Automated UI Testing of 3rd Party App

Question

Is it possible to create and successfully run a Coded UI Test for a 3rd party application?  How would the solution be setup?

---

AliciaV

Answer 1

What do you mean by 3rd party application?

 

We have one solution in visual studio for development of our software with few projects and another solution in visual studio only to testing purposes without source code of this app. It makes no problem to test this app in another solution, but sometimes I need to give orders to development team, that they need to add some identification properties to make searching controls successful. If your app doesn't change dynamically by running, it's OK.

Answer 2

I want write a test script to interact with MyMobiler which is a program that displays the screen and allows you to interact with the screen of a connected Windows Mobile device.  We have a problem that only occurs randomly after 100's of repitions of a certain user flow.  Alternatively is there some other application that can be used to test a GUI on a Windows Mobile device?

---

AliciaV

Answer 3

 

OK, I have read something about MyMobiler. Coded UI tests (should) work with all windows application, but the application should be built on this tests. I mean, it's terrible to test app, that was not by development coded to be tested. You can get/find many vexed problems, but it is still chance, that it could work.

 

Here is elementary example:

In our software we have many galleries and we navigate between this galleries with a property named AutomationId. Sometimes Coded UI test can give right AutomationId(to buttons, images), but to dynamically changing windows(new images, controls and then other controls, that overwrite this last and then user create others new....) we needed to adjust our source code of app, that this test will work on. I don't know, if you understand, I hope so.

I don't know another application test tools, only to test internet websites under a browser.

Answer 4

How do I structure the test project so it starts a app that has already been compliled that I don't have access to the project files for?

---

AliciaV

Answer 5

To be more precise I need to start the application I want to test outside of visual studio.  Can I somehow get my test script attached to that instance of the applicaition and run it?  How?

---

AliciaV

Answer 6

We have shortcut of our app on desktop. The first test click on icon show desktop(in windows 7 right down), then double-click on shortcut of application (then it continues somethin like login as user in this app - you will see, what will you need). Just use recorder from visual studio.

You don't have to attach it to the sorce code of app or something like this. The test will use the windows(name) to work in the right app.

Answer 7

I still don't see how to setup the test project.  I can record the steps to open a application from a shortcut, generate the test, see the new coded UI cs file in my test solution but it never shows up in my Test View and I have no idea how to start the recorded test.

---

AliciaV

Answer 8

In case of 3rd party application or control like( ActiveX, Flash etc ...) You have to create an 

Extensible CodedUI and have to use this ...

You can get more information about it from the following link:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/gautamg/archive/2010/01/05/series-on-coded-ui-test-extensibility.aspx

---

Ankit Verma