eValid™ -- Automated Web Quality Solution Browser-Based, Client-Side, Functional Testing & Validation, Load & Performance Tuning, Page Timing, Website Analysis, and Rich Internet Application Monitoring.

Introduction
This User Manual illustrates how to use eValid by taking you on a simple tour of all of the facilities in eValid.

GUI Operation
eValid is a full-featured Web Browser that has been "test enabled". eValid adds special testing functionality that permits you to record or create WebSite tests, play them back automatically, and generate tests having certain properties.

eValid is an "execution engine" for a full-featured test activity aimed at exercising the main features of a complex WebSite. It should be used in conjunction with a test management system such as eV.Manager, which has the capability to launch individual tests that invoke eValid's playback capability.

Keyboard Short Cuts
Many of the user functions can be accessed with function keys or other keyboard combinations. There is a Keyboard Short Cut Summary available.

Starting Up eValid
You start up eValid by double clicking on the product icon.

After installation you will see a pair of icons in the eValid installation area. You can drag the eValid icon to your screen as a shortcut.

This is how the screen looks when you start up eValid. The initial screen is the "banner" for the product, and gives you immediate access to the Help System. The Help System is implemented in HTML and includes this document.

eValid Browser Operation
The eValid browser works like your regular browser. It has all the essential operational features of a browser.

The first row of the eValid frame includes a range of pulldowns.

• File.
• View.
• Go.
• Favorites.
• Tools.
• Record.
• Playback.
• LoadTest
• Site Analysis.
• Settings.
• Window.
• Help. Help menu. Get help for eValid from this menu.

The second row of the eValid frame includes icons and fields as follows:

• Back. Go back to the prior page (if any).
• Forward. Go forward to the next page (if any).
• Stop. Stop the current activity.
• Refresh. Redraws the current page.
• Home. Go to the specified home page.
• Favorites. Store your favorite websites.
• Print. Invoke the printer.
• Font. Select fonts and choose font size.

The next line is the familiar Web Browser path, which shows the path (URL) of the page you are viewing.:

The title of the page you are viewing is given on the top of the display.

Help Pulldown
The Help Pulldown gives you access to eValid facts, the User's Manual, and to FAQ's about eValid.

Help > About will give you the basic facts about the eValid build you are using.

Help > Documentation > User Manual will link you directly to the current eValid User Manual.

Help > Documentation > FAQs will link you directly to the current eValid Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

The image at the left shows the result of the Help > About option.

eValid Operation Pulldown
Operation of eValid is simple and straightforward. You can make a recording, save it into a file, play it back, or play back some other file that you recorded previously. During recording or playback operations you can view four different "dialog boxes" (see below).

Functions available to you depend on the state of the recording process; if a command is "grayed out" that means it is unavailable at that point. For example,
Record > Validate > Selected > Text is available only during a recording operation.

These options control all eValid functions and facilities.

• Load Script File: Declare and open the current script_file:
  File > Open Script.

• Start Recording: Start recording into the current script_file:
  Record > Start Recording.

• Stop Recording: Stop recording into the current script_file:
  Record > Stop Recording.

• Start Playback: Start playback of the recording in the current script_file.
  Playback > Start Playback.

• Stop Playback: Stop playback of the recording in the current script_file.
  Playback > Stop Playback.

• Control Playback: Single Step, Pause and Resume, Run Multiple, and Run Forever for the current script file.
  Playback > Control Playback

• Validate Text: Add a validation checkpoint to the current script file. You do this by selecting text from the screen so that it is highlighted, and then click on this item. What is saved in the script_file is enough information so that, during playback, if the selected text is NOT equal to what was recorded then an error message results. Including options for Document, Selected or All.
  Record > Validate > Selected > Text.

• Timer: Invoke the built-in 1 msec. resolution timer.

  • You click on Reset Timer to enter a timer reset command in the script file.
    Record > Timer > Reset Timer.

