Verification Point Editor

The Verification Point Editor lets you view and edit verification point data. You can open the Editor by double-clicking a verification point in the Script Explorer window. The Editor banner displays the name of your verification point.

You can specify color settings for several elements in the Verification Point Editor.

The following sections explain the parts of the Verification Point Editor window, and the toolbars.

Metadata

The metadata is displayed in the left pane of the window. It displays a set of properties that define how specific data is managed. This grid can be edited. For example, you can edit the 'ignore case' or 'white space rule' in a text verification point in this metadata grid. To edit, double-click the value in the Value column.

Main toolbar

The toolbar at the top of the Verification Point Editor has five buttons.

File: Save button File: Save -- Saves any edits you have made.

File: Revert button File: Revert -- Reverts to the state of the data at the last save you made. If you have not saved edits since opening the verification point, it will revert to the state it was in when opened. If you have done editing and made saves, it will revert to the state at your last Save.

File: Check Out button File: Check Out -- Checks out the verification point from ClearCase®. When the verification point is checked out, the File:Check Out button is available. When the verification point is not checked in, the File:Check Out button is not available.

Hide/Show TestObject Info button Hide/Show TestObject Info -- Toggles the display of the Test Objects and Recognition Data panes of the Editor window. When this information is hidden, the entire Editor window is used for the main data area. This is a sticky setting--the next time you open the Editor it will appear as you last set it. However, note that if your Test Objects tree has multiple nodes, the Verification Point Editor will show these panes again the next time you open it, regardless of this setting.

Update baseline button Replace Baseline -- Replaces the baseline image with a new image. The new image will become the baseline for future playbacks. The Verification Point and Action Wizard is invoked for recapturing the image verification point.

Help button Help -- Brings up the Help for the Verification Point Editor. You can open the Rational® Functional Tester help at any time from the Help menu in Rational® Functional Tester.

Menu bar

The menu bar contains the same commands that are represented with the toolbar buttons described in this topic.

File -- These are the same Save, Revert, Check Out, and Exit commands as the buttons listed above in the Main Toolbar section.

Edit -- These are the same commands as the buttons listed below in the Properties Verification Point section.

Test Object > Highlight -- If your test application is open, you can select an object in the Test Objects tree and then click this command to see the object highlighted in the application. Use this feature if you need to verify an object in the application.

Preferences > Toolbars -- Toolbars controls the display of the toolbars. Hides/Displays the File, Metadata and Help toolbars. Test Object Appearance on the Tree displays the Edit Test Object Description dialog box, which enables you to customize the text displayed for each object in the Test Object Hierarchy. Hide TestObject Info toggles the display of the Test Objects and Recognition Data panes of the Editor window.

Help -- Displays the Help for the Verification Point Editor. You can open the Rational® Functional Tester Help any time from the Help menu in Rational® Functional Tester.

Main data area

The right pane of the Verification Point Editor is where the verification point data is displayed. For example, in the case of a Properties verification point, the Property and Value columns are displayed here. This is where you edit the verification point data.

There are seven different types of displays you can get from recording verification points, as described in the following sections.

Properties Verification Point -- Grid Display

When you create a Properties verification point, the object properties are displayed in a grid format. See Creating a Properties Verification Point for information on recording it. The properties that are shown in the grid belong to the object that is highlighted in the Test Objects tree. The properties appear in the left column and their values appear in the right column. You can edit which properties get tested in the Property column by checking a check box for a property, and can edit the property values themselves in the Value column.

By default, all properties will appear with no checkmark, which means they will not be tested. Choose which properties you want to test by checking each of them. Checked properties will be tested each time you play back a script with this verification point. You can check all properties in the list by clicking the Check All toolbar button Check All button above the grid. Use the Uncheck All button Uncheck All button above the grid to clear all properties. Depending on how many properties you want to test, it is often easiest to either select or clear all of them using one of those buttons, and then individually select or clear exceptions. It's a good idea to just test the specific properties you are interested in when you use a Properties verification point.

The grid uses a nested tree hierarchy. If a folder shows up on the list, you can expand it by double-clicking on it or selecting the expand icon. If you select or clear the folder icon itself, all the properties underneath it will be tested or not tested.

To edit a value, double-click the grid cell. That cell will then be editable. Click outside the cell to make the edit take effect. In most cases double-clicking a value makes the cell an editable field, and you can just change the value. In some special cases, another dialog box comes up containing the information. For example, if the property is color, when you double-click the color value, the standard Color dialog box opens. Make your edit there and close the Color box. In other cases, a drop-down list may appear in the Value column when you double-click a value. For example, values that are either true or false will appear in a drop-down list. If the value is a string or a complex value type, you can right-click the value and select Open to display the value in a separate window, which enables you to see long lines of text and makes it easier to edit.

