TESTING TOOLS
TestComplete
3.0
AutomatedQA
Like the flashy city (Las Vegas) from which its maker hails, TestComplete is a relative newcomer in the field of automated testing, but it boasts features unavailable in other products. For instance, you’re not limited to one scripting language—TestComplete supports VBScript, JScript/JavaScript, DelphiScript and C++.
AutomatedQA’s tool can test applications written in Java and .NET. TestComplete is COM-based, and uses plug-ins for many of its features. New and updated plug-ins are available on their website, and it’s easy for users to write their own. One plug-in allows access to the Win32 API, while others let you use databases via XML, Microsoft’s ADO or Borland’s BDE. An HTTP Load Testing plug-in puts Web servers through the wringer.
One unique feature of TestComplete is its ability to let your application actually drive its own testing. By linking in one file, your application can replace the TestComplete user interface. You can also run tests on multiple remote computers.
TestComplete proves that what happens in Vegas needn’t always stay in Vegas.
—Dana Cline
 “Woohoo! This award acknowledges our efforts to provide affordable but feature-rich quality assurance tools; tools that can compete with the ‘market leaders’ at a fraction of the price.” —Robert K. Leahey, Director of Developer Relations |
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| QA Wizard 2.2 Seapine Software In an era of Web-time and Extreme Programming, it’s astonishing how many multimillion-dollar projects still rely on error-prone manual testing. With QA Wizard, Seapine Software, in Mason, Ohio, offers an automated functional regression-testing tool for Web, Windows and Java applications. Its interface is intuitive, and you can learn it in a couple days. Run your application, and QA Wizard records each action, as well as the object receiving that action—for example, a Text Field receiving data entry or the Submit button being pressed. No pixel-location problems here. QA Wizard employs a visual point-and-click method for editing and customizing automated test scripts. Scripts’ steps include commands, comments, statements and database statements, and you can drive your test by data file content if desired. If defects are found, QA Wizard automates distribution of reports through Seapine’s TestTrack Pro. —Gary Evans |
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Jtest 5.0 Monrovia, Calif.-based Parasoft’s Jtest Java testing tool keeps getting better at making unit testing and coding standard compliance quick and easy without requiring a single test case, harness or stub to be written. Jtest analyzes Java classes, then generates and executes JUnit-format test cases —exposing uncaught runtime exceptions—and verifies requirements that were expressed using Design by Contract for both black- and white-box and automated regression testing. You can also add as many extra tests as you like, either by extending the generated test cases or using your own JUnit test cases. The comprehensive coding-standards rules checker is a welcome bonus, and can be used to correct coding violations automatically in your code. Jtest integrates with IBM WebSphere Studio and Eclipse. —Sue Spielman |
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Intel VTune Performance Analyzer 7.0 Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel’s VTune does exactly what it sets out to do, extremely well: measuring the performance of your native-code applications. If you choose the noninvasive sampling approach, VTune collects information about your computer by periodically collecting samples of all active instruction addresses. This lets you monitor your application’s performance in relation to all other software running on your computer. If you choose the invasive instrumentation approach, VTune will inject instrumentation code into your application to collect timing and execution flow information. VTune can instrument both native x86 code as well as JIT-compiled code such as Java and .NET code. This newer version (7.0) provides great support for managed code and integration with Visual Studio .NET 2003. —John Lam |