Asp.net unit tests with nunit - config file

I have been trying to get more into testing lately. I work for a company that isn't really a development shop and I have never been exposed to proper testing methods in real life. So it has been up to me and my teammates to get a test environment setup and working without running up a huge bill.

We started with AutomatedQA's TestComplete product, which is very nice and helps us automate the macro type tasks.

I recently discovered that Visual Studio has builtin support for auto generating a good portion of Unit tests. Unfortunately the MSTest.exe file isn't stand alone. Since we really don't want to buy another license just to run unit tests I decided to check out NUnit which seemed to advertise exactly what we needed.

After a bit of work and learning I got some basic unit tests passing in NUnit. Then I tried to create tests for some of our database method calls. That's when things started blowing up. The error seemed to stem from the methods being unable to find the web.config file.

Reading around a little it looks like since I was running things in NUnit .NET wasn't looking for a config file with the name web.config. After taking half a dozen incorrect guesses based on various blog posts, I grabbed the good old tool File Monitor from sysinternals.com

I used that to figure out that it was looking for a file called unittests.config. I made a copy of my web.config file, renamed it to the desired name, and placed it in the folder where the nunit process was looking.

Now things are working much better, I still have a few bugs to workout, but I am no longer getting the config file error.

As a side note, in the NUnit GUI, under the Project/Edit menu item there is a configuration setting called "Configuration File Name" set to unittests.config. I have a strong hunch that setting controls the name of the file it is looking for. I did try and play with that setting earlier, however nunit kept throwing errors since the file didn't exist so I gave up; might have to look into it again.

ClassNotes_2008-11-17

Test Complete – Training Notes

Quick Info

The trainer had trouble deviating from his lecture path so most questions
were put off.

The web wireless login was:
User: AutoQA
Pass: AutoQA

January
15 a new indepth TC book is being released. The instructor promised
me a paperback copy, but didn’t write it down so I doubt he
will remember. I would like a copy of this book when it comes out.
An advanced class is also starting up about this time as well.

Error count comparisons:

- Vista shipped with 73 thousand known bugs.
- the current release of the Mac OS shipped with 25 thousand known
errors.
- NT4 shipped with 120 thousand known errors.

Sqaforums.com is a great reference for the test complete software, probably better
than aqa’s site itself. Sqaforums is monitored by aqa staff.

Testcompletetv is a website that has short video tutorials covering various things
in test complete.

