Software Testing Tools Interview Preparation Guide

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Web Developer is a robust FirefoxFirefox reviewsFirefox reviews extension that no developer should be without when testing a website. It provides a wide range of tests, including testing for broken images, testing layouts in multiple screen sizes, viewing cookie information, and validating mark-up. It’s the ultimate testing companion for Firefox users.

If a website goes viral and DiggDigg reviewsDigg reviews, TwitterTwitter reviewsTwitter reviews, and StumbleUponStumbleUpon reviewsStumbleUpon reviews all converge on it at once, will it be able to handle the stress? Load Impact helps answer that question. It simulates large userload on web servers to determine whether or not they can handle the high traffic load. It comes with a free version and several paid versions.

Browser testing is one of the most tedious and frustrating parts of web development. What designer or programmer hasn’t screamed bloody murder at broken alignments in Internet ExplorerInternet Explorer reviewsInternet Explorer reviews 6? One of the difficult parts of browser testing is that no developer can have every browser type on a single computer for proper testing.

Enter XenoCode Browser Sandbox, a series of virtual applications that can run all popular browsers simultaneously. It does not even require the installation of software. However, XenoCodeXenocode reviewsXenocode reviews’s Browser Sandbox can be heavy in some browsers and is still lacking in a Mac version.

About the Xenocode Browser Sandbox
The Xenocode Browser Sandbox allows all popular Windows browsers to be run simultaneously, directly from the web. Web designers, system administrators, and other users can now evaluate Internet Explorer 8, 7, and 6, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera, and Google Chrome directly from the web in a risk-free manner. Unlike traditional software applications, Xenocode WebApps do not require any software to be installed and allow multiple application versions to run side-by-side on any version of Windows.

Known Issues
• The IE8 executable triggers a false positive warning when using Avira AV. UPDATE: Avira is patching their product, see http://forum.avira.com/wbb/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=82913.

• Mac clients are not currently supported. (Yes, we're sorry and we hear you!) Building Your Own WebApps

Browsers featured in the Browser Sandbox were built using Xenocode Virtual Application Studio and deployed using Xenocode WebApp. Xenocode products are available via the web and through authorized Xenocode partners.

For more information on Xenocode licensing or to download free product evaluations, please visit the Xenocode home page. Understanding Xenocode Technology

Xenocode is a powerful virtualization technology that separates applications from the underlying operating system. Unlike traditional hardware virtualization solutions that duplicate an entire host operating system, Xenocode's lightweight application virtualization technology emulates only core operating system features required for application execution. Xenocode requires no setup, configuration, clients, or device drivers, insulates applications against conflicts, and runs existing applications seamlessly on Windows Vista and locked-down desktops.

Xenocode virtual applications can be deployed on the web, intranets, portable storage devices, and existing desktop management infrastructure, including Active Directory, Microsoft SMS, LANDesk Management Suite, and BMC Configuration Management. Xenocode technology has been licensed by Novell and is available as part of Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization. The Xenocode Virtual Application Studio authoring environment allows software developers and systems administrators to easily convert existing applications into virtual machine packages. The Xenocode WebApp service allows Xenocode applications to be run directly from the web via a simple control that embeds directly into web sites, blogs, and other online content. About Code Systems

Code Systems develops the next-generation Xenocode virtualization engine and related application delivery products. Xenocode allows system administrators and software developers to deploy applications in lightweight, pre-configured virtual machines that run instantly on any Windows desktop via the web, Active Directory, portable storage devices, or existing desktop management infrastructure.

Code Systems was founded in 2002 and consists of a team of veteran Microsoft engineers and academic researchers. Today, its customers include thousands of industry-leading consulting, financial, government, military, and technology companies, and tens of thousands of independent information technology professionals.

Code Systems is based in Seattle, Washington.

http://www.xenocode.com/browsers/

XmlTestSuite provides a powerful way to test Web applications. Writing tests requires only knowledge of HTML and XML. The authors want XmlTestSuite to be adopted by testers, business analysts, and Web developers who don't have a Java background. XmlTestSuite supports "test-driven development". It lets you separate page structure from tests and test data. It can also verify databases. It's like JWebUnit, but has simple XML test definitions and reusable pages. The problems with raw HTTPUnit or JWebUnit are that:

1. It's very hard to get non-programmers to write tests.
2. Tests are so ugly you can't read them. (Trust me; HttpUnit test classes are a nightmare to maintain.)
3. Web tests generally change far more often than unit tests, and so need to be altered, but your refactoring won't change them automatically (i.e., changing a JSP in IDEA will not cascade to the test like changing a class will).

TagUnit is a framework through which custom tags can be tested inside the container and in isolation from the pages on which they will ultimately be used. In essence, it's a tag library for testing tags within JSP pages. This means that it is easy to unit test tags, including the content that they generate and the side effects that they have on the environment, such as the introduction of scripting variables, page context attributes, cookies, etc.

