Start with Rational Functional tester (RFT)

Welcome to the world of RFT !!! RFT as in Rational Functional Tester. We want to know what is RFT ? How RFT works ? What is the use of RFT ? etc etc. So, let us start with the introduction of RFT.

RFT- Rational Functional Tester. 

Yess !! RFT is nothing but a Tester which tests the functionality. This is a 'Rational' product . Now, Rational has been owned by IBM. So we call RFT as - IBM Rational Functional Tester. 

RFT is used for automation testing of the functionality. So what RFT does is, it makes the manual job of testing easy. How ? The answer is, manually if the tester has to test a functionality then the tester opens the application, does some action on the screen, compares the actual result with the expected result, tells if the functionality test is passed or failed. Now, all this work of entering the data, comparing the results and announcing the result is done by RFT. 

In order to make RFT do the job for us, we have to teach RFT how to do it. This can be done by writing the scripts. These scripts can be written using either Java or .net.

Now let us understand how to write the scripts. There are two ways to do this job.

• Recording - Click On Record , perform the testing steps manually and once we are done press stop. A '.java' file will get created. In order to run it again and test; press the run button. RFT works !!  

• Write the scripts(Customization of scripts) - First ask yourself one question. Do I know Java? If Yes go ahead else learn java. In this case, we are going to write our own scripts instead of using RFT recorder. In order to accomplish this create an empty script. A '.java' file gets created. It will have a testMain method. Write the code inside the this method. Compile your code and play. RFT works !!!

This was about the basics of RFT. This article is meant for the beginners who have no idea about RFT.

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IBM RFT (Rational Functional Tester) & HP QTP (QuickTest Professional)

• The RFT is capable of generating VBscripts and Java scripts (Java statements). It is Eclipse based. 

• QTP generates only VBscripts.

• QTP is GUI based. Autodocumentation is created for each step performed by the user (in the table) in the keyword view and a novice tester finds the tool easy to work with.

•  RFT requires some programming experience.

• User actions performed during recording are replayed during playback. Multiple values selected using the shift keys did not work with the RFT. However,multiple select capabilities worked with QTP.

• RFT has data driven commands to generate different test cases. QTP uses “parameterizing the tests” to generate test cases. However, the output values have to be manually entered with the RFT. With QTP the output values are generated automatically.

• RFT is cheaper  than QTP

• The two tools have features that allow one script to call another script & identical activities are not repeated. This process is easily accomplished with the RFT compared to the QTP which requires technical expertise.

• The tools have smart recognition features which permit reuse of the script on a new build.

• The test results are displayed in the html/text log for the RFT. 

• But the QTP display the results in the form of a tree in the test result window. 

• When the target object was selected, tool gives a visual representation of the snapshot (captured during recording) in the screen recorder.

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