Find Out How

Browser actions are those actions a user performs using a web browser, including keystrokes, mouse actions, text entry, and system actions such as close or submit. These user actions are represented visually in SOASTA CloudTest as boxes with the operation name and target service logo on it.

In SOASTA CloudTest, browser actions are combined into Test Clips with other test clip components—such as checkpoints and delays--that correspond to the individual test case that the clip represents.

Browser actions can be recorded from any WebUI/Ajax target once it is selected in the Available Targets list and the Included Target is displayed in the Test Clip Editor.

Some generic browser actions are also provided in the Operations list in the Test Clip Editor. You can also add a new browser action using the Add New Browser Action  icon on the Test Clip Editor toolbar. Recorded browser actions will require a good deal less editing.

Once the target site is displayed in the editor, simply perform the browser actions you want to capture.
TIPYou can locate the target site shown on the right on the SOASTA CloudTest > Welcome Page at Quick Links > SOASTA WebUI/Ajax Samples.

Browser Action Types

In the Test Clip Editor, a given browser action equals some type of user action performed within the web browser context. Browser actions are categorized by Selenium type, each of which has a corresponding color assignment:

• System actions, such as selectWindow and close, are blue.

• Mouse actions, such as mouseOver and mouseOut, are green.

• Keyboard operations are orange.

Defining Generic Browser Actions

The Test Clip Editor records browser actions, but you can also add them using the Add New Browser Action button on the toolbar, or by adding the noOp from the Operations list for the given target.

A browser action that has no operation (noOp) is silver. The noOp is given its designation because it has no target and operation. Using noOp is an easy way to add a new browser action to a test clip when you want to use a different target than the one on which the open test clip is based.

To set a target and operation for a browser action that has no operation, select and right-click it, and then select Choose Target and Action from the context menu.

When Choose Target and Action is selected, the Choose dialog box appears.

Browser actions and test clips are both defined by the target upon which they are based and whose properties they inherit. Browser actions created from a target using the Available Targets list in the Test Clip Editor inherit the properties defined within that target. By comparison, adding a new browser action using the Add New Message icon require further editing, or by selecting noOp in the Operations list creates a generic browser action whose values need to be set.

WebUI/Ajax Sample Pages

The sample site includes the following common categories that pertain to Web user interfaces and particularly Ajax.

• Multiple Test Objects

This category includes a simple, multi-object Sample Page as well as a mini-SOASTA web site replica (this is a sample site not the real site).

• Page Reloaders

A variety of page reloaders are presented in combination with typical frame and JavaScript functionality.

• Clicks and Scripts

The relationship between mouse clicks and scripts is explored here.

• Forms

A variety of forms are presented, including asynchronous, Ajax auto-complete, multi-select, select options, store values, reload page on change, event handling, and focus on blur.

• Drag and Drop

Common drag and drop actions are presented.

• Frames

Framed, multi-frame, and other frame examples are presented.

• Miscellaneous

This category presents a miscellany of features such as element ordering, text, locators, internationalization, XHTML, a slow loading page, rich text, verifications, and visibility pages are presented. In each of the sections, click the buttons or enter data where applicable. Clip elements in the form of Browser Actions are added to the Test Clip as you perform these actions.

With the Browser Recorder successfully installed and the WebUI/Ajax target created in the prior steps, we will now use the Browser Recorder add-on to add a Browser Action to a test clip.

1. From the Welcome page, click Browser Recording.

—Or—

With Repository > Test Clips selected, click New to launch the Test Clip Editor.

2. In either case, the Test Clip Editor opens with a new Untitled Test Clip.
3. In the Available Targets list on the lower-left, locate your WebUI/Ajax target and select it in the list. For example, Sample Application Target 1.

When you do so, the target is placed into the Included Targets list and the Target URL page is displayed in the center of the Test Clip Editor.

For example, the SOASTA CloudTest WebUI/Ajax Samples page appears in the editor as shown below.

4. Perform user actions in the browser target site, including keystrokes and mouse clicks. When you do so, each browser action is added to the Test Clip Editor (there may not always be a 1:1 correlation depending how the web page is programmed).
5. Optionally, while performing user actions for browser recording, use the Pop Out/In UI Page icon to toggle the target URL page into its own window (as shown below). If you do so, keep an eye on the Test Clip Editor as we go.

Using the Pop Out window provides a more natural experience of the browser as well as access to your browser’s external navigation and toolbars.

Toggle the button a second time to return the Target URL page to the Editor and close the Pop Out window when you’re done recording actions.

Browser Action Elements and Properties

1. To examine elements and properties for any browser action, first select its icon in the Test Clip workspace above, and then double-click it, or click the Properties button on the lower-left.

For example, select Browser Action 1 on the upper left of the Test Clip Editor workspace.

2. When the Properties button is active, the Clip Properties and also "Selected: Browser Action 1" tabs appear in the lower pane.

3. In the Selected: Browser Action 1 tab, familiarize yourself with the available browser action elements and properties. You can further define this selection’s:
• Inputs (Locator, Coordinate String)
• Waits (Pre-Action Waits, Post-Action Waits (you can a Wait by clicking the Add icon in the Element Info field)
• Outputs (if there are none, you can add one by clicking the green plus (+) in the Element Info field)
• Validations (once again, click the Add icon to add a validator for this Browser Action)
• Property Sets

SOASTA CloudTest includes three property sets all of which have relevance for refining and editing a selected browser action. 

• Custom Properties

Customer Properties are available to all clip elements, including Browser Actions.

• System Properties

System Properties are available to all clip elements, including Browser Actions.

• Global Properties

The Global Properties object does not represent a portion of the Test Composition object model since the properties it contains are beyond the composition scope. Global properties are defined within the Repository > Global Properties List and are “global” within a given composition.