Skills for Automation

Last few months I was in interviewing candidates for Silktest and QTP. Many of them are good at tool related technical terms and concepts. But they are not comfortable to write few string handling functions. Main issue is many of the testers are not interested in hard-core programming. I strongly feel that programming skills is required apart from framework implementation. I used to give following tasks to any new comer for automation side.

Assignments for Automation

1. Write a script to create a file,Read a file,Append a file and Delete it.
2. To invoke browser and navigate through links,URL&button.
3. To get Current Time like "24May2005-10hh-20mm-45ss"
4. Find - Which window is active now in the taskbar.
5. Prepare a script and the results should be stored into Excel sheet and Text file.
   Excel sheet should contain one line for each testcase and Text file should contain the information for all events.
6. Automate simple Testcase without using GUI file. You should pass physical description directly.
7. Retriving data from Database,Excel.
8. Update data in Database,Excel.
9. Access DLL functions.
10. Implement function for following string problems
    

    Find and Replace in a given string.

    Get position of substring for given times.

    Get file name only from file's full path.

11. Print list of files available in a directory.
12. Create functions to create the log
    

    First log should contain all the details of the Script Actions.

    Second log file should contain only pass/fail detail of Testcases/Scenarios.

13. Using any XML Parser, try to parse the XML contents based on given tag.

Silktest Questions

Last two weeks, I was trying to compile all the silktest related questions. It helps me to dig, how much I know in Silktest. I have left out few areas. I did not cover much on the recent silktest features or additions. I have given just questions only not answers. For answers, you can try this blog - SilkTest FAQ and Technical Questions .

Silktest Basics

1. What are the file types available in silktest and usage of that?
2. What is the usage of SilkMeter?
3. What is a SilkTest Agent?
4. What is “appstate” in silk?
5. What is the difference between appstate and testcase?
6. What is the difference between testcase and function
7. Can any testcase be called within another testcase?
8. Can any testcase be called within function?
9. How can you make shared variables in Silk?
10. Tell me about options set file (*.opt)?
11. What is 4test? Do you know about classic 4 test and Visual 4test?
12. What is a test frame?
13. Tell me silktest workflows?
14. Where can you find all the methods for a class?
15. What is test identifier and tag?
16. What are the prefixes of every tag identifier while taking window declarations?
17. If you want to record the mouse move event, then what you have to do?
18. Explain Basic Workflow in silktest?
19. Explain Data Driven flow in Silktest?
20. Different types of tags and can we set the tag dynamically?
21. What do you meant by Silk Extension?
22. What are the different Variable pass-modes available and how will you use in scripting?
23. How can you start one application?
24. What do you mean by a DefaultBaseState and what role does it play in automated testing?
25. When is the SilkTest Recovery System used?
26. How can you run only the failed testcases in the second round of testing?
27. How can you do database testing using silk?
28. How will you implement immediate If statements?
29. How silkAgent interacts with script statements?
30. Description Equivalent to a function or method call.
31. Array and List Declaration
32. Can you give few of common silktest errors
33. What are the different file opening modes available in silk?
34. What is the difference between “Log Error”, “Log Warning”?
35. What is the difference between “ExceptLog” and “LogError” function?
36. How can you handle exceptions in silk?
37. What is the difference between “raise” and “re raise” statements in silk?
38. What are the uses of “Use Path” & “Use File” text field Silk’s option> runtime dialog box?
39. What does it indicates “Agent.SetOption (OPT_APPREADY_TIMEOUT, 180)”?
40. How can you identify each and every radio button under radio button group?
41. What is extension enabler?
42. How will you access Database, retrieve the records using Silktest? Is there any limitation?
43. How do I add steps to DefaultBaseState?
44. Can I call Silk Scripts from an external shell program?
45. What are the default testplan attributes?
46. How to define new testplan attributes?
47. Where are the testplan attributes stored?
48. How to assign attribute values to test cases?
49. How to include a test case into a testplan?
50. How record a test case into a testplan automatically?
51. How to run all test cases in a testplan?

