Interactive

Screen capture

Captures screen images, both those sent by the host, and the data entered by the user, and stores them in a data base file for later replay. The device used for capturing the images may be any device that can be attached to an AS/400.

Screen Replay

Once a test script sequence has been recorded, it may by replayed at ant time, usually as a batch job. As screens are replayed, they are compared to the original to ensure that the test is proceeding successfully.

Image check

Areas of a screen may be masked from compare

Field display attributes, eg: reverse image, highlight, may be either included or excluded in the replay screen comparison.

Volumn testing

As many replay tests may be run simultaneously as required, as no real display devices are required. Thus volumn testing and performance testing may also be automated. The tests being replayed may be any combination of previously recorded tests, allowing the impact and interaction between different modules or applications to be observed in a controlled environment.

Midnight shift

Another advantage of not requiring a physical device for test runs is that they may be scheduled to run out of hours, leaving machine resources available during prime time, and there is no potential security risk because, no devices need be left switched on or logged on.

Editing images

Test screen images and associated responses may be modified. Responses may also include special values such as the current date, or x days from the current date. The AID or function key sent with the response may also be modified.

User Variables

'User variables' may also be defined and used in the response data and screen masking. A user variable may be loaded from any location on one screen, and then used on subsequent screens, or in other test runs. When the nominated screen is displayed during test replay, the contents of the specified location are copied into the user variable. The value of the user variable is kept from one test run to another, so a captured value may be used in subsequent test runs. User variable values may also be set manually via a CL command, thus allowing a value to be calculated by a user written program and loaded into the user variable prior to running a test case.