Prepare the functional test environment

This section describes the tasks perform to configure the functional test environment.

• Before you record
  Before you can start recording functional test scripts, perform the following setup and configuration tasks:

• Enable Java environments
  You need to enable Java environments before you can use Functional Tester to test Java applications. Functional Tester is shipped with a JRE that is automatically enabled during your install. The JRE is called "Default JRE." To enable other JREs, or if you install a new JRE, rerun the enabler.

• Enable web browsers
  You must enable your web browsers before you can use Functional Tester to test HTML applications. The first time you run Functional Tester, it automatically enables Internet Explorer. If you have Firefox enable them using the Enable button, as described below. If you add a new browser, or Functional Tester fails to find a browser, run the enabler.

• Enable Eclipse platforms
  You must enable the Eclipse platforms before you use Rational Functional Tester to test applications that are based on Eclipse.

• Enable SAP client and server
  To use Rational Functional Tester to test SAP applications, enable the SAP client and SAP server.

• Configure applications for testing
  You need to configure your Java, HTML, VB.NET, or Windows applications for testing with Functional Tester to provide name, path, and other information that Functional Tester uses to start and run the application. You use the Application Configuration Tool to configure applications.

• Enable response time breakdown
  You can enable response time breakdown to see how much time is spent in each part of the application as the test runs. To collect response time breakdown, the data collection infrastructure must be installed and running on all computers that are used in the distributed application under test.

• Browser enablement diagnostic tool
  The Browser Enablement Diagnostic Tool is used to diagnose problems you might have with enabling your browser for HTML testing. The tool will diagnose the enablement problem and report how to solve the problem.

• Enable the Java plug-in of a browser
  The Sun Java plug-in of your browser(s) must be enabled in order for some applets to be tested, and for the View Results link that launches the Verification Point Comparator from the HTML log to work properly. If you get an error regarding the plug-in during HTML testing, or when trying to launch the Comparator, use the following steps to fix the problem.

• Add references to external resources
  The test applications may refer to or use external resources like the DLLs in .Net IDE or JAR files in Eclipse IDE. To enable the test applications for using these files, add these references in Functional Tester.

• Configure Java environments for testing
  You need to configure your JREs for Java testing with Functional Tester. This provides path, run options, and other information that Functional Tester needs to access and use your JREs. You use the Java Environments tab of the Enable Environments dialog box to do this.

• Configure browsers for testing
  You need to configure your browsers for HTML testing with Functional Tester. This provides name, path, and other information that Functional Tester needs to access and use your browsers. You use the Web Browsers tab of the Enable Environments dialog box to do this.

• Import and export configuration and customization files
  You can configure and customize files in the configuration and the customization directories. The configuration files contains information such as the application that must be configured for testing. However, the customization files contain information about the external jar files used in your project, customization of any recognition properties, and third-party proxy extensions. You can export these files and later deploy them using the export and import utility. The default location for the configuration and customization file is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\IBM\RFT. For example: If you want to use the same configuration and customization files on different computers, you can archive these files and later deploy them using this utility.

• Functional Tester preferences
  You use the Preferences dialog box to customize various aspects of Functional Tester, such as settings for  time options; colors for the Verification Point Editor, the Verification Point Comparator, and the Object Map Editor; highlight color for test objects; operating system; playback; delays; log; playback monitor; ScriptAssure(TM); recorder;  recording monitor; and the workbench.