QTP can be used to test non-GUI applications by accessing APIs and COM objects directly. This allows testing applications via Telnet, FTP, web services, and XML without using the GUI. It increases test speed and avoids synchronization issues. The document discusses using COM objects like WinHTTP and W3Sockets for Telnet, FTP, and web services. It also discusses using Msxml2.DOMDocument to work with XML files and compare them using QTP objects.

1. QTP: Not just for GUI anymore
Prepared by: Igor Gershovich
www.connectedtesting.com

2. The true beauty of QTP is
that the only limitation is
your imagination and ability
to code in VBScript.
Ian Fraser

3. Topics
 Web Services
 Telnet
 FTP
 XML

4. Advantages using APIs
 Accessing non-GUI applications via API
directly:
 Increases test execution speed
 Reduces synchronization problems related to GUI
window like Telnet, DOS CMD, PuTTY, Exceed,
etc.
 Allows execute scripts on locked boxes
 No need for QTP add-ins

5. Let’s talk about Component Object Model
(COM) first
COM is used by developers to create
reusable software components, link
components together to build applications,
and take advantage of Windows services.
The family of COM technologies includes:
 COM+
 Distributed COM (DCOM)
 ActiveX Controls.

6. COM methods and properties
 COM properties and methods
 Properties don’t take any arguments and can be read/write
value = object.property (read)
object.property = value (write)
 Methods are read only if they returns value
value = object.method() (returns value)
Set RS = Conn.Execute(“Select * From Tbl") (returns object)
Conn.Close (returns no value)
tdc.Login “username", “psw" (method with parameters,
returns no value)

7. VBScript CreateObject function
CreateObject function creates and returns a
reference to an Automation object
CreateObject(servername.typename [, location])
Example connecting to Quality Center (QC):
Set tdc = CreateObject ("TDApiOle80.TDConnection")
tdc.InitConnectionEx sServerName 'Connect
tdc.Login sUser, sPassword
tdc.Connect sDomain, sProject

8. COM objects in Registry editor

9. Resources:
 Microsoft “COM: Component Object Model
Technologies”
www.microsoft.com/com/default.mspx
 “COM for ASP Programmers”
By Wayne Berry
http://www.15seconds.com/Issue/971214.htm

10. File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

11. Using WinInet API for FTP
 Windows WinINet.DLL enables applications
to interact with the following protocols:
 FTP
 HTTP
 Gopher

12. WinInet FTP hierarchy

13. FTP: File download steps
1. Open an FTP session with InternetOpen
function. The function returns a session
handle.
2. Connect to the host by calling the
InternetConnect function using session
handle. It returns a connection handle.
3. Call the FtpGetFile function to get the file.
4. Close the handles created in Steps 1 and 2,
using the InternetCloseHandle function

14. FTP: File download Script

15. FTP: File download is successful

16. ActiveX components (COM) for FTP
 The are numerous ActiveX (COM)
components for FTP free and not free:
 by Chilkat Software www.chilkatsoft.com
 by Easewe Software www.easewe.com
 by X360 Software www.x360soft.com
 by Dart Communications www.dart.com
 etc.

17. FTP: Download file using Chilkat’s
ActiveX component (COM)

18. Resources:
 “FTP your scripts” by Dani Vainstein
www.advancedqtp.com
 “Creating an FTP Component in Visual
Basic”
By Jeff Niblack www.15seconds.com

19. Telnet to Unix/Linux using
COM objects

20. A little bit of history
A while back I had to automate a Client/Server application and
execute quite a few UNIX commands on a backend.
After trying several things, like PuTTY, TE Add-in, Exceed, etc.
Exceed worked decent enough, but it was a complicated
solution. I had to use "Capture to File" feature and then parse the
file.
After working with LoadRunner WinSock protocol for Telnet
interface I start looking for WinSock (ActiveX) COM interface that
can be used in QTP
The goal was to connect to Unix/Linux box bypassing external
GUI applications and execute scripts on locked boxes. Another
reason was that QTP has problems with GetVisibleText method.

21. ActiveX components (COM) for Telnet
 The are numerous ActiveX (COM)
components for Telnet free and not free:
 by Dimac Development www.dimac.net
 EasyCom 3.1
www.sharewareconnection.com/easycom.htm
 by Dart Communications www.dart.com
 etc.

