METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EXERCISING AN UNKNOWN PROGRAM WITH A GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE

摘要

A method is disclosed for automatically exercising a target application process having a Graphical User Interface (GUI), as is a system for implementing a method and a computer program, stored on a computer readable medium, that embodies the method. The method includes the computer executed steps of starting the target application process; detecting a presence of a first window opened by the target application process; processing the first window by determining a content of the first window, including a list of user controls; exercising the user controls until all of the user controls have been exercised, with user controls likely to cause termination being identified and exercised after user controls that are less likely to cause termination; and closing the first window. The step of exercising includes steps of estimating a best order of execution of user controls and text to be input to user input fields. If exercising a particular user control causes the first window to close before all of the user controls have been exercised for the first window, the method further includes steps of reopening the first window; and exercising user controls other than the particular user control unless the particular user control is required to close the first window when all of the window s user controls have been exercised. If exercising a particular user control causes the second window to open, the method includes steps of determining a content of the second window, including a list of user controls; exercising the user controls until all of the user controls of the second window have been exercised; closing the second window; and continuing the processing of the first window.