Using WebUI Test Studio's Visual Debugger

Telerik's Q3 release of WebUI Test Studio includes many new, exciting features that will further advance productivity by integrating features that allow for powerful script creation without the complexity found in most QA Automation Tools. In this article, I will cover off our Visual Debugger, an interactive widget that docks to the bottom of your web browser during test execution. The Visual Debugger widget not only displays information such as what step is currently being executed, but also provides an interface to pause your test execution.

Once paused, you can replay the current step, execute your test step by step, or continue normal execution. Additionally you can launch the DOM explorer, view the execution log, and create a .zip file containing a browser screen capture, full DOM, & execution log.

As an alternative to clicking the pause button, you can set a break point(s) in your test explorer window, this will auto-pause the test execution immediately after the step containing the break point.

OK - so you now know what the Visual Debugger is all about...or do you? We have included options accessible from the ribbon bar (see image below) that allow you to set auto-pause options for Visual Debugging. The default setting for this is 'Never', however as you can see from the image below, I have changed my setting to auto-pause on all errors.

 When the auto-pause is invoked due to an error during execution, a button that was previously disabled, is now accessible.

 This button allows you diagnose the error real time. In this example, there is an error locating an element, so upon clicking the 'Diagnose' button, the 'Find Expression Builder' is launched showing the area of the validation failure within the 'Find Logic'.

As you can see, we have suggested a change to the 'Find Logic', so clicking the update button will make that change. After clicking OK, you can now continue on with the test execution. It is important to know that despite the fact that the logic was fixed, the test execution will still display as having failed. When the test execution completes, you will be prompted asking if you would like the changes you made during test execution to be applied to your test. Once applied, your test will be ready to be executed successfully.

Lastly - if you prefer to not utilize the Visual Debugger, you can click the small down arror below the execute button to proceed without the Visual Debugger enabled.

Want to see more? - Tune into Telerik TV to see the Visual Debugger in action!