setting	value						
setting	verify picture	yes						
&nbsp								
	program							
start program	C:\Program Files\LogiGear\TestArchitect\samples\CarRental\CarRental.exe							
&nbsp								
	window	control	click type					
click	login	login	left					
click	welcome	view cars	left					
&nbsp								
	window	tree	node path	type				
click tree node	view cars	car select tree	Car Types/Standard/Chevrolet Monte Carlo	left				
&nbsp								
	window	control	property	variable				
get control property	view cars	car image	width	control_width				
get control property	view cars	car image	height	control_height				
&nbsp								
	window	control	name	question	left	top	width	height
check picture	view cars	car image	chevrolet	Is it a yellow chevrolet?	0	0	# control_width	# control_height
                                
                            

Explanation

In this example we create a test to verify that the correct car picture is displayed in the Car Rental application when we select a car from the program's catalog. The action lines below launch the application, navigate to the View Cars window, and select the node for Chevrolet Monte Carlo from the tree view, which should result in the following display:

Our last step in the action lines is to verify that the correct picture is displayed in Action Lines

We've omitted the positional arguments of left, top, width and height from the check picture action line, meaning that the active area of the picture check corresponds to the entire car image control.

Verifying the picture

Note that the check picture action line in the test assumes that we already have a picture check with a name of chevrolet in existence. In this case, we don't - at least not yet. But when a check picture execution runs up against a nonexistent picture check, the result is a suppressed warning and creation of an unverified picture check. And since the built-in setting verify picture has been set to yes, the unverified picture check prompts a Picture Check - New Picture dialog box to appear upon completion of the test:

Based on the question displayed, 'Is it a yellow chevrolet?', the tester does one of the following:

• If the correct picture is not displayed in the Current tab, click Fail.
• If the picture is correct, click Pass.

As the picture is indeed correct, we would expect our tester to click Pass, which has the following effects:

• The newly-captured picture is saved as a baseline reference in the chevrolet picture check, to be available for future test executions. The picture now becomes visible in the Baseline tab on the Picture Check - New Picture dialog box.
  
• The icon for the node in the picture explorer tree (top-left of the dialog box) is changed to a green check mark , indicating a passed picture check.
  

Finally, clicking Submit completes the picture verification.

• Whichever option (that is, Pass or Fail) is selected in this dialog box is stored only in temporary memory, and is not saved to the repository, until you click the Submit button.
• The Close button discards the changes (if any) and then closes the dialog box.
• Multiple baselines:
  A picture check is not limited to a single baseline image. Instead, one picture check can store multiple baselines. This is important for those cases in which more than a single bitmap presented by the AUT may be considered acceptable for a given picture check. (Note that one common reason for a picture check having multiple baselines is that a given picture file may be rendered in slightly different ways on different hardware.) When multiple baselines exist for a given picture check, TestArchitect's criterion for a passed check is that any one of the stored baselines match the test picture.

Subsequent check picture executions - matches and non-matches

After storage of the baseline picture (or, eventually, multiple baseline pictures) in the chevrolet picture check, we may continue to perform test runs. Subsequent executions of the check picture at line 30 perform a capture of the AUT image, then compare it with the picture check's baseline(s). If the automation finds a match, the result is Passed, with no manual verification required.

On the other hand, if the newly captured test image does not match the baseline, a new dialog box, Picture Check - Change Picture, appears upon test completion:

In this dialog box, we can again observe the test picture. We also have the option of either comparing it with the test question, or against the existing baseline picture (or pictures), which can be observed by clicking the Baseline subtab. Our options are now:

• Fail: Report this check as having Failed. (That is the image under test is not one that the AUT was expected to display, nor should have displayed, at the time of execution of this check picture action.)
• Pass, this is the new baseline: Report this check as Passed, remove all existing baseline images, and save the test image as the baseline.
  
  Warning:
  If the current picture check has multiple baseline pictures, this option removes all of them.
• Pass, but keep the original: Report this check as Passed, but keep the original existing baselines. The test image is discarded.
• Pass, save as a baseline variation: Report this check as Passed, and save the test image as an additional baseline.

In the event that a test run results in multiple unverified picture checks, a separate Picture Check dialog box is available to resolve each one. From any one of the dialog boxes, you can use the following buttons to navigate between them.

Click the Save button to save your decision.

The option ("Fail", "Pass, this is the new baseline", "Pass, but keep the original", or "Pass, save as a baseline variation") selected in the dialog box is only stored in temporary memory, that is other your team members will not see the changes in the repository, until you click the Submit button.

Finally, click the Submit button to complete the picture verification process.

The Close button discards the changes (if any) and then closes the dialog box.

Automation mode

It has been mentioned that test runs with picture checks may be run in either an automated or semi-automated mode. So far, we have looked at semi-automated test runs, in which manual intervention is required at the end of each run. In a production test environment, it is frequently necessary to run tests, often in series, without stopping for human input.

In a production test environment, it is frequently necessary to run serial tests under batch control, without stopping for human input. Under batch file control, however, each test module in a serial batch run is invoked as a separate test run session. The upshot is that, when in semi-automated mode, any single test module with unverified picture checks results in a requirement for human intervention when that test module completes its execution, regardless of whether it is part of a serial test run. To avoid this interruption, ensure that such batch runs are performed in automated mode, thus allowing you to determine if and when manual picture check verifications take place.

To set up test runs in automation mode, refer to the verify picture built-in setting.

Accessing the Picture Check dialog box

We have seen how the Picture Check dialog box is the means by which new images are designated as baselines. We have also seen that the Picture Check dialog box appears automatically at the end of a semi-automated test run, and does not appear at all after an automated test run.

The obvious question here is 'What happens when a new image - a baseline candidate - is encountered during an automated run? Is there any way to tell the system to accept that image as a baseline after the fact?'. The answer is Yes.

• As with semi-automated runs, this is achieved by accessing the Picture Check dialog box after the test run has completed.
• As with automated runs:
  
  • For each results report for a test containing picture checks, TestArchitect maintains records, including images captured from the AUT of every unverified picture check that was conducted during the test run. The icon for the test result that has unverified picture checks has a U overlaid on it. Once you resolve the unverified picture checks. The test result loses its designation.
    
    
    Tip:
    In order to resolve unverified picture checks, refer to this topic.
  • An unverified picture check is one that:
    
    • Failed to find a match at the time of a check picture execution, either due to a non-existing named picture check or non-matching pictures
    • Has not yet had a human review and resolve the check (by selecting a Pass or Fail option) through its associated Picture Check dialog box.