Skip to content AscentialTest is an automated testing tool, manual testing tool and test management tool. It is a productivity tool for software testing. AscentialTest provides a highly visual environment for developing manual and automated tests and managing the testing process.
Zeenyx understands that the cost of maintenance erodes the return on investment in test automation and has given it the highest priority in the product’s design. The step-based approach allows testers to create durable tests that are as easy to maintain as they are to create. By eliminating the need to build a costly test framework, AscentialTest reduces the level of effort, increases productivity and lowers the cost of software testing.
The Primary Components of AscentialTest®
Test frameworks are costly to build and maintain. Unlike keyword-driven testing, AscentialTest does not require the development of a test framework. AscentialTest is a productivity tool for software testing. It has been designed to lower the learning curve, reduce test creation time and minimize the level of effort to maintain tests. Instead of investing time in building frameworks, software testers can spend more time testing. AscentialTest provides a highly visual environment where test components are created using drag and drop in an easy 4 step process
Users point and click to capture Snapshots, which contain all of the data required to expose and organize application objects and attributes. Users define objects by dragging and dropping to the object repository.
AscentialTest marries the usability of a recorder with the strength of script-based testing. Reusable steps are created by point and click. Actions are automatically generated by interacting with Snapshots.
Reusable tests are built by dragging and dropping steps. AscentialTest automatically generates data tables and binds to the data fields of the test. As the library of steps grows, the pace of building new tests accelerates. The most important benefit of the Step-Based approach is not realized until the target application changes over time. When the target application changes, only the impacted steps need to be modified. All the tests that use those steps are automatically updated. This not only saves time and resources, it assures that tests are ready when you need them.
Data tables are automatically generated by AscentialTest based on test input fields. Data tables offer significant advantages over spreadsheets for maintaining test data. Instead of storing only strings, AscentialTest data tables store data in the type that is required by test actions including complex lists and records. Users can automatically generate data tables from tests or build them visually using a specialized editor. All the user has to do is provide the test data.
AscentialTest provides a unique way to create and execute manual tests. Manual tests are developed by combining and organizing re-usable steps by drag and drop. At test execution time, the tester is prompted with instructions for each step and provided a way to capture outputs, notes, images and attachments. Results are stored along with automated test results, making it easy to generate comprehensive reports. AscentialTest provides a highly visual environment where test components are created using drag and drop in an easy 4 step process
Build reusable steps to reduce test maintenance when the target application changes in the future.
Reusable tests are built by dragging and dropping steps. AscentialTest automatically generates data tables and binds to the data fields of the test. As the library of steps grows, the pace of building new tests accelerates. The most important benefit of the Step-Based approach is not realized until the target application changes over time. When the target application changes, only the impacted steps need to be modified. All the tests that use those steps are automatically updated. This not only saves time and resources, it assures that tests are ready when you need them.
Data tables are automatically generated by AscentialTest based on test input fields. Data tables offer significant advantages over spreadsheets for maintaining test data. Instead of storing only strings, AscentialTest data tables store data in the type that is required by test actions including complex lists and records. Users can automatically generate data tables from tests or build them visually using a specialized editor. All the user has to do is provide the test data.
The manual test prompter invokes on the tester’s computer and provides instructions along with the ability to capture outputs, notes and attachments.
AscentialTest is designed to make it easy to manage test plans, test data, manual and automated tests, test results and metrics. It supports collaborations and integrates easily with version control, defect tracking and continuous delivery solutions.
The Test Plan Editor is a planning tool used to describe test requirements in outline, list or scenario form. It provides links to manual and automated tests and to test data stored in built-in data tables.
AscentialTest is integrated with Jira for defect tracking to provide a way to manage the relationship between test results and defects. (Figure 1)
Failures can be associated with defects so that testers will be notified when defects have been fixed and ready for re-testing. (Figure 2)
AscentialTest offers several collaboration features by integrating seamlessly with other software development tools. By integrating with version control systems like Subversion (SVN), large teams can contribute to the test development effort. Integration with GIT and TFS will also be offered in the near future.
Test Sets provide test execution management and reporting. A Test Set may be created for a build, a sprint, a test cycle or a project, depending upon how your organization tests and delivers software. Test Sets help manage test results.
AscentialTest makes it easy to mange test data and integrate it with manual and automated tests.
AscentialTest recognizes application elements regardless of complexity without coding hacks or reliance on fragile OCR
Why it’s Important
Object recognition is the foundation of GUI test automation. Object-action based tests rely on stable definitions of all application elements especially complex tables and grids.
How We Address It
The patented AscentialTest Snapshot displays a document-object-model that enables stable recognition of all application elements regardless of their relative position in the object hierarchy.
How Others Do It
Other tools recognize each object by its full path in the object hierarchy. Future changes in the target application GUI will break object definitions requiring changes to path/locator to resolve recognition problems.
