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From: fritchie@sachiko.acc.stolaf.edu (Scott Fritchie)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Automatic software testing
Message-ID: <1991Apr30.201322.980@news.stolaf.edu>
Date: 30 Apr 91 20:13:22 GMT
Sender: news@news.stolaf.edu
Reply-To: fritchie@sachiko.acc.stolaf.edu (Scott Fritchie)
Organization: St. Olaf College; Northfield, MN
Lines: 28

Greetings Net-Land!

As part of our monthly software release cycle, we do a *large* amount
of testing.  Currently, this testing involves a lot of testing by hand:
using a 120+ page test script, a human types in data, compares the 
results on the screen to what the test script expects, .....

What we'd like to do is automate much of the human-based testing we
currently do.  The ideal package would be one that would:
	1. record and play back keystrokes
	2. capture screen text (and attributes)
	3. compare captured screens to "correct" screens

Our applications are text only and do not use a mouse.  The ideal
package, however, ought to be able to deal with them as well.

We've evaluated one package about 8 months ago, CAPBAK (?).  We sent
it back because of various annoying "features" and limitations.

Are there any DOS packages that will help us automating this testing,
or are we simply dreaming?

						-Scott
---
  Scott Fritchie, 4810 Underwood Ave., Omaha, NE 68132-2420 USA  402.553.4084
     Government Services, American Express's Integrated Marketing Services
 Play: fritchie@acc.stolaf.edu  ..!umn-cs!stolaf!fritchie  Work: 402.498.2124
   "Yeah, boss, I'll be in late today.  UNIX refuses to boot on my Ford."