Handling Complicated Tasks More Easily

QCTO Blog — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Did you know that in Code Tester 1.8.5 you can now perform in-line validation of your customization code? For more complex tests, this will save you lots of time and make it easier to build your regression tests.

The ultimate objective of Code Tester is easy to state: allow developers to test arbitrarily complex PL/SQL programs without writing any test code. That turns out to be really hard to do, so as we get Code Tester closer and closer to that goal, we also offer the ability to fully customize every aspect of your tests.

One of the nicest new features in Code Tester 1.8.5 is the ability to perform "in-line" validation of customization code. Prior to 1.8.5, the only way to see if your custom code had compile errors was to generate the test package, which meant that you had to close the window in which you entered the code. If that test package had errors, you had to then circle back to that window - a cumbersome process that frustrated users.

There are two ways to determine if the custom code you entered has compilation errors:

Generate the test code (which will automatically happen the next time you try to run a test), which also attempts to compile the test package that will contain your test code.
Ask Code Tester to perform in-place validation (while the customization window is still open). The steps to request in-place validation vary depending on if you are in Test Builder or Test Editor.

Test Builder In-Place Validation

In Test Builder, when you have the customization window open for the test case, you can ask Code Tester to check for errors in three ways:

Press Ctl-Alt-V.
Select "Check for Errors" from the right click menu
Press the "Check for Errors" button.

All three options are shown below:

Test Editor In-Place Validation

When you press on the Customization tab at any level within the test definition, you can then edit custom code. Within this window, you can ask Code Tester to check for errors in three ways:

Press Ctl-Alt-V.
Select "Check for Errors" from the right click menu

Both these options are shown below:

When No Errors Are Found

If the custom code has no errors, then you will see this window:

When Errors Are Found

If your custom code contains one or more errors, Code Tester will open a window that contains all the customization code for the current element and also...

Custom code for elements above it in the test definition hierarchy.
If you ask to validate input or outcome custom code, custom code for all inputs.

If, for example, you request validation of test case custom code, you will also see in this window unit test custom code (if present). Code Tester does this because the test case custom code might reference custom code at that higher level.

All inputs are included because an outcome's customization code may also reference a local variable holding an input value.

You will see at the bottom of the window a grid of all errors reported from Oracle's USER_ERRORS data dictionary view. You can click on a line number in that grid and that line of code will be shown.

You cannot change any of the code in this window. Instead, you must close the window, change your code, and validate again.

Here is an example of the window:

Real Automated Code Testing for Oracle

Handling Complicated Tasks More Easily