[Webtest] Re: Simplifications

[Denis N. Antonioli]

On 21 juin 05, at 12:14, Marc Guillemot wrote:

> it's now possible (but now yet documented) to skip <config> and to  
> write a simple test like
>
> mytest.xml
> ----------
> <project name="webtest" default="simple" basedir=".">
>    <target name="simple">
>      <testSpec name="my first webtest">
>        <steps>
>          <invoke url="http://www.myHost.org/my/page.html"/>
>          <verifyTitle description="test against fully constant  
> title" text="My title"/>
>        </steps>
>      </testSpec>
>    </target>
> </project>
> ----------
>
> and to run it with
> WEBTEST_HOME/bin/runWebtest.{bat|sh} mytest.xml
>
> This runs the test script and makes the html result file available  
> in sub dir webtest-results/results.html.
>
> It works currently only with one test file (perhaps with many test  
> files in the same dir but not in subdir) and
> therefore still needs some improvements. Nevertheless I think that  
> it can already be usefull in particular for newbies
> and I propose to put such an example on Webtest stard page together  
> with a screen copy of the resulting html report.
> What do you think?


+1


> Further simplification propositions (it has to stay compatible with  
> current situation!!!):
>
> 1) we have the testSpec task:
> <testSpec name="my first webtest">
> What about:
> a- renaming it to "webtest"?
> -> more natural, doesn't need to "learn" a new keyword

+1

> b- use "description" attribute instead of "name"?
> -> it is the standard way for an ant task to describe its function

-1

Webtest's reports are a very strong selling point now with some users.
If I think at the usage I have, I'd like to have both a name and a  
description, so that I could have for example:
<webtest name="verifyCookie_1" description="Shows how basic usage of  
verifyCookie. Note that the test verify both blah blah blah..." >

The report could then looks like:
<h4> verifyCookie_1</h4>
<p>Shows how basic usage of verifyCookie. Note that the test verify  
both blah blah blah...</p>
<table>
... results of the steps ...
</table>


How about:

c- make both "name" and "description" optional
> 2) remove <steps>
> the steps could be directly in the <webtest>. As far as I know,  
> this additional nested level doesn't bring anything.
>
> With these simplifications, the simple test could look like
>
> mytest.xml
> ----------
> <project name="webtest" default="simple" basedir=".">
>    <target name="simple">
>      <webtest>

--> note, there is even less to write ;-)

>        <invoke url="http://www.myHost.org/my/page.html"/>
>        <verifyTitle description="test against fully constant title"  
> text="My title"/>
>      </webtest>
>    </target>
> </project>
> ----------

     dna

-- 
perl cannot be taught. It is an art form unto itself.
   -- Jason Hoos