  • You click on Read Timer to enter a timer read command in the script file.
    Record > Timer > Read Timer.

  • On playback the Timing Log will show actual time values the correspond to these requests. Window > Logs > Timing Log

  • You click on Set Alarm to trigger an alert in the script file.
    Record > Timer > Set Alarm.

• Wizards: Run one or more of the powerful eValid test creation wizards. See below. Record> Wizards > ...

• View: choose which files to view as eValid is working. See below. Window > Logs > ...

• Security: choose to enter or exit secure zone.
  Record > Security.

• Preferences: Choose certain user-selectable delay preferences. Settings > Preferences.

eValid Views
This pulldown gives you control over four important files that always accompany eValid operation.

These files are dialogs that are connected to the eValid version you are working with and as a result you can view these files only during the current session. As with any dialog box you can show any or all of them along with the eValid GUI; they will all disappear when you terminate your eValid session.

• Script File: This activates an on-screen display of the current script file. Window > Script Window.

• Messages: This activates an on-screen display of the current messages file. Window > Logs > Message Log. All Messages, Warnings, and Errors appear in this dialog box.

• Timing Log: This activates an on-screen display of the current timing file.Window > Logs > Timing Log. All outputs from the built in timer appear in this dialog.

• Events Log: This activates an on-screen display of the current events output. Window > Logs > Event Log. A selection of main events that affect eValid operation during playback, including timing information and Messages, Warning and Errors appear in this dialog. Note that this file may be quite verbose.

• View All: For display of files. Window > Logs > All Above Logs

Script Window
The sample shown is typical of eValid's dialog boxes. This dialog shows the script window as you are making a recording or when you are playing it back. The example shows a typical script file after creation and prior to replay. Note that there are many options for processing the current script available from icons on the window.

Validate Text Operation
The image at left shows a highlighted text that has been selected by the tester and the corresponding recorded script file with the selected text recorded.

The text highlighted is "dynamic testing". During playback if this text is not present in the page in the same position logically then an Error is issued. The checking is independent of the page size and type font but instead is dependent on the text being in the underlying representation at the same logical location.

This validation step makes the playback tolerant (i.e. accepting of) unimportant changes in the geometry of the rendering from the downloaded page. At the same time the playback is very sensitive to changes in content.

1. A document by elements, size or last modified date.

2. By selected text or images.

3. By all Images or applets.

Using the Timer Function
You can edit any script file, whether you recorded it or created it manually or edited it from a recording that you did manually, to invoke the built-in timer capability.

Times are reported in whole seconds with millisecond (msecs) resolution. Timings are accurate overall to 0.1 msec.

You reset the timer with Record > Timer > Reset Timer, as seen in the example script.

You can read the timer at any time without resetting it by using the command Record > Timer > Read Timer, as seen in the example script.

eValid Preferences
Certain user preferences can be adjusted during eValid execution time using the Preferences option. The preferences display shown in the picture indicates the delay preferences that you can select.

eValid Wizards
This pulldown gives you access to important test wizards that make your work a lot easier. Each eValid test wizard generates in the current script file a specific kind of test for the page in view at the time that you click the wizard button.

All such tests are delivered into the current script_file. Here is a sample picture of how this pulldown appears.

• Generate Button Test. This generates a test script that fully exercises all buttons in a page by going to them one by one.
  Record > Wizards > Button Test Wizard.

• Generate Form Test. The Validate All Text Wizard generates a test script that fully exercises a FORM section of the current WebPage.
  Record > Wizards > Form Test Wizard.

• Record Goto All Links in Page. The generates a test script that fully exercises all links in a page by going to them one by one.
  Record > Wizards > Link Wizard.

• Validate All Text In Page. The Validate All Text Wizard creates a script file (i.e. a synthetic recording) that, when played back, will confirm that every segment of this page is present (independent of the HTML rendering) in the page, and will issue error reports if ANY difference is found.