Test Complete

• It would be a good idea to start off with simple and small tests and
  slowly add features keeping individual tests and functions simple.
• Absolutely everything you can do in the GUI can be done in code.
• Smoke Tests are brief tests to make sure the build is not DOA (Dead On
  Arrival).
• Code Explorer whos stats on code, it also gives a list of functions in
  each unit.
• Shortcuts:
  -
  Ctrl + Shift + # = bookmark code lines.
  - Ctrl + # = goto
  bookmark.
  - Shift + F2 = kills/stops TC during a run.
  - Ctrl +
  Shift + Space = brings up the parameter completion prompt.
  -
  Click on keyword and press F1 = go to documentation for the
  keyword.
  - Ctrl + J = brings up the available templates for
  insertion
• Object Explorer:
  - has a blue arrow next to properties if the attribute is read only.
  - right click on ‘sys’ to get “object properties”.
  - target icon means probable open application.
• Object Browser:
  - the occasional params button allows us to get values for various index’s inside the object.
  - name mapping is reached by right clicking on an object.
• Process Explorer: right click to filter visible processes.
• Settings:
  - Log file path, default project properties – all.
  - Tested apps list, allows you to set the number of instances of a tested app
  that are allowed to run before reusing an instance. Default is 1.
  - Docking, the default can be restored if too many windows get messed
  up or closed.
• Project level variables save their state to an xml file to maintain between
  runs or even system reboots. They are the only communication that
  projects can have between each other in a project suite.
• Jscript is the most powerful and easy to use language in TC.
• C# script is a subset of Jscript
• DelphiScript is what TC is written in and pretty powerful too.
• VBScript is almost has powerful as Jscript, just a few limitations.
• Name mapping:
  - a very powerful concept for controls whose nesting
  level/ path changes, but currently a very brittle implementation.
  - to modify mapping layers, make sure the code is using Aliases, then
  delete the named mapping and recreate the correct mapping making
  sure to recreate the same Aliases that were in use before.
• Wait(ing) for methods wait for an object to terminate.
• Log:
  - Lock Event, set to true to remove events from the log. If test
  errors out then last 20 or so events are put back into the log.
  - Log.Picture takes a window handle ( not a process handle ) and
  stores a picture in the log. Most of the time it can simply be
  passed an object and it will take a picture of just that object.
  - Log.AppendFolder puts a ‘+’ sign in the Log.
  Log.PopLogFolder bring the logging back up a level outside of a ‘+’
  sign.
• CPU will skip any waits or events that take less than 16ms to run. This
  is a hardware issue, not a TC feature.
• Missing Images on a webpage can be found in IE using Image Find to find the
  red X of a missing img. The red X will need to be stored in the
  image stores first. This won’t work with firefox since it
  doesn’t display red X’s. A different image will need to
  be stored for different versions of IE since they don’t likely
  use the same image.
• Object Compare, compares multiple values and keeps a copy of the object in
  the project stores. Another advantage of this is the error messages
  will tell you what is wrong as well as the incorrect and correct
  values. Only worth using for complex comparisons.
• Unit Testing:
  - in TC create a new MSTest and load the dll path, leave
  the path to a shared location so it doesn’t need to be
  reloaded in TC with each build. Make sure that all the dll’s
  the test dll references are available either in the GAC or in the
  dll’s folder.
  - NUnit works the same as MSTest, it just
  requires that NUnit be installed on the machine and that tests
  implements the NUnit framework rather than the MS testing framework.
  A little more work from a testing perspective since the code isn’t
  autogenerated by visual studio correctly, but MSTest isn’t
  stand alone so if the test isn’t being run locally, then
  visual studio needs to be loaded on the testing machine.
• Unexpected windows:
  - automatic handling only works on modal windows (
  windows that deny access to where TC is trying to get ).
  - TC will press the default button after 10 seconds, then press Esc after
  10 more seconds, then Kill window after 10 more seconds.
  - settings and times can be changed both in code and in the project
  options area.
• MAPI.SendMail can be used in the error even t handler to send immediate
  notifications of errors to an email, rather than waiting until the
  test has completed before finding out what went wrong. Good for
  really long running tests.
• TC Engine can be used inside of .NET if you want to integrate it into
  your application.
• Builtin.RebootAndContinue
  will reboot the machine the test is running on and start the test
  back up when the machine comes backup. Application variables will
  need to be used to make sure the test starts back up at the correct
  place.
• Web accessibility checkpoint checks a webpage for compliance of various
  things, including government compliance which is very strict. (e.g.
  alt tag, working links, etc…)
• IEFrame(x), the x is the index of the tabs of a browser. Good idea to keep all
  tests written against the first tab so issues don’t come into
  play of the tab disappearing or causing other tabs to crash.
• NativeWebObject.Find only works on valid html tags and attributes. It won’t parse
  custom tags ( that might be used for CSS ) and recognize them as
  anything other than pure text.
• “Web testing, quick tips” in the help index is a nice place to get
  a quick overview of a bunch of items that can help when performing
  webtesting. It’s the only copy of this list.
• Web Services:
  - TC can build a test for a web service from a WSDL. It
  creates the object and some dummy data so the framework is auto
  generated for you.
  - Web service checkpoint, allows you to test a
  specific method in a WSDL. While the returning object is created by
  TC, the data in the object needs to be either specified or loaded in
  code from a data store.
  - Set a variable equal to a WSDL call and
  it will be set to the return value. If the return value exists and
  is an object then intellisense will function.- be sure to check if exists on calls to make sure the web service call worked.
• Load Testing:
  - By default .NET will turn off caching of things like
  javascript when compiled in Debug mode.
  - If perfect performance
  tests of cached javascript are required then the assembly will need
  to be compiled in release mode.
  - remote agent, can send requests
  through other machines for load testing. Add the other machines ip
  address under the Stations list to facilitate this.
  - the remote
  agent can also simulate requests from all sorts of browsers at
  almost any given connection speed. Not a replacement for actual
  testing on a given device though.
  - remote agent and test execute
  can be run on the same machine at the same time, so it is possible
  to have a machine executing tests at the same time it is being used
  as a node for a load test.
• Distributed Testing:
  - for windows applications uses the “network
  testing” area of TC.
  - When adding a new project task, the
  “path” is the location of the project file (.mds) on the
  destination ( not host ) machine. The “test” option is
  the name of the function to run, by default it is ‘main’
  ( or whatever is set as the default in the project ).
  - you can
  ‘verify’ both hosts and tasks to be sure they exist and
  are available and correct before starting the test. This helps to
  be sure that the basic stuff is covered so you don’t get
  things erroring out before the test even starts.
  - distributed
  testing uses port 9090.
• TC 6.5 fixed the issue of not supporting Order By and Where clauses in
  query design view. Before it would erase them if you added them
  after the fact then opened up the design window.
• The only way to use shared connection strings for dbtables is to put one
  in code then in code set all the dbtables connection strings.
  
  
• Code Editor, can be accessed through the code templates in the project
  options. It allows you to write code snippets for reuse later. Put
  a Pipe where you want the cursor to be placed when the snippet is
  inserted.

Questions:

• Q:
  The testing tool doesn’t allow more than one instance of
  itself to run on the machine making it difficult to use code between
  the Dev and Prod test environments we have setup.
  A: TC is a COM
  server which is the main reason why multiple instances can’t
  run. Try using project level variables ( whose values can be passed
  via command line if desired ) to determine if the test is running in
  Prod or Dev.
  #ifdef Prod
• Q:
  When viewing logs with IE and test execute my log files are
  frequently so big that it hangs the browser. Can I set it so it
  only shows errors on initial open?
  A: javascript isn’t very
  involved in the rendering of this page, it is all XML and XSL. Try
  using an XML/XSL reader instead of IE. Opening a different app for
  log reading isn’t possible in Test execute, but IE can be
  turned off from displaying when the test is done.
• Q:
  What is the point of locking events if you still get a “Locked
  events” drilldown line in the log?
  A: Locking events does
  remove them unless an error occurs, then it shows the last 20 or so.
• Q:
  Intellisense seems to barely function at best in C#, are the other
  languages better?
  A: Intellisense doen’t work on variants,
  a specific object must be declared.
• Q:
  Using Excel to drive tests is kind of cumbersome and unusual at
  times. Is there an easy way of simply opening the file and looping
  through the data?
  A: DDT.CurrentDriver.Next in a loop or assigned
  variable.Next allows for a single pass through the file. Closing and
  reopening the connection allows for multiple passes.
• Q:
  Can you move to the first record to start a manual loop over without
  closing down the connection?
  A: No, currently there is no
  movefirst method and no plan to add one.
• Q:
  You can have dbtables either compare themselves or update themselves
  using the “Compare” method. But what if you want to do
  one of the other at the dbtable level rather than the project suite
  level?
  A: It’s an all or nothing approach. If you need to
  loop through a current data table it might be a better option to use
  DDT.ADODriver.
• Q:
  Is there a way to set the macro recorder so it records slower yet
  more robust script by using search and find functions rather than
  pathing everything out?
  A: No, but try named mapping, it will
  allow for faster code and simple remapping even if it isn’t
  quite as robust as find.
• Q:
  “Keys” doesn’t seem to support any keys that
  aren’t on the standard English keyboard. Why since they are
  just other ASCII symbols?
  A: x
• Q:
  I haven’t tried all the ADO query types, but CreateADOQuery()
  doesn’t seem capable of simply executing a statement without
  returning a resultset, it errors out; why?
  A: Use the straight
  ADO driver with ExecuteNonScalar. TC implements most of the data
  connection options that .NET does so if something is available in
  .NET it probably will be in TC.
• Q:
  The exception object doesn’t seem to have more than a basic
  description of an error. Am I missing something ( line number, code
  snippet, etc. ) ?
  A: No, since it isn’t a compiled language
  there isn’t much information available to the exception
  object. This can be worked around by implementing your own
  framework with inheritance that does its own error handling and
  produces better errors.
• Q:
  ToURL doesn’t behave like user input, it doesn’t first
  change the url, so if the destination page fails, you still have the
  original url. This makes troubleshooting more difficult, so I made
  my own ToURL functions. Why does it behave like this?
  A: ToURL
  is faster the way they have it as it makes a direct http request
  bypassing the GUI until it is time for the page to load.
  Implementing a custom function work around is currently the best
  option.
• Q:
  I couldn’t find a way to “select” a listbox item
  by its value, arguable one of the most important items, am I missing
  something?
  A: No, there is currently no function for that. The
  best workaround is to write your own using the IndexOf function.
• Q:
  The NativeWebObject’s find and the findall methods are very
  slow, especially with large DOMs. Is there a way for me to write a
  javascript function to return the desired object or array from some
  input?
  A: The Add method is in the DOM object for inserting code,
  it can be used for this purpose.
• Q:
  What is the AQA development cycle and rev release dates?
  A: Every
  3 months.
• Q:
  Is there a way to set the macro recorder so it records slower yet
  more robust scripts by using search and find functions rather than
  pathing everything out?
  A: Not yet, but it is being worked on.
• Q:
  You can compare a database against stored values but can you update
  the database with them? In other words can you reset the data in the
  database?
  Q: automated build studio can restore an entire
  database. However the only way to restore a dbtable is to loop
  through each record in code and update the database with it.
• Q:
  When creating a new unit the code templates for each language appear
  to be different. Can the templates be changed? Why are they
  different?
  A: They are different because some languages don’t
  support all the features that others do, so each template is
  tailored to give the best jump start for a particular language. The
  templates themselves can’t be modified, but Ctrl+J will bring
  up the template creator which can be used to create code snippets.
• Q:
  There is a serious lack of documentation of the language features
  which has made progress much slower than it otherwise would have
  been. Any other places I can go?
  A: Sqaforums.com is a great
  reference for the test complete software, probably better than aqa’s
  site itself. Sqaforums is monitored by aqa staff. Also
  Testcompletetv is a website that has short video tutorials covering
  various things in test complete.
• Q:
  TestComplete seems to have problems finding hyperlinks by HTML ID;
  it seems testcomplete occasionally overwrites the HTML ID with its
  own unique ID. Why is this?
  A: TC doesn’t overwrite any
  HTML Dom objects or attributes. Check the code and see if you have
  a mistake.
• Q:
  Is there any major efforts to improve the TC tool, including
  documentation?
  A: There is an advanced book coming out in January
  which will be free to download.
  There is a custom script plugin
  framework in the works as well.
• Q:
  When a variable is used in a method without first declaring it, what
  is the scope of that variable?
  A: it will be a local variant
  variable.
• Q:
  AQA’s news reader forums don’t have a decent search, are
  they planning on one?
  A: not that I am aware of, however try
  sqaforums.com, it’s a better place for answers anyway.
• Q:
  Is “TestComplete made easy” the only book you know of
  covering Test Complete?
  A: Yes, until the advanced book comes out
  in January.
• Q:
  If I want to store sql queries in text files or XML documents rather
  than inline in code, can I easily do that?
  A: No, the
  functionality isn’t currently built-in, the closest thing
  would be storing them in an excel document and loop through that;
  which has its own issues.
• Q:
  It’s very annoying having to enter so many case sensitive
  registration details, but it’s even worse when the “check
  for updates” link won’t log me into the site.
  A: no
  plans to change the registration process, however the link to log
  into the site is suppose to auto log you in with your current
  registration, it’s just currently broken.
• Q:
  Is there a way to programmatically refresh the data stored in a TC
  dbtable?
  A: yes, everything that can be done through the GUI can
  be done in code. Would have to open the dbtable in code and rerun
  the query.
• Q:
  can I trade in the second copy of the TestComplete book we now own
  for a copy of the new advanced version when it comes out?
  A: no,
  but the instructor said he would send me one when it came out.
• Q:
  Can I change the default app TestExecute uses to view logs when the
  test completes?
  A: No.

Questions I couldn’t get answered due to no laptop:

• Q:
  On some of my tests, one in particular, TC shuts itself down after
  finishing the test; no error long, no errors, it just closes down
  “Japa Tap Prod ‘User Management’”. Any idea
  why?
  A: try bringing up with AQA team.
• Q:
  Global variable to TestedApps.IExplorer.run().IEFrame(0) didn’t
  always hold the correct and original value. Why?
• Q:
  Even when NativeWebObject.Find sees an object, sometimes I can’t
  Find it using UniqueID.
• Q:
  When TestComplete has to deal with a popup window (i.e. a file
  download) it seems to mess it up internally so things no longer
  function as expected. Any ideas?
• Q:
  When running a bunch of tests batched up TestComplete will often
  error out on the later tests, even though each test starts up a new
  instance of IE and closes it down when it is done. Why?
  A: don’t
  know, but might try checking to see if the IE process is really
  closed and killing it if it isn’t.
• Q:
  “Keys” function doesn’t always work correctly.
  Sometimes it prepends data instead of erasing it with “^a”.
  Why?
  A: don’t know, haven’t seen that problem before.
• Q:
  Sometimes it misses the first field on my PLT form even though the
  field is looked for in code?
  A: check to be sure you are really
  looking for the field. Make sure the field isn’t locked or
  read only.

AQTime

• AQTime
  checks speed of code and finds memory leaks.

Test Recorder

• Test
  Recorder can be built into your application so users can record
  tests if they are having problems. There is generally a registry
  setting to allow users to turn on and off the test menu so they
  don’t have to see it unless support is requesting a recorded
  test of their issue.

Automated Build Studio:

• Seems worth checking out.
• Less than $200.
• Can ftp, dts, run macros, has logic paths, and much more.
• Runs as a service and can even log in a user to start up a test at a
  specific time if needed.

Visual Studio

• Unit test creation, right click on a method to access the built-in auto
  generate functions.
• CPU window allows you to see the memory certain code is being run in and
  how it is being run. Can be a major hacker tool.
• Functions returning string pointers are very hackable as the pointer can be
  changed to point to malicious code or the terminator ( typically a
  \n ) can be removed and malicious code inserted. Ints and objects
  don’t have this problem and aren’t as vulnerable.
• The US government doesn’t allow any functions in code it runs to
  return string pointers.

List of installed packages in linux

I am using CentOS and was wondering how to get a list of all packages installed on my system:

I found a site: Here

which claims

rpm -qa | sort | less

does the trick, however I am unable to find a package I am pretty sure is installed so I am not sure if their is a better method.