Application Related

1. What are the extensions available for IE and Netscape?
2. How can you develop script, to wait for complete navigation or what is the function to wait until browser is ready?
3. What is the difference between Browser and Browser2 objects?
4. How will you open a Browser (IE/Netscape/FireFox)?
5. Why is a new layer of HtmlText being recorded by SilkTest 6.0?
6. How can both Netscape and Internet Explorer declarations for SilkTest be consolidated into one set of declarations?
7. What is the use of “SetUserOption”?
8. What is the usage of "ShowBorderlessTables" option?
9. What is the difference between BrowserChild and BrowserPage objects?
10. How to specify a browser extension to a Web application?
11. What is class map? What are the different ways of defining class map?
12. What is option set? Have you ever used option set in silk?
13. How will you invoke the application, which has login dialogbox?
14. How will you invoke multiple applications in single test suite?
15. Have you ever tested images using silk? What are the methods you have used?
16. Custom objects - Not similar to any standard objects. For ex., Excel, SpreadSheet
17. What is silk bean?
18. What are the settings required to invoke a Java application?
19. What are the settings required to identify Flex objects?

Advanced Silktest

1. Explain about Open Agent
2. Difference between Classic and Open Agent
3. Explain about Silk4j.
4. Explain about Extension Kit.
5. Explain how silktest supports OOPs concepts? Give few examples.
6. How will you extend a method, which is defined for a class?
7. What does the recording statement do?
8. How will you overwrite default script and Testcase procedures ?
9. Have you automated any dynamic pages/controls? How have you done, explain?
10. How silktest supports DLLs?
11. How will you run the scripts into another machine?
12. What are the steps or procedures, you will follow to make silktest suite as robust?
13. Give an example of setting agent value at runtime?
14. What is default base state in silk? How can you implement the default base state to its customized base state?
15. When it is necessary to create a “plan” file instead of “suit” file in silk?
16. What are the different tags available in “partner.ini” file?
17. How can you define your own property set?
18. Silk is having built in recovery system. How is it working?
19. Few lines of code for some string manipulation operations.
20. How do I set a option set file dynamically?
21. How will you handle if a window has many parents?
22. How will test the application remotely?
23. Can you avoid the use of sleep()? How?
24. Have you used Registry related functions?
25. To create, or "spawn," multiple threads, which statements you will be going to use?
26. Have you ever used “multitestcase”? Can you tell me in brief.
27. What is LinkTester?
28. What are the functions offered by DBTester?

Automation Framework

1. What is automation framework?
2. Tell me about few of the Industry standard automation frameworks
3. Have you ever make an internationalization frame work using silk? What are the constraints you need to take care while making your silk framework as independent of OS, Language?
4. Different types of framework with a brief explanation of each.
5. Efficient ways of handling custom objects and Dynamically changing objects?
6. Have you used XML and Excel files as your input data?

Winrunner - Expert Questions

Earlier I had prepared set of questions to ask for WinRunner interview. I have given few of them below:

Expert Questions - WinRunner

1. Scope of public, static, extern, auto variables.


2. Differnce between Compiled Module and Main script


3. What's the purpose of the wrun.ini file?


4. What is the difference between "set_window" and "win_activate"?


5. What is a checkpoint and what are different types of checkpoints?


6. What are the virtual objects and how do you learn them?


7. How can you merge GUI maps & tell me the possible ways?


8. What is meant by GUI mapping? What is the concept behind that?


9. What are the difference between calling a script and compiled module?


10. What is the difference between loading a script and calling a script?


11. Why do we go for eval to call a script?


12. What is the difference between treturn, texit, return?


13. What is the usage of tl_step?


14. Tell about Match statement in WinRunner?


15. What is function generator? How to use this in Winrunner?


16. What is the difference between GUI_close_all and GUI_unload_all() ?


17. Tell me about substr, index, split?


18. What is synchronization point and tell me the usage of that?


19. What is the difference between writing a function and writing a script?


20. How do you handle unexpected events and errors?

Winrunner - SET_WINDOW and WIN_ACTIVATE

This is one of my favorite and Expert questions in Winrunner.

1. What is the difference between "set_window" and "win_activate"?
2. When would you use "set_window" and when would you use "win_activate"?

win_activate has the syntax win_activate(window);. The win_activate function
makes the specified window the active window by bringing it into focus and
raising it to the top of the display. (It is the equivalent to clicking on the
window banner)

Set_window has the following syntax: set_window(window,[time]);
The set_window function directs input to the right application window. This
directs the GUI map to this window. It also sets the scope for object
identification in the GUI map.

The most important difference is that set_window has a timing option.
WinRunner will wait a maximum of the number used in the function, PLUS the system set timeout, to wait for the window to appear. Win_activate assumes the window is already on the desktop and has no timing option.