PeopleSoft Test Framework (PTF) as part of PeopleTools 8.58 | New Features Overview

 

Multiple PeopleSoft customers use PeopleSoft test Framework to automate the testing of standard business processes to benefit them by

  • Reduce testing effort and duration (Reduced Time, Effort, and Duration)
  • Ensure accurate test results
  • Reduce the overhead of Documentation
  • Overall, this enables organizations to adopt a selective adoption strategy to consume the latest delivered PeopleSoft updates.

PeopleTools 8.58 was initially released on Cloud and has been later released on-premises.

Read More: PeopleTools 8.58 Feature Highlights

With multiple enhancements released in PT 8.58, PeopleSoft Test Framework (PTF) is one of the major areas, which has considerable number of improvements that has been made in order to support developers to work with PTF in an effective way.

The same are discussed hereunder

 

Test Maintenance Report Creation via Process Scheduler

As per the PT 8.58 PeopleSoft Test Framework (PTF) enhancements, when a test maintenance report is created, the PSPTANALYSIS Application Engine program of the analysis step and the PSPTMAINTRPT Application Engine program of the report generation step are made to launch in the Process Scheduler. This help in eliminating any Page Timeout Issue.

 

What is a “Test Maintenance Report”?

While a PeopleSoft instance is upgraded or enhanced, multiple changes are made to the elements, namely menus, components pages, records, fields, etc., The tests that are executed via PTF have a dependency on these elements. Those tests that have passed earlier may start to fail with the changes made.

It is a tedious task to identify and update each step. It is also time-consuming and erroneous. There are two ways which PTF provides that may help testers to assess these changes.

One such tool delivered by PTF is the “Test maintenance report”, wherein the PSPTANALYSIS Application Engine program of the analysis step and the PSPTMAINTRPT of the report generation step will run via Process Scheduler.

PTF-as-a-part-of-PeopleTools-8.58

 

 

Step Information

Step Information is key to identifying the impact on existing test steps and generating maintenance reports.

With the release of enhancements with PeopleTools 8.58, step information is updated only for successful steps. To enable this feature – the “Overwrite Existing Step Info Check box” has to be checked in the “Execution Options—Advanced tab”.

Step Information button is available in the Test Window Toolbox.

 

Display Variables in Message Logs

The release of PeopleTools 8.58 enhancements for PeopleSoft Test framework, variables can be used instead of variable values, as a message in a test execution log. An additional “&” to the variable in the “Recognition” field of the selected test step will enable logging a variable.

 

Taking a step back, why are variables used?

Variables help us to store a value in one step and use the same in another upcoming step. Variables are useful storage pointers of a value, that will not be known until the test is executed. To denote a variable, (&) is prefixed. There may be some scenarios wherein variables need to be part of the message log. To Enable this, PTF has delivered this enhancement, wherein an additional “&” will enable logging a variable.

 

Enabling Debug Options from the Command Line

PTF tests can be executed from the Command line using the PsTestFW command. A text file argument is given to execute PTF via the command line. The text file will usually contain these parameters for the command line execution.

-CS=: -CUA=TRUE
-CO=
-CP= -TST=
-TC=DEFAULT
-ACTION=testrun /*test run value is used for executing test.*/
-PFX=
-EXO=
-LOG=.log

Execution of the test will generate the output file in the PTF data directory.

“Stop on Error” is a text editor and shell test command which, with PT8.58 release can be given as a command line argument as well as “-SOE”.

[A key point to note while using this Command line argument is “If “-SOE” parameter in command line execution, this will override the StopOnError execution action in shell tests script.”]

Override precedence will be as follows:

Sample

-CS=: -CUA=TRUE
-CO=
-CP= -TST=
-TC=DEFAULT
-ACTION=testrun /*testrun value is used for executing test.*/
-PFX=
-EXO=
-LOG=.log
-SOE=true

“Leave Browser Open” is an optional parameter that will enable the PTF-launched browser window open after executing a test, to support the tester with debugging. With PT8.58 release, this parameter can be given from the command line as “-LBO”.

Default value for –LBO is “false” and the tester has the option of setting it as “True” or “False” over the command line.

Sample

-CS=: -CUA=TRUE
-CO=
-CP= -TST=
-TC=DEFAULT
-ACTION=testrun /*test run value is used for executing the test.*/
-PFX=
-EXO=
-LOG=.log
-SOE=true
-LBO=true

All existing browsers will be terminated by default before execution when the -LBO parameter is set in command line parameters unless the -TL parameter is used in command line execution.

 

Inserting Timestamp

With the release of the PeopleTools 8.58, on the test editor test window, a capability has been added to insert timestamps along with the comments in the comments editor. The timestamp displays the current date, time, and user ID.

On Clicking, the timestamp is added, wherein Date and time follows ISO 8601 format, and uses UTC time zone.

PTF-as-a-part-of-PeopleTools-8.58-2.

 

Chrome Browser Version Compatibility

Playback feature via Chrome Browser has been modified in PeopleTools 8.58 Test Framework. As the Chrome versions change, which is pretty often, each version requires a new driver. As part of the enhancement, the driver can be downloaded from the web and can be used instead of waiting it to be delivered as part of PTF.

This would be solace for the testers as they can now play back test scripts in the latest version of Chrome by downloading a compatible driver and installing it in the PTF directory.

 

Key References:

 

Author: Matheshwaran V, Customer Success Manager (PeopleSoft)

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