You can use the
Identify Object dialog box to identify the locator of an object in the application under test (AUT), including objects that are not visible,
for example containers. Depending on whether you are using object map entries during testing or not, the locator is the name
of the object map item or the XPath locator of the selected object. When using object map entries during testing, the name
of an object map item is used as an alias of the XPath locator of an object. When you have identified the locator of an object
with the
Identify Object dialog box, you can use the locator in visual tests and VB .NET scripts. You can also use the
Identify Object dialog box to validate that an XPath locator or an object map entry is valid and corresponds to the expected object.
You can start the
Identify Object dialog box in several ways, including the following:
- In the toolbar, click
Identify Object.
Note: If you have not specified a test application, the
Select Application dialog box opens, allowing you to specify the application from which you want to identify the object.
- In the menu, click
.
Note: If you have not specified a test application, the
Select Application dialog box opens, allowing you to specify the application from which you want to identify the object.
- In the
Start Screen, select the
Get Started tab and click
Identify Object.
Note: The
Select Application dialog box opens, allowing you to specify the application from which you want to identify the object.
- In an existing visual test, select a test step that refers to an object that you want to change. Open the
Properties pane, click into the
Locator field and select
.
The
Identify Object dialog box includes the following controls:
- Start Identify
- Click
Start Identify to start recording object information in the test application. Click
Stop Identify to bring the application under test into the appropriate state before recording a locator.
- Selection mode
- The selection mode defines how you can select the object that you want to identify. In
Click mode, click on the object that you want to identify. In
Hot Key mode, move the mouse cursor over the object that you want to identify and use the keystroke combination specified in the
Keystroke list box. Typically, you choose the
Hot Key mode to capture objects that only appear when they are clicked by the user, for example menus or combo-boxes. With the
Hot Key mode, you can select the object and then press the hot key keystroke combination to capture the locator without dismissing
the object.
- Selected Locator
- Displays the captured locator. When you click
Start Identify, the
Selected Locator field displays the locator of the object in the AUT, over which the mouse cursor is currently located.
Note: If you are testing on a browser, the
Selected Locator field displays the locator only when you actually capture it.
- Test
- Click this button to highlight the selected object in the application under test. You can use this button to verify that you
have selected the correct object.
- Hide Locator Details/Show Locator Details
- Click this link to show or hide the
Locator Details table.
- Locator Details table
- The
Locator Details table lists the objects and their related class type, locator value, and attributes for the application that you are testing,
which enables you to see the hierarchy of the application. You can use this table to refine your selection and the attributes
that you want to assign to the object. For instance, sometimes the auto-generated locator is not the best locator to use in
a given test. You can use the
Locator Details table to find a more relevant property to use with the locator.
- Show object maps
- Check this check box to display object map item names in the
Locator column. Object map item names associate a logical name (an alias) with a control or a window, rather than the control or
window's locator. By default, object map item names are displayed. To use locators, uncheck this check box.
- Show full locators
- Check this check box to display the full locator name. To show only the attribute associated with the object, uncheck this
check box.
- Show properties
- Check this check box to display any attributes and attribute values for the object selected in the
Locator Details table. You can select attributes in this table to use in the locator identification. To hide the Properties subtree and display
only locator details, uncheck this check box.
- Paste
- Click this button to copy the
Selected Locator into the appropriate visual test, script, or object map.
After you capture an object with the
Identify Object dialog box, you can: