Running tests without Opening Testcomplete IDE

Hi Neha,



>  [...] if i use TC as com object than i would be able to work on my machine simultaneously with automation ,like Selenium.



Just to clarify: the case is not that TestComplete somehow blocks you from using your workstation when the tests are executed, but the case is that if tests emulate the work of the regular user (i.e. work with the tested application using its UI), then the mouse and keyboard are used to provide the input to the application. If you use mouse and keyboard at the same time, this will break input data flow for the tested application and fail the test.

The situation is absolutely the same as if you and your colleague were sitting before the monitor and try to do something by using the same keyboard and mouse concurrently.



The is no problem to use the workstation if the test does not interact with the UI. (For example, if the test interacts with some COM object or interacts with the web service by sending http requests.)

I am not Selenium expert, but pretty sure that the situation with it is exactly the same as with TestComplete.

Hi Neha,



Have you considered TestComplete's command-line (http://support.smartbear.com/viewarticle/57437/ and http://support.smartbear.com/viewarticle/54655/) ?



In any case, if your test interacts with the UI you will not be able to use the workstation where the test is executed until the test finishes because otherwise you will compete for the mouse and keyboard and this will break the test (and your work).

Hi,



Thanks for all the replies.I had a confusion that if i use TC as com object than i would be able to work on my machine simultaneously with automation ,like Selenium.

But i understand that it is not the case.

Anyways i will try out using TC as COM object definitely.



-Neha

Alexey, actually, with selenium, you have a way of doing UI testing without using your mouse and keyboard with html driver...

Yes,actually selenium opens it own webdriver through webdriver API and interacts with it.So we can test our UI based application and work on our system simultaneously.

Jose, Neha,



Doesn't this mean that Selenium not emulate end-user's actions but calls some (jscript / browser internal) functions / methods that are called when actual mouse click / key press is performed?

TestComplete can access and directly call jscript functions from the tested web page (but not browser methods). According to your experience, will such calls emulate the way how Selenium works?

Selenium, as i can see from a few hours using it, has 2 ways of working.

1. 
   normal webdriver like testcomplete, it drives the browser and does UI actions


2. 
   html driver, drives the browser but does not do ui actions, just simulates them, it checks if the objects are there (DOM structure) but you can't see them

Well, Selenium's functionality looks pretty like the one available in TestComplete so far.

The only possible difference may be if html driver can directly interact with internal browser's methods. (Otherwise, I can hardly see how the click on the regular html link can be performed mouse and keyboard are not user either.) But I am really doubting that html driver can interact with the browser internals - too complex for the free tool...

Correct me where I am wrong.