Solex is a set of Eclipse plugins providing non-regression and stress tests of Web application servers. Test scripts are recorded from Internet browsers, thanks to a built-in Web proxy. For some Web applications, a request depends on a previous server's response. To address such a requirement, Solex introduces the concept of extraction and replacement rules. An extraction rule tied to an HTTP message's content will bind an extracted value with a variable. A replacement rule will replace any part of an HTTP message with variable content.

The tool therefore provides an easy way to extract URL parameters, Header values, or any part of a request or a response, bind their values with variables, and then replace URL parameters, Header values, or any part of a request with the variable content. The user has the ability to add assertions for each response. Once a response has been received, all assertions of this response will be called to ensure that it is valid. If not, the playback process is stopped. Several kinds of rules and assertions are provided. The most complicated ones support regular expressions and XPath.

Jameleon is an automated testing tool that separates applications into features and allows those features to be tied together independently, creating test cases. These test cases can then be data-driven and executed against different environments. Jameleon breaks applications into features and allows testing at any level, simply by passing in different data for the same test. Because Jameleon is based on Java and XML, there is no need to learn a proprietary technology.

It's an acceptance testing tool for testing the functionality provided by applications, and currently supports the testing of Web applications. It differs from regular HttpUnit and jWebUnit in that it separates testing of features from the actual test cases themselves. If I understand it correctly, you write the feature tests separately and then script them together into a reusable test case. Incidentally, you can also make these test cases data-driven, which gives an easy way of running specific tests on specific environments.

The framework has a plugin architecture, allowing different functional testing tools to be used, and there is a plugin for testing Web applications using HttpUnit/jWebUnit. The test case scripting is done with XML and Jelly.

Jameleon combines XDoclet, Ant and Jelly to provide a potentially powerful framework for solid functional testing of your Webapp. It strikes a good balance between scripting and coding, and allows you to set up multiple inputs per test by providing input via CSV files. Along with the flexibility come a complexity and maintenance overhead, but you are getting your Webapp tested for you.

Bugkilla is a tool set to create, maintain, execute, and analyze functional system tests of Web applications. Specification and execution of tests is automated for both the Web frontend and business logic layers. One goal is to integrate with existing frameworks and tools (an Eclipse Plugin exists)

Anteater is a testing framework designed around Ant, from the Apache Jakarta Project. It is basically a set of Ant tasks for the functional testing of Web sites and Web services (functional testing being: hit a URL and ensure the response meets certain criteria). One can test HTTP parameters, response codes, XPath, regexp, and Relax NG expressions. Anteater also includes HTML reporting (based on junitreport) and a hierarchical grouping system for quickly configuring large test scripts. When a Web request is received, Anteater can check the parameters of the request and send a response accordingly. This makes it useful for testing SOAP and XML applications.

The ability to wait for incoming HTTP messages is something unique to Anteater, which makes it especially useful when building tests for applications that use high level SOAP-based communication, like ebXML or BizTalk. Applications written using these protocols usually receive SOAP messages and send back a meaningless response. It is only later that they inform the client, using an HTTP request on the client, about the results of the processing. These are the so-called asynchronous SOAP messages, and are the heart of many high-level protocols based on SOAP or XML messages.

Written in Java, HttpUnit emulates the relevant portions of browser behavior, including form submission, Javascript, basic HTTP authentication, cookies, and automatic page redirection, and allows Java test code to examine returned pages either as text, an XML DOM, or containers of forms, tables, and links.

Pounder is a utility for testing Java GUIs. It allows developers to dynamically load components, record scripts, and then use those scripts in JUnit. It supports custom components, drag-and-drop, and the examination of test runs in source.

JFunc is an extension to the JUnit testing framework to make it easier for use with functional tests. Functional testing (also called integration testing) significantly differs from unit testing in a number of respects. Part of this project is dedicated towards putting together code to address these differences; the other part of this project is putting together methodologies for functional testing.

DejaGnu is a framework for testing applications such as Tcl, C, C++, Java, and network applications, and cross testing embedded systems. Its purpose is to provide a single frontend for all tests. Think of it as a custom library of Tcl procedures crafted to support writing a test harness. A "test harness" is the testing infrastructure that is created to support a specific program or tool. Each program can have multiple test suites, all supported by a single test harness. DejaGnu is written in Expect, which in turn uses Tcl, Tool Command Language. There has not been a new release in quite a while, although the snapshots are quite stable.