Why Our Approach is Better
Changes in object hierarchy in the future have no impact on object recognition whatsoever.
Creating tests with our drag & drop editors is faster and more efficient than recording or scripting
Why it’s Important
Testing productivity is about time, cost and level of effort to develop and maintain tests utilizing the skills of the existing test team.
How We Address It
The patented AscentialTest snapshot provides a way to generate object definitions and object-actions by dragging and dropping. The AscentialTest UI is designed so that project components are within easy reach to enable drag & drop to build tests from reusable steps, to bind test data to tests and to bind tests to test plans.
How Others Do It
Tools that rely on recorders to generate object-actions look great in a demo but when you actually try to use one, you find out that the recording requires a lot of time-consuming editing, requiring a long chain of user actions to select values from dialogs loaded with text fields and dropdowns. Other test solutions that rely on scripting require special skill sets and long learning curves.
Why Our Approach is Better
Building test automation through Drag & Drop reduces the learning curve, does not require a specialized skill set and provides the fastest, most efficient way to build robust automated tests.
Video will show D&D quickly through the entire process of defining objects, creating a step and parameterizing it, building test, binding a data table, binding to a plan and building a test set.
Stop creating test frameworks and focus on your testing
Why it’s Important
Time should be focused on building tests that validate the target application, not on test frameworks which can take weeks or months to build.
How We Address It
Based upon information captured from the target application along with our class library, AscentialTest automatically builds pre-test and post-test actions as part of the Test Class from which every test inherits. Users can add actions to customize for the target application.
How Others Do It
Other solutions require a framework to be developed and then implemented for each test.
Why Our Approach is Better
The AscentialTest Test Class ensures that every test is independent, starting and stopping from known ‘base states’, so that a failure in a test will not produce a domino effect where all subsequent tests fail.
Video will show how appstate is automatically generate and how OnFinish is configured with Close Windows function.
Testing projects can get messy without good management tools
Why it’s Important
Over time, testing projects might contain thousands or tens of thousands of tests. Good management tools are needed to keep track of test components, provide a way to locate those components and integrate the pieces together seamlessly.
How We Address It
AscentialTest includes all the test management features that you need to inventory, track and integrate steps, tests, test plans and test data tables.
How Others Do It
Most other testing solutions require the purchase of additional tools that are either part of suite or from third parties where integration is cumbersome.
Why Our Approach is Better
Built-in test management increases productivity by speeding up the process of building and executing tests which reduces the duration of test cycles and increases the probability of meeting project target dates.
Testing productivity involves meaningful integration with collaboration tools
Why it’s Important
Testing tools don’t exist in a vacuum. The ability to interface smoothly with version control, defect tracking and continuous integration impacts tester productivity.
How We Address It
AscentialTest integration for version control and defect tracking is built right into the User Interface. Users can acquire locks and commit changes from the Project Explorer. Changes in defect status automatically mark tests to be run when bugs are fixed. Plug-ins are available for popular CI tools.
How Others Do It
These features are lacking in most testing tools. Other solutions provide lose integration with collaboration tools often using the Windows File Manager.
Why Our Approach is Better
Productivity is increased when users can access integration with collaboration features from within AscentialTest.
Video will demonstrate lock and commit with Subversion integration and Mark tests by change in status from Jira integration.
Let AscentialTest do the heavy-lifting when it comes to tables, grids and trees
Why it’s Important
Complex objects like tables, grids and trees exist in most target applications. Recognizing rows, columns and elements contained in cells is imperative. Likewise the ability to locate a row even when scrolled out of view is a basic requirement.
How We Address It
The AscentialTest class library contains in-built intelligence regarding the structure and behavior of the table family of elements. Whether the target application is DotNet, PowerBuilder, Terminal or Web, AscentialTest recognizes all of the element components. A unique action called a ‘selector’ locates a row by searching the table and finding a specified value.
How Others Do It
Other solutions require some combination of OCR, image recognition or a lot of coding in order to make sense of a complex object and interface with it at the row and column level.
Why Our Approach is Better
The AscentialTest table interface allows users to select, input or edit rows in complex objects using drag & drop as seamlessly as interfacing with a simple edit field without any coding.
Video will include drag and drop definition of PB and DotNet tables and the webtable wizard. It will also demonstrate how selectors are used to locate rows.
Reuse promote faster building and maintenance of tests
Why it’s Important
Test maintenance is the most important consideration when evaluating a testing solution. In our years of consulting work, we discovered that teams were spending as much time keeping tests up to date as it took to build them in the first place. Clearly the return on investment was being lost with every change cycle.
How We Address It
We recognize that tests need to be built on a stable foundation. Our object and step libraries provide a single point of change to maintain tests when there is a change to the business or application logic of the target application. In AscentialTest objects, steps, tests and test data are all reusable.
