Scripted GUI Testing in Ruby

Now in Print and shipping.

If you need to automatically test a user interface, this book is for you. Whether it’s Windows, Mac OS X, Java-based or a web app, you’ll see how to test it reliably and repeatably.

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News from the Pragmatic Programmers

Greetings!

This week we’ve got three new things to announce: Scripted GUI Testing with Ruby is now in print and shipping in both paperback and DRM-free PDF. For your convenience, we’ve now accepting PayPal and American Express in our online store. Finally, this week’s podcast is Ian Dees, talking about scripted GUI testing.

For those of you having trouble reading this email, this newsletter is available online at:

media.pragprog.com/newsletters/2008-08-06.html

We now accept PayPal and American Express

You can now purchase our books, PDFs and screencasts using Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and PayPal. Stock up now for some end-of-summer reading.

Scripted GUI Testing in Ruby

Many automated test frameworks promise the world and deliver nothing but headaches. Fortunately, you’ve got a secret weapon: Ruby. Ruby lets you build up a solution to fit your problem, rather than forcing your problem to fit into someone else’s idea of testing.

This book is for people who want to get their hands dirty on examples from the real world—and who know that testing can be a joy when the tools don’t get in the way. It starts with the mechanics of simulating button pushes and keystrokes, and builds up to writing clear code, organizing tests, and beyond.

Scripted GUI Testing with Ruby is a practical, quick-moving tutorial based on real life, and real-world GUI applications.

Right out of the gate you’ll start working with code to drive a desktop GUI. You’ll discover the kinds of gotchas and edge cases that don’t exist in simple, toy programs. As you add more tests, you’ll learn how to organize your test code and write lucid examples. The result is a series of “smoke tests” your team will run on Continuous Integration servers.

Next, we’ll explore a variety of different testing tips and tricks. You’ll employ a series of increasingly random and punishing test monkeys to try to crash programs. Table-driven techniques will show you how to check dozens of different input combinations. See how to use longer acceptance tests (in the form of stories) to represent the way a typical customer would use your program.

The book uses examples from Windows, OS X, and cross-platform Java desktop programs as well as Web applications. You’ll develop test scripts in Ruby; you don’t need to be a Ruby expert, but basic comfort with the language will be helpful.

New Podcast

Jackie Carter interviews Ian Dees, author of Scripted GUI Testing with Ruby. Ian talks about using automation in support of GUI testing, and describes how automation allows you to do things you couldn’t do before. Frustrated with proprietary, difficult scripting languages, or fragile, coordinate-based systems, Ian describes how GUI testing with Ruby is such a pleasure. Ian’s new book gives you the actual techniques to take control of this window or that drop-down list—without hard-coded data. Ian describes his use of rSpec, randomized and matrix testing, writing stories for testing, and more.

Available now at pragprog.com/podcasts and on iTunes.

Thanks for your continued support,

Andy & Dave
www.PragProg.com