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.
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.
Configuring basic connection properties
You can configure the basic connection properties such as host, terminal type, port, code page, and screen size.

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.
    - Functional test assets
      This section describes the different types of functional test assets that are available in Rational® Functional Tester.
    - Working with functional test scripts (Windows-only)
      This section describes the process of creating functional test scripts to test your applications.
    - Verification points
      Verification points verify whether an expected behavior occurred during a test playback, or they verify whether there is a change in the state of a control or an object. When you create a verification point, you capture information about a control or an object in the application to establish this information as a baseline for comparison during the playback.
    - Driving functional tests with external data
      This section describes techniques you can use to data-drive functional tests with external data.
    - 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.
      - 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.
        Configuring basic connection properties
        You can configure the basic connection properties such as host, terminal type, port, code page, and screen size.
        Screen size options
        You can change the size of the screen to have different numbers of lines and columns, depending on the host system. More lines and columns provides more data on each screen, while fewer lines and columns can be easy to read.
        Code page options
        A code page is a particular assignment of code points to graphic characters. Make sure the code page that is used to connect to the host is supported by the host system, and is the one you want to use. The table contains code page options by language and by country/region.
        Remapping keyboard
        You can remap a key or a combination of keys to a character or host function using the Keyboard Remap window. You can save your keyboard remapping to a file and load it to use later. You can also turn off key repetition when a key is held down.
        Remapping session screen colors
        You can remap the colors of your host session. Color remapping does not persist for subsequent host sessions.
        Sending files from workstation to a host system (3270 host sessions only)
        You can send files from a workstation to a host. File transfer is available only for 3270 and 3270E sessions.
        Retrieving files from a host system to the workstation (3270 host sessions only)
        You can retrieve files from a host system to the workstation. File transfer is available only for 3270 and 3270E sessions.
        Connecting to a virtual terminal (UNIX) session
        The host terminal panel shows the default values for a TN3270 terminal connection when you launch Extension for Terminal-based Applications. You can also connect to a VT (UNIX) session.
        Extension for Terminal-based Applications preferences
        You can set the synchronization settings using Extension for Terminal-based Applications Preferences window.
        Advanced Connection Settings window
        You can configure the basic settings and advanced settings using Advanced Connection Settings window.
    - 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.
  - Extending the functionality in the Visual Studio IDE
    These topics describe various ways that you can customize Rational® Functional Tester or use the application programming interface (API) to extend Rational Functional Tester functionality.
  - 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.

Configuring basic connection properties

You can configure the basic connection properties such as host, terminal type, port, code page, and screen size.

Procedure

From the toolbar, click icon to open a connection properties file, and select a connection configuration (.comm) file to connect to the host.
Type the name or IP address of the host computer.
Configure the terminal type:
1. Select the type of terminal emulation connection to use: TN3270, TN3270E, TN5250, VT default, VT100, VT420-7, VT420-8 or VT UTF8.
  TN3270 terminal emulation provides connections to an IBM zSeries® (System 390) host. TN5250 terminal emulation typically provides connections to an iSeries™ (AS/400®) host. VT terminal emulation provides connections to a UNIX-like system. The default is TN3270.
  Note: Communications Server for z/OS® 1.2 and later introduced a new function called contention resolution. This new function on the client side was introduced in Host On-Demand 7.0.2. If you do not have the latest maintenance levels for Communications Server for z/OS, you might experience COMM655 errors or other endless loop conditions when you try to connect to a z/OS host. The default setting for the HOD layer is to request RFC 2355 Contention Resolution. If you experience such problems, configure the HOD layer so that it does not request RFC 2355 Contention Resolution.
2. Optional: Click Advanced to change the contention resolution setting. Scroll down the properties in the Configure optional advanced settings list. Change the setting of negotiateCResolution to false. This applies to the TN3270E terminal only.
3. Type the name of the specific Workstation ID on the host. This field is available only if you are using TN5250 terminal emulation.
  Leave this field blank if you are not sure about the Workstation ID to connect to.
4. Type the name of the specific logical unit (LU) or LU pool on the host. This field is available only if you are using TN3270 Enhanced (TN3270E) terminal emulation.
  Leave this field blank if you are not sure about the LU to connect.
Type the port number on which the host is configured.
Select the code page that corresponds to the language that you are using. The default is 037 - United States.
Select the number of horizontal and vertical characters that can be displayed in the screen size. The default is 24x80.