Introduction to Ranorex Automation Tool: Components & Features

What is Ranorex?

Ranorex is a software testing tool that provides test automation for multiple environments, devices, and software applications. It allows the users to perform functional testing on desktop, web, or mobile applications. It supports various user interface technologies that include Java, HTML, C#, Flash, Android, iOS, and Silverlight. It reduces test automation maintenance offering complete flexibility i.e. script-free testing for the non-programmers, seamless integration of Ranorex into the existing environments. It allows the users to create, maintain and run automated tests. It makes the testing reliable with the early detection of bugs.

Ranorex test automation Library is modeled on the .NET framework. This extensive library is the backbone of this popular automation tool. Without writing a single line of code, test cases can be written. The user actions are simulated using the record and replay tool into the recording modules. It makes use of Xpath technology for objects’ identification.

Components of Ranorex:

• Automated Testing Software:

Ranorex studio provides the Recorder, Repository, and Spy, all under the completely integrated test environment.

• Ranorex Recorder:

With this tool, one can record the test cases by recording and playing back a user’s actions while navigating through the application during the testing process. In the recording mode, while the user browses the application, the recorder records the user actions in the action table, which can be modified manually later on. The recorded user actions and the associated UI elements are saved as individual items and therefore can be easily accessed and edited.

• Ranorex Spy:

This tool lets the user put the UI elements of an application through the scanner. It is a query language that allows the tester to validate the application in order to identify and filter out various UI elements easily. This tool provides the mapping information of these GUI elements to change the Xpath.

• Ranorex Repository:

UI elements of the application that are being analyzed can be found under the Ranorex Repository. It is a part of Ranorex Studio, the test development environment and is also integrated with Ranorex Spy and Ranorex Recorder. This repository can be used to create a logical mapping of these UI elements which will ultimately help in managing test sequence actions and element identifications.

For each test project, a repository (.rxrep) file is created. Different repositories can be created for different test cases. Repository elements are mapped to the ‘Repository Element’ column in the Action table.

Features of Ranorex:

1. The powerful feature of Ranorex is Cross-platform testing. Once the test cases are written, they can be executed on different mobile devices like Android and iPhone.

2. It offers a user interface object recognition model that is reliable and is totally dependent on Ranorex XPath technology.

3. It provides a toolset that allows the user to automate the UI testing by recording the UI actions without writing any code.

4. It offers a spy engine that tracks the details of each and every user interface element present on the application’s screen. Its object recognition feature helps the user to identify the UI elements of the application.

5. It directly records the test cases from real mobile devices. While editing the recorded steps, there is no need to write a single line of code.

6. It supports text validation of any text view present on the screen. For this validation, a variable is specified and attached to the test case.

7. It allows the Ranorex script to be executed from anywhere in between the commands of a particular test case.

8. It supports image-based validation i.e. the images in the application can be compared with an expected image as a whole or subset of an image. The image under test can be the screenshot of the application or it can be directly uploaded in the software.