Using Automated Test Tools (QA) with LabVIEW

[ChromaBurst]

Hello there,

I was reading with interest the posting "How the LabVIEW exposes its controls to the Visual Test/automated test tools?". This posting is six years old and I'm trying to gauge what developers are using for automated testing of GUIs out there. I'm looking for an environment that supports LabVIEW GUI controls and dialogs natively - if you have to spend considerable time making LabVIEW "fit" then it's prorbably not worth the effort.

Can anyone share some experiences with different types of products?

-Chroma

[Chris_R.]

Hi Chroma,

Click here for a document that describes a software product we offer called TestStand.  The overview of this document is below:

NI TestStand is a ready-to-run test management environment designed to accelerate the development of your test and validation systems. NI TestStand is used to develop, manage and execute test sequences. These sequences integrate test modules written in any test programming language. Sequences also specify execution flow, reporting, database logging and connectivity to other enterprise systems.

As the overview mentions, you can use any test programming language in your sequences, so incorporating LabVIEW files into a test sequence is simple.

I hope this helps, but let me know if you have any quesions.

[ChromaBurst]

Oh gawd... Active Proven Veteran?

With all due respect, you are barking up the wrong tree! I'm talking about Quality Assurance (QA) testing here. Perhaps the reference to Visual Test may have given it away... Are AEs required to fill quota these days for forums posts?

I'll stop my venting...

Thanks, but TestStand is not the way to go here unless you can tell me there's TS LabVIEW UI Adapter that can sequence GUI command button clicks and intercept other Win32/DCOM/.NET calls...

-Chroma

[Dennis_Knutson]

TestStand makes as much sense as any other tool I've heard of. It can control and read all of the front panel controls/indicators. It does that by the VI Server methods SetControlValue and GetControlValue. As you are probably aware, LabVIEW windows and the controls/indicators are not the same as the windows objects in C++, Vb, etc. Not sure what intercepting win32, dcom, .net calls has to do with LabVIEW.

[ChromaBurst]

Dennis - I hear what you are saying and yes, I understand the difference in controls. I don't believe this is a good solution for the following reasons:

1) Coding - You may find yourself spending considerable amount of time writing LV code to set-up GUI test configurations. The point n'click, recording and playback options of other QA tools is where there strength lies. They are fast, easy to use and require no other LV coding

2) Price - $3600 for TestStand versus something like VistaTask, at $100 per seat? $3500 to get around LabVIEW deficiencies seems rather steep

3) Support - In a previous consulting enagement, I had thought about using this approach but at that time, there wasn't a single mention of anyone using TS in this way and for this purpose on the forums. In the end, the scope of the testing was changed by my client, so I didn't go down that path and try this approach.

-Chroma

[Dennis_Knutson]

With TestStand, you really don't need to spend much time (if any) writing other LabVIEW programs to test another LabVIEW program's GUI. The connector pane of a VI is 'seen' by TestStand and you can assign TestStand variables to the controls and indicators. I've done a little bit of validation testing and the recording/playback for windows apps is great. They just don't work with LabVIEW. To use one of these tools with LabVIEW, the calling of LabVIEW's methods is going to be pretty tedious but certainly doable. For portability between the various platforms and probably because of it's Mac heritage, LabVIEW has always used it's own controls and this will probably remain for a while.

I agree that the cost of TestStand is a barrier for this type of testing. I already use TestStand for my ATE systems so I've been to experiment a bit with the idea of using it as a validation tool if I was ever required.

[Mac671]

I know this thead is rather old.

I'm currently implementing a system and there will be a certain amount of System Testing required.

At the moment we're probably going to do the System Test (User Interface) manually  , but I'm not to keen on manual testing, from the mainteneance standpoint the're a horror.

Is there any Toolkit in the NI tool set chain or a 3rd party tool that could be used to record scripts that interact with LV GUI's , and read it's values?

Something like Selenium for WebSites ... 

I know that you can do quite a lot via the VI server calls but all the programing resources on the project that I have now I can only spend on system feature development, and as usual time is tight.

So if I could get someone "computer savvy" up and running with a GUI automated testing tool sit them in front of the requirements spec and let them get cracking with the test creation that would be great for me.

I just don't know any tool I could give to them.

Alternatively if there are any toolkits that are easy to program a combo of LV and TestStand could be used but I woun't want to spend coders time on it as we got our hands full with Automated Unit test and integration test.

And if we dont' get a proper tool we're gonna use people to do the User Interface ( accpeptance test ) to click though it.

Regards,

Maciej

[Joshua-B]

Hi Maciej,

The NI LabVIEW Unit Test Framework Toolkit may provide the functionality you are looking for.  I've attached links below to the product page for the toolkit, a white paper describing the toolkit, and a webcast demonstrating it as well.  Hopefully this helps point you in the right direction!

NI LabVIEW Unit Test Framework Toolkit

http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/209043

Prove It Works:  Using the Unit Test Framework for Software Testing and Validation

http://www.ni.com/white-paper/8082/en

LabVIEW Unit Test Framework Toolkit

http://zone.ni.com/wv/app/doc/p/id/wv-1206

[Michael_Weir]

Maciej,

Did you get anywhere with this effort or find a tool?

Mike

[vaishnavinatarajan]

As far as automated software testing is concerned which is the most used and dsirible software for lab VIEW.Please help me out regarding the same.Also which is the most used software in industries for the purpose of testing.