How Others Do It
While there is a smattering of reuse employed by many of the competing solutions, we have not seen any other solution that allows a single point of change for objects, steps, tests and test data.
Why Our Approach is Better
Because objects, steps, tests and test data are reusable, there are fewer components to build and maintain. Changes to the target application will result in the fewest possible changes to the testing project so that test are quickly and easily modified and ready to run when you need them.
AscentialTest is used all over the globe to test applications that support retail, telecom, healthcare, finance, banking, insurance, manufacturing, engineering, education, point of sale (POS), you name it and across a multitude of platforms:
AscentialTest provides PowerBuilder automated testing support for applications from PB v6.x right up to the most current version of Appeon PowerBuilder, Power Server and Power Client including embedded Chrome and MSWebView2. The Datawindow is recognized regardless of its presentation style: Form, Grid, Group, Tabular.
PB Table Support: The image below displays a Datawindow in the form of what we call a PbTable. It has rows and columns that can contain any number of control types (checkbox, popuplist, textfield, etc.). AscentialTest provides a special feature called a ‘selector’, which makes it easy to locate a row in a table based on a target value. In the example below, the selector has located the third row in the table because it contains the test value ‘Table Management”:
PB Form Support: AscentialTest also recognizes the Datawindow in the form of what we call ‘PbForm’. Notice that the PbForm displayed below contains many different types of application objects including PbText, PbTextField, PbRadioGroup and PbCheckBox. These are only some of the control types that can be included on a form.
PB Toolbar Support: Most PowerBuilder applications include tool bars with icons that represent application tasks. AscentialTest provides special recognition for those tool bar icons to make it easy to select them:
PB Ribbon Support: Appeon recently introduced the ribbon bar as an alternative to the toolbar. As compared to the standard tool bar, the ribbon bar can contain PowerBuilder elements like Checkbox, TextField, PopupList and ComboBox:
AscentialTest provides automated testing for terminal-based applications like iSeries and AS/400. Whether you’re emulating 3270 or 5250, we’ve got you covered. AscentialTest provides support for all terminal controls and command keys along with specialized object recognition for tables.
Terminal Object Recognition: All terminal control types are recognized by AscentialTest, making it easy to drive and verify terminal-based target applications.
Terminal Table Support: AscentialTest provides a table interface that allows the user to easily get, verify, select and set table elements in the target application:
AscentialTest recognizes terminal tables and provides a special feature called a ‘selector’, which makes it easy to locate a row in a table based on a target value. In the example below, the selector has located the forth row in the table because it contains the test value ‘AAA0000001’:
AscentialTest provides automated Pdf testing and verification for target application-generated documents.
The ability to verify the contents of a Pdf document may be an important part of an automated test transaction. Manual verification is time-consuming and error prone because of the amount of detail contained in the generated document. With AscentialTest, you can verify textual components within a Pdf document even if they are arranged in complex structures like tables or grids. Pdf verification is added to tests using the same drag and drop features that are used for developing automated tests against the GUI of the target application.
PDF Table Support: AscentialTest provides a special feature called a ‘selector’, which makes it easy to locate a row in a Pdf table based on a target value. In the example below, the selector has located the second row in the table because the ‘Part No’ column contains the test value ‘336003’:
Selectors make it easy to get and set values to table objects. The ‘Test Value’ field provides a way for the user to test the selector and ensure that it has been correctly defined. Selectors are used in automated pdf tests to set and get values from application objects. The example below displays a test action that uses a selector on a pdf table. It verifies the description of the part that is identified with the selector value ‘336003’.
To learn about how to insert PDF verification into your automated tests, check out this article from our blog: PDF Comparison. The article describes how AscentialTest can be used to compare an application-generated Pdf document to a baseline, masking out lines that contain variable data like date and time stamps.
AscentialTest provides DotNet automated testing for applications developed with either WinForms or WPF. All standard DotNet controls are supported including: checkbox, combobox, datagrid, expander, group, label, listbox, listview, menu, menubar, menuitem, popuplist, pushbutton, radiobutton, richtextfield, statusbar, statuspart, tab, tabgroup, text, textfield, togglebutton, toolbar, toolbutton and treeview.
Third-party controls from Component One and DevExpress are also supported. Extensions for other third-party suppliers are in the works.
In addition, an extension kit is available to add automated testing support for custom controls that have been developed by your organization.
DotNet Table Support:
AscentialTest provides unparalleled automated testing support for tables or grids developed with either WinForms or WPF including third-party controls from Component One and DevExpress.
The AscentialTest table interface allows the user to easily get, verify, select and set table elements in the target application:
The image below depicts a DotNet WPF DataGrid:
Selectors support DotNet automated testing by making it easy to get and set values to table objects. The ‘Test Value’ field provides a way for the user to test the selector and ensure that it has been correctly defined. Selectors are used in automated tests to set and get values from application objects. The example below displays a test action that uses a selector. It verifies the first name of the person that is identified with the selector value ‘Meyer’.
