Citrix test editor overview

With the test editor, you can inspect or customize a test that you recorded.

The test editor lists the window events for a test, in sequential order. New windows are displayed in bold. The Windows™ operating system assigns each window an ID number. This number changes on each execution of the test, but usually remains the same within the test, providing a means of identifying each window object.

Note: In some cases, the operating system recycles destroyed window IDs. The test recorder identifies these properly by appending an extra number at the end of the window ID if necessary.

There are two main areas in the test editor window. The area on the left, Test Contents, displays the chronological sequence of events in the test. The area on the right, Test Element Details, displays details about the currently selected item (window, mouse event, key event, or screen capture) in the test hierarchy. The Common Options and Citrix Options apply to the entire test.

Under the test is the Citrix session, which contains information about the connection and Citrix XenApp client options, such as color depth and resolution.

Window events are the primary test elements in a Citrix test and represent graphic objects that are drawn by the Citrix server, such as actual window, dialog boxes, menus, or tooltips. A Window event is recorded each time a window is created, destroyed, moved, or resized. The first occurrence of a window, a create window event, is displayed in bold. Window objects are typically identified by their title. If there is no window title, for example on menus or tooltips, then the test editor uses the window ID number.

Inside windows, you see a list of events for the window, such as create window events, screen captures, mouse or key board actions.

Some actions contain data that is highlighted. This highlighting indicates that the data contains one or both of the following types of information:

A dataset candidate: This is a value, usually one specified by the tester during recording, that the test generator determined is likely to be replaced by values in a dataset. An example of a dataset candidate is a string that you search for in a recorded test. The string is highlighted as a dataset candidate on the assumption that, before running the test, you might want to associate the string with a dataset column containing appropriate substitute values.
References: These are values in a test, usually one of them in a response and the other in a subsequent request, that the test generator determined needed to be associated in order to ensure correct test execution. An example is a photograph returned to the browser by a test that searches an employee database. The test generator automatically correlates employee names with photographs. Suppose that, before running the test with many virtual users, you replace the employee name searched for in the recorded test with names in a dataset. Because the test correlates the data, each virtual user searches for a different employee, and the server returns an appropriate photograph.

To see an illustration of color coding in performance tests, click Window > Preferences > Test > Test Editor, and then click the Fonts and Colors tab.

Click Add to add elements to the selected test element. Alternatively, you can right-click a test element and select an action from a menu.

The choices that you see depend on what you have selected. For example, inside a window, you can add a mouse action or a text input. The Insert button works similarly. Use it to insert an element before the selected element. The Remove button allows you to delete an item.

Note: Because Citrix performance tests rely on low level interaction with the server, manually changing test elements is likely to break a recorded test.