Self-healing scripts for browser applications

***Original Update 2006: all TestWEB technology has been integrated into a new product called TestDrive-Gold***

TestWEB from Original Software offers browser scripts that can update themselves

Original Software, creators of some of the world’s most widely-used and innovative software testing solutions, have announced another major technological breakthrough in the software testing arena – Self-Healing Script technology for browser applications. This new technology means that, for the first time, existing scripts for websites and browser-based applications can be run over updated versions without the need for tedious and time-consuming script maintenance.

Application Security and Quality

Browser applications, by their nature, are the ones that need testing the most. They are usually a company’s most visible, widely-used and potentially most vulnerable applications. Development is continually driven by the pressure to deliver business advantage at the earliest opportunity, and with fewer resources. This usually means that testing is reduced to no more than top-level stress testing of web-enabled applications, rather than the detailed and aggressive functional testing that is actually required. This puts system quality, stability and sometimes security at great risk of failure - and in front of a company’s largest and least forgiving audience.

TestWEB is designed to deliver powerful, quick and easy to use testing of web sites and browser applications. It is founded upon a ‘code-free’ approach to testing that eliminates the need to use a scripting language. This makes web testing much faster and much more accessible, but without compromising on the power and the level of penetration of the testing. Now the productivity pay-off has been pushed even higher, with the introduction of Self-healing scripts.

Self Healing Scripts

Websites and browser applications, probably more than any other application type, are prone to ongoing changes and updates. Manual script maintenance is probably the biggest pain facing testers. It is tedious, time-consuming, unproductive, and a primary reason why most test projects - and test tools – ultimately fail.

Self-healing scripts in version 2.6 of TestWEB automates the process of script updating, through the use of an algorithm that can spot when elements in a page or script have been added or removed – including entire pages. The user can then have these changes automatically incorporated into an updated version of the script, or choose to intervene in the updating and overwriting process according to their own preset criteria. Elements that have been moved on a page are simply remapped to their new location (as long as their properties have not substantially changed.

‘Code-free’ testing

Colin Armitage, CEO of Original Software, says: “Self-healing scripts have been available in some of our other testing products for some time now. To make this technology available in TestWEB has been a prime objective and is extremely valuable addition to web testing capability. We can already state with pride that TestWEB can test just about any website or browser application ‘out-of-the-box’. Self-healing script technology directly addresses the biggest question posed by clients to testing tools vendors – how does your solution cope when our application changes?

“Not only does this represent a major advancement in terms of productivity. Thanks to our ‘code-free’ testing policy, perhaps the most significant factor is that all of this is possible without the user ever having to resort to using a scripting language.”

TestWEB is unique in its ability to work on a number of levels, from ‘traditional’ stand-alone PC-based browser testing, to complete testing of back-end server activity on the IBM iSeries. TestWEB is also compatible with IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server and Access databases: this enables central storage of test scripts, data documentation and results on these platforms, making testing resources much more widely available.

TestWEB version 2.6 with self-healing scripts is available immediately from Original Software, with pricing calculated on a per-concurrent-user basis.

According to Doug Fulmer, Worldwide Sales Executive for the IBM iSeries e-Business Infrastructure, “One of the key areas for improvement in development shops as reflected in the IBM Developer Road Map is improving developer productivity. Clearly automated testing tools like TestDrive-Gold for Domino applications are on exactly the right path. It frees up valuable developer resource to do their main job - solving the company's business problems using I/T.”

Original Software has set out to prove its point and is hosting live webinar demonstrations. To book a place on one of these webinars call (630) 321-0092 in the US. or +44 (0)1256 338666 in the UK. You can also email requests to solutions@origsoft.com