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Rational® Functional Tester
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.
Configuration of test runs from the Functional Test perspective
When you created functional tests, you must configure the run of the recorded functional tests from the Functional Test perspective before you can view the test results.
Script Playback
When you play back a script, Rational® Functional Tester replays your recorded actions, which automates the software testing cycle.

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.
- 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.
  - Configuration of test runs from the UI Test perspective
    When you create Web UI, mobile, or Windows tests, you must configure the play back of the recorded tests as test runs from the UI Test perspective before you can view their test results.
  - Configuration of test runs from the Functional Test perspective
    When you created functional tests, you must configure the run of the recorded functional tests from the Functional Test perspective before you can view the test results.
    - Script Playback
      When you play back a script, Rational® Functional Tester replays your recorded actions, which automates the software testing cycle.
      - Test development phase
        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 of the application.
      - Regression testing phase
        When you have a baseline of expected behavior for your application-under-test, you can automate regression testing for subsequent builds.
    - Restoring the test environment before playback
      The state of both the environment and the application-under-test can affect script playback. If the recorded environment and the playback environment are different, playback problems can occur.
    - Configuring how to handle unexpected windows during playback
      Problems can occur during script playback if unexpected windows are displayed. Unexpected windows such as security and warning message dialog boxes or custom dialog boxes can cause playback failure with exceptions such as object not found or window not activated. You can configure how unexpected windows can be handled so that scripts can be played back smoothly without interruption.
    - Inserting dynamic test objects
      You can also insert dynamic test objects by using Insert Dynamic Test Object. The hierarchy of a test object in the object map represents the order of search of the particular control during playback. Over a series of application changes, the hierarchy of the objects may change if new objects are introduced in the test application. This results in a playback failure. Using dynamic test objects you can anchor a test object as a descendant to its parent.
    - Enabling the dynamic find feature
      The test object map lists in a hierarchy the test objects in the application under test. Changes to the application-under-test might result in changes in the object hierarchy. During playback, Rational® Functional Tester is then unable to find an object whose hierarchical position has changed, and this causes playback failure. With the dynamic find feature you can prevent playback failure that results from hierarchy changes in the application under test. The dynamic find feature performs searches for objects whose hierarchy has changed, when a search that is based on object recognition scoring (ScriptAssure) fails to find such objects.
    - Enabling the dynamic find feature in the Visual Studio IDE
      The Rational® Functional Tester test object map lists the test objects in the application under test, in a hierarchy. Changes to the application under test might result in changes in object hierarchy. During playback, Rational Functional Tester is unable to find an object whose hierarchical position has changed, and this causes playback failure. With the dynamic find feature, you can prevent playback failure that results from hierarchy changes in the application under test. The dynamic find feature performs searches for objects whose hierarchy has changed when a search based on object recognition scoring (ScriptAssure) fails to find such objects.
    - Using ScriptAssure
      Using ScriptAssure™, you can play back scripts successfully even when the application-under-test has been updated.
    - Ambiguous object recognition in functional testing
      Ambiguous recognition occurs when Rational® Functional Tester can not uniquely identify an object in the system-under-test. This commonly happens when Rational Functional Tester cannot differentiate between an instance of the application-under-test started by a script playback and an instance of the same application inadvertently left open previous to script playback. This also applies to identical windows from one application and identical HTML documents. Ambiguous recognition will cause script playback failure unless the duplicate application is closed.
    - Playback Monitor
      During playback you can view the script name, the number of the line that is executing, status icons, and a description of the action in progress from the Playback Monitor.
    - Pausing or stopping script playback
      Playback of a script can be paused or stopped.
    - Running scripts from Rational® Functional Tester
      You can run scripts from Rational® Functional Tester so that all of your recorded actions are played back. The recorded actions include the actions that you performed to start and stop an application, add verification points, and any other actions that you performed while using the application.
    - Playback of test scripts for HTML applications by using the Web UI engine
      You can play back test scripts for HTML applications in web browsers by using the Web UI engine without enabling the Java environments and browsers.
    - Running a script from the Microsoft™ Edge browser
      You can use IBM® Rational® Functional Tester to play back test scripts using the Microsoft™ Edge browser.
    - Debugging scripts
      You can use the same process to debug a Functional Test script as you would to debug other Visual Basic or Java™ applications. If you prefer, in Rational® Functional Tester, Eclipse Integration, you can debug your script in the Rational Functional Tester Debug Perspective which makes it easier to start the debugger that comes with the Java Development Toolkit.
    - Screen snapshot on playback failure of functional tests
      If playback of a script causes an exception to be thrown, Rational® Functional Tester takes a screen snapshot at the time of the failure. The screen snapshot is accessible through the log.
- 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.

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.