Script Playback

When you play back a script, Rational® Functional Tester replays your recorded actions, which automates the software testing cycle.

Such automation allows you to test each new build of your application faster and more thoroughly than by manual testing, reducing testing time and increasing both coverage and overall consistency.

There are two general phases of script playback:

In the Test Development Phase you play back scripts to verify that they work as intended, using the same version of the application-under-test that you used to record. This phase validates the expected behavior for the application.

In the Regression Testing Phase you play back scripts to compare the latest build of the application to the baseline established during the test development phase. Regression testing identifies differences that may have been introduced since the last build. You can evaluate these differences to determine whether they are defects or changes.

Note:

You can run a script for these purposes:

  • To play back a script locally from Rational® Functional Tester or from Engineering Test Management.
  • To play back a script remotely on different computers and platforms from Engineering Test Management.
  • To play back a script to verify that it works on different Java environments or browsers.
  • To debug a script.
Note: The license validation also happens during the functional test script playback. If you are using floating or token licenses, ensure that the required licenses to work with Rational® Functional Tester is available.

You can use Rational® Functional Tester plug-in for UrbanCode Deploy to continuously initiate the launch of functional tests. For more information see: UrbanCode: Running functional tests. Also, while running test scripts through command-line or through UrbanCode Deploy, you must ensure that at any given time, only a single playback process runs on the machine hosting Rational® Functional Tester.

If the recording was performed in one document mode on Internet Explorer, the play back needs to be done on the same document mode in Internet Explorer. Using different document modes may render the controls differently and playback may vary.