Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!bloom-beacon!visual.UUCP!mjb
From: mjb@visual.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Driving a User Interface From a File
Message-ID: <9002150428.AA06493@bird.visual.uu.net>
Date: 15 Feb 90 04:28:43 GMT
References: <7064@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV>
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: Visual Technology, Westboro MA
Lines: 26

In article <7064@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV> you write:
>Why?  For regression testing, but also for "batch" processing
>(oh no!), for defining macros, for feeding "commands" into
>a user interface by a text selection...
>
>I.e., the user does something, and a file "magically" devlops which
>mimics the user's actions.  This file is a script which can then
>be read in by that application.

A very similar beast was produced by the late, lamented X Test
Consortium (no affiliation with the MIT X Consortium).  A mechanism
known as the Input Synthesis server extension was developed by HP for
testing X server implementations, but is generally useful for testing X
applications as well.

The extension's main calls are XTestMovePointer, XTestPressButton,
XTestPressKey, XTestGetInput, and XTestStopInput. A couple of host
clients, xrecord and xplayback, create and replay a script of input
actions.  I'll mail you the spec.

All Visual X terminals have this extension, if you're interested in
playing with it.  
					Mike Braca
					Visual Technology
					mjb@visual.uu.net
					+1 508 836 4400