CyberSpyder Link Test - Shareware link checker by Aman Software; capabilities include specified URL exclusions, ID/Password entries, test resumption at interruption point, page size analysis, 'what's new' reporting. For Windows. http://www.cyberspyder.com/cslnkts1.html

InfoLink- Link checker program from BiggByte Software; can be automatically scheduled; includes FTP link checking; multiple page list and site list capabilities; customizable reports; changed-link checking; results can be exported to database. For Windows. Discontinued, but old versions still available as freeware. http://www.biggbyte.com/

Linkalarm - Low cost on-the-web link checker from Link Alarm Inc.; free trial period available. Automatically-scheduled reporting by e-mail. http://www.linkalarm.com/

Site Audit - Low-cost on-the-web link-checking service from Blossom Software. http://www.blossom.com/site_audit.html

Link Checker Pro - Link check tool from KyoSoft; can also produce a graphical site map of entire web site. Handles HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols; several report formats available. For Windows platforms. http://www.link-checker-pro.com/

HiSoftware Link Validation Utility - Link validation tool; available as part of the AccVerify Product Line. http://www.hisoftware.com/

Squish is the leading GUI test tool for Qt-based applications making it possible to create automated GUI tests for Qt applications on different platforms such as Windows, Linux/Unix, Mac OS X and embedded Linux. With Squish 3.0, froglogic didn't only add many new and useful features to strengthen its position as the leading and most used GUI testing tool for Qt applications
www.froglogic.com

Kind of Tool
Unit testing and continuous integration environment
Organization
Validio Ukraine
http://x-unity.miik.com.ua/
Software Description
X-Unity is a unit testing environment designed for Microsoft .NET framework. Its primary purpose is to automate and facilitate day-by-day unit testing activities, making them a natural part of your development process. The creation of X-Unity was inspired by ideas of Extreme Programming and Refactoring, and its code was written from scratch with heavy usage of these techniques.
Platforms
Microsoft .NET

Kind of Tool
WinFeedback is a Windows scripting extension for testing, monitoring and automation.
Organization
Beson Data
http://www.winfeedback.com/
Software Description
WinFeedback 4.0 is a Windows Scripting extension for testing, monitoring and automation purposes. It includes a Developer application that makes it easy to create and test new scripts. The enclosed sample scripts may be used as templates for customized solutions. WinFeedback may be used for response timing, up-timing, automated functional testing, stress testing, health monitoring, task automation, input macros etc.
WinFeedback has an input recording and playback function for automation scripts. The recorder captures user input by keyboard and mouse and generates the corresponding script statements. The playback engine identifies the correct target object in Windows graphical interface and correlates the playback sequence with the needed processing time.
The WinFeedback engine is an ActiveX DLL that is developed in Visual Basic 6.0. WinFeedback objects are used as scripting components in VbScript. The library contains more than 100 methods and properties and its primarily object is called TScript for Testing Script.
Platforms
Windows 9X/NT/2000/XP

Kind of Tool
vTest is an automated functional & regression testing tool for web applications
Organization
Verisium, Inc.
http://www.verisium.com/
Software Description
vTest is an automated functional and regression testing tool for web applications. It incorporates record, verify, playback and reporting capabilities. vTest does not require a programming background. For those users who wish to use scripting, it uses JavaScript as the scripting language.
Platforms
Windows 2000, XP, 2003

Kind of Tool
Automation and GUI Test Tool
Organization
Vista Software, Inc.
http://www.vista-software.com/
Software Description
VistaTask Pro provides advanced task automation for many purposes, such as software quality assurance testing, installation tasks, or training systems. It has been carefully designed to provide total control without the need to write any code. It offers easy Windows automation, while still providing enterprise-level features such as data-driven models, Win32 API access, Checkpoints, and Image Masking. There is zero code to write in VistaTask Pro - just click to add new commands. Since no programming is required, anyone can create powerful automation tasks. Although it uses no code, VistaTask Pro still allows you to control all aspects for each action in its feature-rich interface.
Platforms
Win95, Win98, WinME, WinNT, Win 2000, WinXP

Kind of Tool
3rd Generation Test Automation Solution
Organization
SDT (Software Development Technologies)
http://www.sdtcorp.com/
Software Description
Unified TestPro is a proven 3rd generation test automation solution, which uses a roles-based software test automation approach to Design, Build and Run automated test cases. Using Key Words UTP creates cost-effective and maintainable test suites allowing more automated testing with fewer technical resources. SDTs extensive customer base has successfully employed this solution for use in many technological areas - Legacy Client/Server, E-commerce, Embedded, APIs, Telecom, Java, Web, etc.
Platforms
Windows Platforms, Unix Platforms, Embedded Systems and Telecom.

Kind of Tool
Windows/Web App GUI Test Automation Tool
Organization
Quality Forge
http://qualityforge.com/
Software Description
TestSmith is a powerful and versatile Functional/Regression Test Tool. It features an Intelligent, HTML/DOM-Aware and Object Mode Recording Engine, and a Data-Driven, Adaptable and Multi-Threaded Playback Engine. TestSmith provides a complete and stable solution for testing Web Sites, Web Applications and Desktop/Windows Applications - at very low cost.
Platforms
Windows NT/2000/XP