Automated Web Testing: Unlike other testing solutions, AscentialTest does not rely on xPath to locate objects. We’ve developed a much more powerful object recognition engine that ignores the html hierarchy. As a result, objects are consistently recognized as the target application is modified over time regardless of changes to the object hierarchy or dynamically generated IDs.
AscentialTest provides built-in synchronization so that you don’t have to worry about whether the browser is in a loading or ready state, but if you want to wait for an object to appear or disappear, we’ve got that covered too with easy to use drag and drop synchronization actions.
AscentialTest also includes built-in support for unexpected popups and drag and drop validations for an array of attributes.
All tests are cross-browser. No adjustments are needed to successfully execute tests across all supported browsers. Just pick any browser, build your tests and then run them against the other browsers.
Web Table Recognition Wizard:
AscentialTest provides a table recognition wizard to help users define web tables by drag and drop.
The table, row class and all of the columns that contain the table objects are automatically defined.
Web Table Support:
AscentialTest provides a special feature called a ‘selector’, which makes it easy to locate a row in a table based on a target value. In the example to the right, the selector ‘SelectByFrom’ has located the fifth row in the table because it contains the test value ‘Seshi Reddy’
Selectors make it easy to get and set values to table objects. The ‘Test Value’ field provides a way for the user to test the selector and ensure that it has been correctly defined. Selectors are used in automated tests to set and get values from application objects. The example below shows two test actions. The first checks the ‘Msgid’ checkbox in the row that has been identified with the selector value ‘Reddy’.
The second action gets the value of the ‘Subject’ field in the row that has been identified with the selector value ‘Reddy’. Selectors make it easy to interact with objects contained in a complex object like a table or grid.
Selenium Comparison:
There is no denying that Selenium is widely used automated web testing, at least in part because it is open source. While the set of tools that comprise Selenium are free of charge, it is debated just as widely whether or not ‘free’ is really ‘free’. Consider that in any test automation project, the fee for the tool is only a small part of the overall budget when compared with the cost of building the tests. So if you pay $10,000.00 for a testing tool and $100,000.00 in labor costs, have you saved money for your organization by selecting an open source tool, when it costs many times more to build and maintain the tests?
Because Selenium is open source, supporters tend to focus on the highlights and overlook the limitations. No where will you read that Selenium is an awesome testing tool. You won’t read that it is easy to use or that the tests are easy to maintain. If there were a charge for Selenium, it is unlikely that it would be selected at all when compared to tools like AscentialTest that have been designed to promote productivity and provide a substantial return on investment in the first year of usage.
Here are some of the factors that we would like for you to consider when choosing between an open-source tool like Selenium and a for-fee tool like AscentialTest:
The second action gets the value of the ‘Subject’ field in the row that has been identified with the selector value ‘Reddy’. Selectors make it easy to interact with objects contained in a complex object like a table or grid.
AscentialTest is the only testing solution that provides Omins automated testing support, available for applications built with Omnis 10 right up to the most current version.
Omnis Table Support:
The image below displays an Omins table in the form of what we call a CustomTable. It has rows and columns that can contain any number of control types (checkbox, popuplist, textfield, etc.).
AscentialTest provides a special feature called a ‘selector’, which makes it easy to locate a row in a table based on a target value. In the example below, the selector has located the third row in the table because it contains the test value ‘Arsenal’:
Omnis Elements Support:
AscentialTest Omins automated testing support is comprehensive. All Omins elements are supported including Breadcrumb, CheckBox, ComboBox, ContextMenu DropdownList, ListBox, MenuItem, PopupList, PushButton, RadioButton, TabGroup, Table/Grid, TextField, Toolbar and Treeview.
AscentialTest is the only testing solution that provides Omins automated testing support, available for applications built with Omnis 10 right up to the most current version.
API Testing
In addition to the capabilities for testing and validation of the target application GUI, AscentialTest provides facilities for back-end, API testing:
ODBC
AscentialTest provides a Database class that allows the user to make SQL calls through drag and drop. The images below outline the available commands and provide examples of the primary actions:
Rest and Soap
The Rest class provides a way to make Rest and Soap calls to a web server. The images below outline the available commands and provide examples of the primary actions:
File interfaces
AscentialTest provides file interfaces for CSV, INI, JSON, PDF, Text, XML files. All actions are drag & drop:
System and Windows commands
AscentialTest provides the ability to interact with the file system, make system calls and access the registry and environment variables. The images below outline the available commands and provide examples of the selected actions:
DLL
AscentialTest provides the ability to call methods published in system and application DLLs
Automated testing, manual testing and test management tools that are easy to learn, easy to use, and easy to maintain.
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