How to select specific element in Powerbuilder win

Question

I am trying to record/automate an application developed in Sybase' Powerbuilder. I am currently using HP UFT v12.54.

Using the default recording process, the object spy is only seeing the area on my PB Window, not the specific field/dropdown. In short, I am unable to select a specific object in the window.

Please see the following image:

I am trying to select the Authorized Signatory field, but instead, UFT does not see the specific element, but the field area Customer Data instead. UFT just references the fields in the area by xy axis, not the specific object. Is this the default behaviour?

Additional info: Application is developed in PowerBuilder v11.5

Any input would be appreciated.

Answer 1

This is not the default behavior of UFT with power builder applications, you should either see a PBWindow Object or Proper Powerbuilder objects in the Object Spy.

According to the PAM, UFT 12.54 supports Powerbuilder 11.5+.

Below are the few things you can try

1) Make sure all of the latest patches are installed

2) Try to use record and run settings to open the power builder application. Once Record and run settings are set, click on record button and UFT will open the application. Then stop the recording, open object spy and check if its recognizing the objects after that.

3) Run UFT as admin. UFT needs the same privilege level as the application. So if you're application is running in higher privilege then UFT then UFT will not be able to recognize anything on the application.

If nothing works then you can open a ticket with HP, because powerbuilder 11.5 is supported by UFT 12.5.

Answer 2

if the first impediment is the modification of the application made in PB, then the next option would be to use a third application that supports applications made in PB. There is the TestComplete application that can do what you need. I leave you some information links.

http://testingbaires.com/testcomplete-automatizacion-de-testing/ https://smartbear.com/product/testcomplete/overview/ https://support.smartbear.com/testcomplete/docs/app-testing/desktop/power-builder/classic.html?q=powerbuilder#supported-powerbuilder-versions

I would personally modify the PB application by creating a module with the necessary battery of tests and running the study window with each and every case and applying an output report based on the needs, I understand that it would not be complicated.

Answer 3

The PowerBuilder's DataWindow control is a special custom-drawn control that cannot be accessed from outside of a PB application. It is internally managed and PB dynamically (re)uses the same windows edittext to get the input for one value at a time, while only drawing the rest of the data without using standard windows controls but a kind of canvas.

This is due to the initial portable design of PB (it used to be available for Solaris, MacOS and some other unices in the past) that implies a virtual machine like for Java (hence the pbvmxxx.dll for PB virtual machine).

I am afraid that from the outside, the only option to pilot a PB application would be to use sendkeys and mouse clicks, provided that the taborders are correct to access sequentially all the DW controls.