7 Steps to Improve Skills in QTP

QTP Skills

7 Steps to Improve Skills in QTP

I) QTP Testing Process

In order to use QTP IDE properly, you should have good command on QTP Testing process.
a) Planning
a) Analyzing the AUT
b) Implementing Automation Framework
c) Creating/Selecting Test cases
d) Collecting Test Data
e) Automation Infrastrucure development
f) Tool settings Configuration & Globalization

b) Generating the basic Test

1) Keyword driven methodology/Shared object repository method/Preparing the script manually
2) Descriptive programming/Programmatic Descriptions
i) Entering Programmatic Descriptions Directly into Statements
ii) Using Description Objects for Programmatic Descriptions
iii) Retrieving Child Objects
iv) Using the Index Property in Programmatic Descriptions

c) Enhancing the Test

a) Adding Comments
b) Creating Checkpoints Programmatically
c) Synchronization
d) Parameterization
e) Inserting Programmatic statements
f) Enhancing Tests with the windows API
g) Calling Functions and/or Actions

d) Debugging the Test

e) Running the Test

f) Analyzing the Test Results

g) Reporting Defects

a. Manual Defect Reporting
b. Tool based Defect Reporting
c. Integration with Quality Center

II) VB Script

VbScript is the QTP Tool Default Scripting Language for applaying Progamming Logic, so learn Vbscript indepth.

Below fundamentals & Features are Important:

a) VBScript Fundamentals

1)Introduction
a) Scripting Languages vs. Programming Languages
b) Basic Features of VBScript
c) Hosting Environments & Script Engines
d) Crating & running a Script

2) Variables and Constants
a) VBScript data types
b) Declaring Variables and Option Explicit Statement
c) Assigning Values to Variables
d) Scalar Variables and Array Variables
e) Dynamic Arrays, Dimensional Arrays
f) Constants
g) Variables Vs. Constants

3) VBScript Operators
a) Operator Precedence
b) Arithmetic Operators
c) Comparison Operators
d) Concatenation Operators
e) Logical Operators

4) Flow Control (I. Conditional Statements)
a) VBScript Conditional Statements
b) Running a state if condition is true (Single line Syntax)
c) Running a block of Statements if Condition is true
d) Running Certain Statements if a Condition is True and Running Others if a Condition is False
e) Deciding Among Several Alternatives (IF..Else If…)
f) Executing a certain block of statements when two / more conditions are True (Nested If...)
g) Deciding Among Several Alternatives (Selct case Statement)

5) Flow Control (II. Looping through the code)
a) Do...Loop (Loops while or until a condition is True.)
b) While...Wend (Loops while a condition is True.)
c) For...Next: Uses a counter to run statements a specified number of times.
d) For Each...Next (Repeats a group of statements for each item in a collection or each element of an array.)
e) Nested Loops

6) VBScript Procedures
a) Sub Procedures
b) Function Procedures
c) Creating & Calling Procedures

7) Coding Conventions
a) Constant Naming Conventions
b) Variable Naming Conventions
c) Variable Scope Prefixes
d) Object Naming Conventions
e) Code Commenting Conventions

b) Advanced VBScript

1) VBScript Intrinsic (Pre-Defined) Functions
a) Conversions
b) Dates/Times
c) Formatting Strings
d) Input/Output
e) Math
f) Miscellaneous
g) Rounding
h) Strings
i) Variants

2) Regular Expressions
a) Uses for Regular Expressions
b) Regular Expression Syntax
c) Build a Regular Expression
d) Order of Precedence
e) Ordinary Characters
f) Character Matching
g) Anchors
h) Alternation and Grouping
i) Backreferences
j) Regular Expression (RegExp) Object

3) File System Operations

a) Computer File System
b) Working with Drives and Folders
c) Working with Flat Files
d) Working with Word Docs
e) Working with Excel Sheets

4) Database Operations

a) ActiveX Data Objects
b) ADODB Connection Object & Recordset Object
c) Test Database Creation & Collecting Test Data
d) Databases Connections (Ms-Access, SQL Server and Oracle)
e) Data Driven Testing by fetching Data from a Database
f) Data Comparisons

5) Methods, Objects and Classes

a) VBScript Global Methods
b) QTP Methods
c) FileSystemObject
d) Dictionary Object
e) Classes

6) Error Handling

a) Error Handling Guidelines
b) Error Handling in QuickTest Professional
c) Error Preventing
d) Synchronization
e) QTP Exit Statements
f) VBScript error handling vs. Recovery Scenarios
g) On Error Statement
h) Err Object

III) Automation Framework

Automation Framework is a Systamatic Approach for Automating, Software Testing Process.
In order to Create & Run Tests as well oraganizing & Managing Automation Resources, a well defined Framework required.

Framework may vary from one company to another.

Below concepts are important to learn:
o Test Automation Framework
o Types of Framework
o Keyword Driven Framework
o Framework Structure
o Developing a Robust Automation Framework
o Implementing & Managing Automation Resources

IV) COM/DCOM Technologies

When working with QTP, It is important to know, Microsoft Applications like:

o MS Excel,
o Ms Word,
o Outlook Express and
o Internet Explorer

V) XML

XML is an extremely popular and useful format. It can be used in several areas in QTP.
Ex:
o Exporting objects,
o Environment Variables,
o Data driven Testing
o Data transporting etc.

VI) SQL

SQL Knowledge is highly recomendable in order to perform Database Testing using QTP
Below concepts are important:
o Database Fundamentals
o Data Creation & Exporting
o Database Connections
o Select Statements

VII) HTML, DOM

In order to work with Web based Applications, It is important to femiliar with web technologies like:
o HTML, DHTML
o Flash
o HTTP like Protocols
o DOM (Documentation Object Model)