Introduction

This chapter describes several ways by which data can be used to drive automated tests in UFT. Data-driven tests enable us to cover different paths in a test flow, by supplying a coded script with different sets of values to its parameters. These include input data for manipulating GUI objects and, where relevant, also the expected output from the application under test. In other words, a data-driven script is one whose behavior changes when fed with different sets of input data.

We can retrieve input data using the global DataTable object. The first seven recipes explain how we can work with a DataTable to attain various goals related to the concept of data-driven tests. The next two recipes deal with Environment variables using the Environment object. The Reading values from an INI file and Using a configuration file to manage test environments recipes show how to retrieve values from INI files and how to manage test environments with them. Finally, the Using a global dictionary for fast shared data access and Using a global dictionary for fast shared code access recipes describe advanced techniques for fast shared data and code access using a Dictionary object.

Tip

When we work with a DataTable in UFT, we must keep in mind that an action datasheet always carries the same name as the associated action, and that its data is visible only to the action.