Visual Test

Visual Test started as MS-Test from Microsoft. It was method for Microsoft to automate some of the testing of its applications. At the time Microsoft was looking to start a another revolution in the personal computer world with the release of Windows.

This tool was to advance the process of testing window applications beyond the point and click of objects on windows. This was initial done with the Windows tool: Recorder. It achieved this by combining a Windows development language Basic with a testing oriented API. MS-Test had its initial release at the beginning of 1992.

As a Microsoft language, tests known as scripts were written in Test Basic, a form of the Basic language. The API was predominately wrappers around Windows API functions.

While test scripts could be created with capture/replay, its dominant strength was that scripts could be coded and compiled. Either an individual script could be run, or a group of them run in sequence by a test driver.

As with any tool new capabilities were added over time. In 1992 new DLLs were added to provide support for testing 1) DOS VM 2) DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) 3) The ability to run scripts remotely on other PCs of a local LAN. 4) An enhanced test driver

Among the innovations for the test driver was the ability to customize the batch execution with the inclusion of custom designed dialog boxes and menus. These were built with the User Interface Editor.

In 1994 MS-Test as Version 3.0 advanced from the 16-bit world to the 32-bit. Version 2.0 in 1993 had provided support for Windows 3.1.

With Version 4.0 in 1995 it was hosted within an encompassing environment, Visual Studio and became known as Visual Test. It was able to support the testing of the new application control that arrived with Windows '95 and NT. Interestingly the other development language, Visual Basic remained hosted within it own separate development environment. With its inclusion in Visual Studio, versioning of scripts could be maintained with the other Studio tool, Visual Source Safe. In an update, 4.0r, the ability to access its capabilities from Visual Basic and C++, lost with 4.0, was regained.

Included with Visual Test were a great suite of demonstrating the range of capabilities of the product. 1) Play the minesweeper game on its own. 2) Play solitare 3) a sample screensaver and others.

As 4.0r was being released the Rational negotiated its purchase from Microsoft. Version 6 (5 as skipped) from Rational incorporated support for a Microsoft technology, MSAA (Microsoft Active Accessibility). A more visual enhancement for this version was support for HTML and Web pages.

At Rational, Visual Test became exposed to the other tools offered: Purify, Quantify and ClearCase. A version was was ported to support Unix for the Sparc.

In 1998, version 6.0 provided support for Windows 98 and NT 5.0. It was now hosted in the Microsoft Developer Studio and gained the ability to read and change the Registry. Rational remained committed to fully support Visual Test through 2002. The 103 Technotes that were provided as part of the support from Rational, remain available in 2006 from IBM, which previously acquired Rational.

While Visual Test always retained the $795 price for the ability to develope scripts, it offered the free and unlimited redistribution of compiled scripts.

The ability to use OLE Automation allowed enterprising inviduals to expand beyond the basic functional testing into load testing. A script could create 10's of browsers, drive them, feed them with data, collect statistics and monitor the state of the test.

References: Visual Test 6.0 Bible, Thomas Arnold II of ST Labs and Microsoft

Acknowledgements: Richard Wartner for his suppport of users to the Eskimo listserver discussion group.

--BUPHAGUS55 14:13, 23 March 2006 (UTC)WCL