data verification is performed on arbitrary locations. Programmatic screen scraping is used to scrape a portion of the terminal screen to determine whether the text is displayed at the specified position of the screen. Also, programmatic scraping makes the playback process wait to allow the text to appear on the screen. APIs are developed to support this feature.
      - 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.
    - Troubleshooting issues
      You can find information about the issues or problems that you might encounter while you work in the Functional Test perspective of Rational® Functional Tester. You can also find the details about the causes and resolutions that you can apply to fix the issues.
  - 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.

Properties for verification points

When you create verification points, the Verification Point and Action Wizard - Perform an Action window displays only the properties that apply to the selected component.