22. Dimac w3sockets DLL methods and
properties
COM Object - socket.tcp
Buffer : String
DoTelnetEmulation : Boolean
Host : String
TelnetEmulation : String
TimeOut : Integer
Close() :
GetLine() : String
GetText( len ) : String
Open() :
SendLine( Line ) :
SendText( text ) :
Wait() :
WaitFor( Substring ) : Boolean
WaitForDisconnect() :

23. Dimac W3Socket API installation
 You need to download W3Socket Dll to your
location and register it using SocketReg.exe
included in a zip file.
 Note: Readme said that you need to
download winsock2 also - ignore it.
 The full W3Sockets reference is located:
http://www.dimac.net/Products/FreeProducts/w3S

24. Example for Unix/Linux
 The function on next slide:
 connect to Unix/Linux box via Telnet
 navigates to TestDirectory
 executes “grep” command
 returns “grep” results
 You can also find more examples on Web:
 http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=938038&page=3
 http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21124

26. W3Sockets API limitation
 This API has a problem with SendLine
method when sending over 80 characters.

27. Web Services and XML

28. Web Services architecture

29. HP/Mercury Solutions for WebServices
 The HP Service Test software – is a SOA
testing solution that simplifies and accelerates
the automated functional testing of SOA
services. HP Service Test Management module
plugs into Quality Center
 QTP Web Services add-in

30. Windows APIs for Web Services
 HP Service Test and QTP Web Services
Add-in are great solutions for comprehensive
Web Services testing. However, the
lightweight solution using Windows APIs
works perfect in most cases.

31. WinHTTP DLL
 Microsoft Windows HTTP Services
(WinHTTP) provides developers with a
server-supported, high-level interface to the
HTTP/1.1 Internet protocol.
 WinHTTP WinHttpRequest COM object
uses Winhttp.dll

32. WinHttp.WinHttpRequest.5.1 Methods
and Properties
Methods of WinHttp
 Abort: Aborts a WinHTTP Send method.
 GetAllResponseHeaders: Retrieves all HTTP response headers.
 GetResponseHeader: Retrieves the HTTP response headers.
 Open: Opens an HTTP connection to an HTTP resource.
 Send: Sends an HTTP request to an HTTP server.
 SetAutoLogonPolicy: Sets the current Automatic Logon Policy.
 SetClientCertificate: Selects a client certificate to send to a Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS)
server.
 SetCredentials: Sets credentials to be used with an HTTP server—either an origin or a proxy server.
 SetProxy: Sets proxy server information.
 SetRequestHeader: Adds, changes, or deletes an HTTP request header.
 SetTimeouts: Specifies, in milliseconds, the individual time-out components of a send/receive operation.
 WaitForResponse: Specifies the wait time, in seconds, for an asynchronous Send method to complete,
with optional time-out value.
Properties of WinHttp
 Option: Sets or retrieves a WinHTTP option value.
 ResponseBody: Retrieves the response entity body as an array of unsigned bytes.
 ResponseStream: Retrieves the response entity body as an IStream.
 ResponseText: Retrieves the response entity body as a string.
 Status: Retrieves the HTTP status code from the last response.
 StatusText: Retrieves HTTP status text.

33. ChangeMetricWeightUnit Web Service on-line
http://www.webservicex.net/convertMetricWeight.asmx

34. ChangeMetricWeightUnit Web Service WSDL

35. Using Http.WinHttpRequest.5.1 for
WebServices

36. WinHttp.WinHttpRequest.5.1 snippet
' WinHttp.WinHttpRequest.5.1 Object
Set oWinHttpReq = CreateObject("WinHttp.WinHttpRequest.5.1")
oWinHttpReq.Open "POST", sWebService_Url, False
oWinHttpReq.setRequestHeader "Content-Type", sContentType
oWinHttpReq.setRequestHeader "SOAPAction", sSOAPAction
'Send SOAP request
oWinHttpReq.Send sSOAP_Request
'Get XML Response
sXMLResponse = oWinHttpReq.ResponseText

37. SOAP XML Response

38. Off topic: Using WinHTTP for Web
pages

39. HTML Response

40. Msxml2.DOMDocument
 A DOM for XML is an object model that
exposes the contents of an XML document
 We use the XML DOM by creating an
instance of an XML parser
 CreateObject(“Msxml2.DOMDocument ”) is
the method to create an instance of the
Parser object
 Msxml2.DOMDocument COM object uses
Msxml.dll

41. XML Request file

42. Using Msxml2.DOMDocument to load
XML file

43. Msxml2.DOMDocument Code Snippet
'lMsxml2.DOMDocument
Set oInputXmlDoc = CreateObject("Msxml2.DOMDocument")
'loadXML from file
oInputXmlDoc.load("C:XML_Files_DemoWeight_Conversion.xml")
…
…
'Send SOAP request
oWinHttpReq.Send oInputXmlDoc

44. QTP XML Objects
 XMLUtil Object
 XMLAttribute Object
 XMLAttributesColl Object
 XMLData Object
 XMLElement Object
 XMLElementsColl Object
 XMLFile Object
 XMLItemColl Object

45. Example: Compare XML files using QTP
objects

46. Comparison results

47. Resources:
 MSDN
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa384109
 Stefan Thelenius about Software Testing
http://abouttesting.blogspot.com
 QuickTest Professional Help file

48. Igor Gershovich
 E-Mail: igershovich@connectedtesting.com
 Phone: 720-933-9395
 www.connectedtesting.com