Note: You can change a property value to a regular expression or numeric range using the Verification Point Editor. For information, see Replacing an Exact-Match Property with a Pattern.

The grid has the following toolbar buttons for the Properties verification point display. These buttons act only on the currently displayed data.

Cut -- Cuts the selected property. It is placed on the Editor clipboard and can be pasted.

Copy -- Copies the selected property to the Editor clipboard.

Paste -- Pastes the cut or copied property. It will be inserted into the display in alphabetical order.

Delete -- Deletes the selected property. It will not be retained on the clipboard.

Case Sensitive Regular Expression Case Sensitive Regular Expression -- Toggles case-sensitive comparison on and off.

Convert Value to Regular Expression Convert Value to Regular Expression -- Converts the recognition property value in the Updated Test Object Properties grid to a regular expression. See Replacing an Exact-Match Property with a Pattern for more information.

Convert Value to Numeric Range Convert Value to Numeric Range -- Converts the recognition property value in the Updated Test Object Properties grid to a numeric range. See Replacing an Exact-Match Property with a Pattern for more information.

Evaluate Regular Expression Evaluate Regular Expression -- Displays the Regular Expression Evaluator, which enables you to test the regular expression before you try it in a verification point.

Convert Value to dataset Reference Convert Value to dataset Reference/ Undo dataset Reference Undo dataset Reference -- Uses a dataset reference to use a dataset instead of a literal value in a verification point. Cancels the dataset reference in the verification point. See About dataset References and Verification Points.

Check All button Check All -- Puts a checkmark in front of every property in the list. Checked properties will be tested each time you play back the script with this verification point.

Uncheck All button Uncheck All -- Clears the checkmark in front of every property in the list. Cleared properties will not be tested when you play back the script with this verification point.

Hide the Unchecked Properties/Show All Properties button Hide the Unchecked Properties/Show All Properties -- Click Hide the Unchecked Properties to hide the cleared properties. Then you will only see the properties that will be tested. Click Show All Properties to display all properties, including any cleared ones.

The grid has the following pop-up menu commands for the Properties verification point display. To access them, right-click a value in the Value column.

Open -- If the value is a string or a complex value type, this will display the value in a separate window, which enables you to see long lines of text and makes it easier to edit.

Case Sensitive Regular Expression Case Sensitive Regular Expression -- Toggles case-sensitive regular expression comparison on and off.

Evaluate Regular Expression Evaluate Regular Expression -- Displays the Regular Expression Evaluator, which enables you to test the regular expression before you try it in a verification point.

Convert Value to Regular Expression Convert Value to Regular Expression -- Converts the property value to a regular expression. See Replacing an Exact-Match Property with a Pattern for more information.

Undo/Redo Regular Expression Redo/Undo Regular Expression -- Redoes or cancels the regular expression conversion.

Convert Value to Numeric Range Convert Value to Numeric Range -- Converts the property value to a numeric range. See Replacing an Exact-Match Property with a Pattern for more information.

Convert Value to Numeric Range Undo Numeric Range -- Redoes or cancels the numeric range.

Convert Value to dataset Reference Convert Value to dataset Reference - - Uses a dataset reference to use a dataset instead of a literal value in a verification point.

Undo dataset Reference Undo dataset Reference -- Cancels the dataset reference in the verification point.

Data Verification Point--Menu Hierarchy Display

When you create a Data verification point and choose the Menu Hierarchy or Menu Hierarchy with Properties test, the menus are displayed in a tree format in the main data area (right pane). Menu Hierarchy and Menu Hierarchy with Properties are two examples. The list of tests shown in the Data Value field is dependent on information provided by the object's proxy. Values other than these two may be shown.

The tree will display the entire menu hierarchy of your application, or one top-level menu and its sub-items, depending on how you recorded the verification point. If you chose the whole menu bar, each top-level menu will be shown from top to bottom in the tree in the order they appear from left to right in the menu bar. Each individual menu item is shown under its top-level menu. Use the plus and minus signs to open and close the list for each top-level menu.

By default, all menu items will appear with a check mark, which means they will be tested. Checked items will be tested each time you play back a script with this verification point, and cleared items will not be tested. You can check all menu items by clicking the Check All toolbar button above the tree. Use the Uncheck All button to clear all items.

The Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete , Check All, and Uncheck All toolbar buttons above the tree apply to the selected menu item in the tree hierarchy, and are only applicable within the Verification Point Editor. (It does not use the system clipboard.)

Data Verification Point--Text Display

When you create a Data verification point and choose the Visible Text test, the text is displayed in a text box format in the main data area (right pane). Visible Text is one example. The list of tests shown in the Data Value field is dependent on information provided by the object's proxy. Values other than this one may be shown.

The text is displayed in a text box that can be used like a very basic text editor. You can type and edit directly in this text box. To edit the verification point data, make your edits to the text in this area.

Data Verification Point--Table Display

When you create a Data verification point and choose the Table Contents or Selected Table Cells test, the table data is displayed in a table in the main data area (right pane). Table Contents and Selected Table Cells are two examples. The list of tests shown in the Data Value field is dependent on information provided by the object's proxy. Values other than these may be shown.

The table displays the same information as the table in your application. To edit the verification point data, double-click any cell in the table to edit that cell.

The Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete toolbar buttons above the table area apply to the selected row(s), and are only applicable within the Verification Point Editor. (It does not use the system clipboard.)

You can right-click a table item to access a pop-up menu. The commands are the same as those listed above in the Properties Verification Point--Grid Display section.

Data Verification Point--Tree Hierarchy Display

When you do a Data verification point and choose the Tree Hierarchy or Selected Tree Hierarchy test, the data is displayed in a tree format in the main data area (right pane). Tree Hierarchy and Selected Tree Hierarchy are two examples. The list of tests shown in the Data Value field is dependent on information provided by the object's proxy. Values other than these two may be shown.

The Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete , Check All, and Uncheck All toolbar buttons above the tree apply to the selected item in the tree hierarchy, and are only applicable within the Verification Point Editor. (It does not use the system clipboard.)

Data Verification Point--List Display

When you create a Data verification point and choose the List Elements test, the data is displayed in a list format in the main data area (right pane). List Elements is one example. The list of tests shown in the Data Value field is dependent on information provided by the object's proxy. Values other than this one may be shown.

The toolbar buttons above the list are the same ones that are found in the object properties grid described above in the Properties Verification Point--Grid Display section. The buttons work the same as described there, except they apply to the selected list item(s). The Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete, Check All, and Uncheck All toolbar buttons are only applicable within the Verification Point Editor. (It does not use the system clipboard.) The Insert button is described above.

Data Verification Point--State Display

When you create a Data verification point and choose the CheckBox Button State or Toggle Button State test, the data is displayed in a list format in the main data area (right pane). CheckBox Button State or Toggle Button State are two examples. The list of tests shown in the Data Value field is dependent on information provided by the object's proxy. Values other than this one may be shown.

Test object data in the Verification point editor window

While inserting the verification points, if you have not checked the Record Test Object relative Verification Points option available in the General Recorder page of the Windows > Preferences window, you can view the following test object data in the Verification Point editor:
  • Test objects
  • Recognition and Administrative data

Test objects

This is the upper left pane of the Verification Point Editor window. It's a partial version of the script's object map. This hierarchical display includes only the objects in your verification point. You cannot edit the Test Objects tree. For a Properties verification point, you can choose an object within it and edit its properties in the properties list in the right pane.

You can double-click folders in the tree to expand and collapse the objects beneath them. Click an individual object in the tree to see its properties in the properties list.

The check boxes to the left of each node indicate whether that node will be tested or not. Checked items get tested.

Note: If your test application is open, you can select an object in the Test Objects tree and then click Test Object > Highlight or right-click an object and click Highlight from the Verification Point Editor menu to see the object highlighted in the application. Use this feature if you need to verify an object in the application.

Recognition and Administrative data

This is the lower left pane of the Editor window. The Recognition tab displays recognition data used by Rational® Functional Tester and is not editable. The Administrative tab displays internal administrative data of the object and is not editable. These properties are used to manage and describe the test object. Recognition and administrative data are the properties from the script's object map used to locate and manage this test object in the context of the associated script. You can use this information to figure out what test object this is in the associated application under test.

The MetaData tab displays a set of properties that define how specific data is managed. This grid can be edited. For example, you could edit the 'ignore case' or 'white space rule' in a text verification point in this metadata grid. To edit, double-click the value in the Value column.

The Recognition and Administrative properties are a snapshot of the object map properties for the test object at the time the verification point was created. They become historical information as the application evolves.