Functional Testing - Manual Testing Made Easy with Sprinter
03 January 2022
There are two basic functions of Sprinter — creating tests and running tests. Release 11.5 of Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) added a new Sprinter feature called Plan Mode. This exciting feature allows us to create tests directly in Sprinter as an alternative to using ALM’s Test Plan module for test creation.
When using Sprinter’s Plan Mode, we can either create a new test or open an existing test for editing. If version control is enabled in ALM, we can even check in tests. All of the basic functionalities that are available in ALM’s Test Plan module are also available in Sprinter’s Plan Mode.
There are several powerful functions we can use in Sprinter to create tests. Here are a few of them:
- We can use the Add drop-down button to insert a step either above or below a highlighted step. This helps to reduce the need for reordering of steps in ALM.
- We are able to cut or copy one or more steps.
- We can add attachments and screen captures.
Importing Steps
We even have the flexibility of importing steps from Excel or CSV files. However, there are some rules that must be followed. For example, you must make sure that items from a drop-down list in ALM are formatted in exactly the same format as the data in the Excel or CSV file. Also, you must ensure the column headers match the ALM field names.
Parameters
We even have the flexibility of importing steps from Excel or CSV files. However, there are some rules that must be followed. For example, you must make sure that items from a drop-down list in ALM are formatted in exactly the same format as the data in the Excel or CSV file. Also, you must ensure the column headers match the ALM field names.
Steps Capture
Using Sprinter to create a test case is similar to using ALM, with the exception of a few key features. One of these is Steps Capture. You can use the Sprinter Steps Capture feature to record what the tester is actually doing while navigating through the application under test (AUT) and then to record that captured information as part of the description for each step. This reduces the possibility of error and removes the burden of having to enter all of the test information into the description field for each step.
There is also support for options such as combining all of your user actions into one step, or doing just one action per step. This helps reduce the time needed to create a new tests and is also helpful for recording steps during Exploratory testing.
Keep in mind that a limitation of Steps Capture is that your test is actually being created against the application as opposed to the requirements. Keep this in mind when using Steps Capture, and try to construct your test so that it will exercise as many application requirements as possible.
Even with this limitation, Steps Capture is a feature that is useful to expand your regression suite or to find errors when testing time is very short and no formal testing can be done. Note also that Steps Capture records or captures the description for the steps that do not give expected results. So you will need to fill those out manually once you have completed your Steps Capture
Running a Test
The second major portion of Sprinter is the capability to run previously-saved tests. This is my personal preference when running manual tests, I prefer to use Sprinter instead of using the manual runner.
Sprinter actually has two different run modes ― Basic mode and Power mode. You have the ability to turn Power mode on or off, so that is how you indicate which mode you want to used. As you would expect, Power mode has all of the same features as basic mode plus many more.
When you run a test in Sprinter, it’s much like using the manual runner where you run each individual step and it passes or fails. You have the ability to log defects while you’re running a test and also take screenshot.
There is a display option called subtitles that provides a single transparent bar across the screen containing the description and the expected result for each step. I find this a little more efficient for running manual tests. So keep in mind that these things are available in Power mode too, but it also contains some nice additional features. Now, let’s talk about some of the great additional features for Power mode users.
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Running a Test - Power Mode
The first thing we can do is called defining the application. Once applications are defined, it is an easy process for Sprinter to launch the application for you. An application definition can be built manually, or you can use the Sprinter quick add function to build the definition for an application that is already running.
Sprinter will look at all the applications that are running on your machine and automatically add definitions for them, including all available information from the environment. This can then be used to launch the applications when you start to run a test in Power mode.
Power Mode - Data Injection
The second useful feature available in Power mode is called Data Injection. I find this to be a necessity when doing data entry testing because it eliminates repetitive typing and reduces human errors related to typing and copy-paste data entry.
To use Data Injection, you simply associate a specific data file with this test. The data file can be stored on your local machine or can (preferably) be stored in the ALM Resources module. It is important that the first row of the data file be the same as the target fields that will receive the data.
You can also use the data set properties and manage fields buttons to skip columns in the data set if there are too many. You also have the ability to rematch to specific fields if you lose data synchronization and the target field can no longer be determined. When you are running the test and you get to the place where you need Data Injection, you simply pull up and select the desired row from its tab and click the inject data button. Each item of selected data is then fed directly into the appropriate field. If any of the resulting fields are not as you desire, you can still overtype any of the injected data.
Power Mode - Macros
Power mode also supports the powerful feature of letting you create your own macros. If you have ever used a macro in Excel or other applications, this works in a similar way. It simply records user actions and will then replay them when requested.
I find this useful for precondition and navigation steps during testing. For example, many tests assume that you are already logged into an application before doing the action that needs to be tested. You can do this by doing a call to test within your test or by using the login test in the test set. Either way you choose, you will be actually running the login test, which means you're going to be giving a pass/fail to that login test that really has nothing to do with the test case.
But macros give us the ability to perform the login without actually testing it. The first time you run the test you can record/ capture the keystrokes into a macro. The macro is then available the next time testing needs to be done.
But be aware that the macro will not pass or fail the test. If the macro doesn’t work correctly, you will still have to do those steps manually. Macros are a useful shortcut that I use a lot, but you need to remember they have no pass/fail effect. You need to be sure that those actions for which you have recorded a macro have already been tested.
Power Mode - Scanners
For those of you doing web testing, Sprinter has some useful scanners that are available in Power mode. There are four default scans:
- The spell check scan tests a webpage for any spelling errors. You can define both a primary language and a secondary language, and both will be used to check the page. For example, you could check both English and Spanish text on the same page.
- The broken links scan tests all detected hypertext links to make sure they all work. A timeout option is also supported.
- The web standards scan tests the webpage to make sure it follows W3C standards. You can configure some exclusion conditions if needed
- The localization scan examines the text on the page and identifies any display problems that may occur when the page is translated into another language. For example, if I have a webpage that is written in English but translated to Spanish, are there any buttons where the text would become too long to actually be displayed on the button? These errors are difficult to find during testing, but they can quickly be identified using the localization scan.
Power Mode - Mirroring
The final feature that I would like to cover is called mirroring ― a feature that will save you hours of time while doing compatibility testing. When running a test with mirroring active, you can run the test on a primary and secondary machine(s) simultaneously. Sprinter will run the test on both machines at the same time, and report both results.
For example, my primary machine may be running Firefox under Windows 7, while a secondary machine is running Chrome under Windows 8. Mirroring allows me to run my test on both machines simultaneously so that I can do my compatibility testing. Note that you Sprinter must be installed on both machines.
In summary, Sprinter has truly evolved into a wonderful complementary tool to ALM. We now have the ability to create test cases using Sprinter using either Steps Capture or a manual step-by -step like we do using ALM. When running tests through Sprinter we have both a Basic mode and a Power mode available. Power mode gives us additional features that make testing easier and more effective.