Tool Mentor: Creating an Automated Performance Test Script
Using Rational Robot
Purpose
This tool mentor describes how to use Rational Robot to record an automated
performance test script for performance testing.
This section provides links to additional information related to this tool mentor.
Overview
For performance testing, scripts are often created by
recording them in Robot. When you record a virtual user script, your
interactions with the application under test cause protocol-specific
communication between the client and the server. Robot records this
communication and abstracts it into VU language test scripts after session
recording is complete.
A performance test suite in TestManager then executes
multiple instances of this script to apply a load to the system under test.
This tool mentor applies to Windows 98/ME/XP/2000 and NT 4.0 platforms.
Tool Steps
To record a virtual user script using Robot:
- Start
recording the virtual user script
- Insert
timers, blocks, comments, and synchronization points
- Split
script or end session recording
- Edit
the virtual user test script if necessary
When you record a virtual user script, your interactions with the application
under test cause protocol-specific communication between the client and the
server. Robot records this communication and uses it for script generation after
you end the recording session.
- Prepare the test environment by setting the virtual user record options.
See "Setting Recording Options" in the manual Rational Robot
User's Guide.
- Click the Record VU Script button on the Robot toolbar.
- Type a session name (40 characters maximum).
- Click OK to start recording.
- Robot is then minimized (default behavior), and the floating Session
Record toolbar appears. Use this toolbar to stop recording or split
scripts and redisplay Robot. Use the Session Insert toolbar to insert
features like timers, blocks, comments, or synchronization points into a
script. It can also be used to start an application.
- In the Start Application Dialog box, specify the executable to launch.
This executable should be the executable of your client application. For Web
applications, use the browser to access the Web site.
- Click OK to start the client application.
- Begin interacting with the application under test as specified by your
test case. Protocol traffic between the client and server is recorded.
You may insert timers, blocks, comments or synchronization
points while recording a virtual user session. Click the Display Session
Insert toolbar button on the Session Record toolbar, and then click one
of these buttons:
- Start Timer: The Start Timer dialog box appears and prompts you for
the name of the timer you want to start. Enter a name and click OK
or use the Cancel button to exit the dialog box.
- Stop Timer: The Stop Timer dialog box appears and prompts you for
the name of the timer you want to stop. Enter a name and click OK
or use the Cancel button to exit the dialog box.
A timer is a "bracket" around a set of client-server
interactions. After execution of a performance test suite in TestManager, the
times required for the executions of each timer are shown in the Performance
and Response reports.
- Comment: The Comment dialog box appears and prompts you for the
comment you want to add to the script. Enter a comment and click OK
or use the Cancel button to exit the dialog box. Comments are
text within a script. They aid script readers in understanding the script
but have no effect on the execution of the script.
- Sync Point: The Comment dialog box appears and prompts you for the
name of the synchronization point you want to add to the script. Enter
a name and click OK or use the Cancel button to exit the
dialog box. A synchronization point is a script feature that, during
script execution, allows for coordination of actions among multiple
virtual testers.
- Start Block: The Start Block dialog box appears and prompts you for
the block you want to start in the script. Enter a name and click OK
or use the Cancel button to exit the dialog box.
- Stop Block: The Stop Block dialog box appears and shows the name of
the current block.
Click OK or use the Cancel button to exit the dialog box.
Like a timer, a block is a bracket around a set of client-server
interactions. Unlike a timer, initial user think time is not included in
a block. Additionally, all command identifiers within a block are
prefixed with the block name (whereas in a timer, all command identifiers are
prefixed with the name of the script).
Refer to the following topics in the Robot online Help:
- Creating a new Suite
- Inserting Comments into a Script
- Inserting a Block into a Script
- Inserting a Timer During Virtual User Recording
- Inserting a Synchronization Point During Recording
(All dialog boxes for inserting a feature into a virtual user script contain a
Help button to start Robot online Help.)
Refer to the topic
titled Adding Features to Scripts in Rational Robot User's Guide.
After you have finished performing the test case or logical
unit of user activity, you can split a script or end the session recording.
Splitting a session signifies that everything you have
recorded since the last session split (or beginning of the session) represents a
logical unit, such as login to a database or the modification of a particular
record; for example, updating a customer's information in a customer
relationship management application.
- To split a script:
- To stop session recording:
- Click the Stop Recording button on the Session Recording
toolbar.
- Type a virtual user script name (40 characters maximum).
- To change the
recording options, click Options. When finished, click OK.
- Depending on your previous settings for virtual user recordings, the
generator either generates a script (Automatic Filtering) or prompts
you to select the client server communications and protocol (Manual
Filtering), which should be used for generating a virtual user script.
Refer to
the chapter titled Recording Sessions - Choosing the Protocols to Include
in a Script in the Rational Robot User's Guide.
You can edit existing scripts by manually changing the text
of a script, as follows:
- Edit
the text of a script (delete a line, move text, and so forth).
- Add
a new user action to an existing script (add a shared variable or
functionality).
- Add
a new feature to an existing script (add timers, blocks, comments, and so
on).
Refer to the topic
titled VU Language Reference in the Robot online Help.
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