Re: A random topic for discussion -- free software tackles GUI automation?

[allbery ece cmu edu]

On 30 Jul, Federico Mena Quintero wrote:
+-----
|  >  The challenge is to make a GUI which can work solely from the
|  >  keyboard.  Once you can do that, an automated test program is just a
|  >  matter of generating sequences of keystrokes.
|  
|  This is obviously not sufficient.  Applications need different input
|  devices, and the keyboard is not a panacea.  Consider the GIMP.  It
|  *needs* a mouse.  Even better, it needs a pressure-sensitive tablet.
|  You need to support that as well.  A 3D program may need a Spaceball,
+--->8

You also need a way to encode pauses in the event stream.

An automated test program should have, at minimum:

* ability to record all user events sent to a program, including
  delays between events
* ability to selectively record program events
* an event stream editor
* an event playback mechanism
* ability to add conditionals to the stream, keying off program events
  (the selective recording above combines with this to allow a recorded
  manual test run to be edited)

Note that I don't say "X11 test program", just "test program".  The
requirements are the same for line mode and curses test programs, and
indeed for any other UI; only the mechanisms and the form of the
"events" differ.  Ideally, the test suite would use a pluggable
back-end for event recording and playback, as well as at least some
editing functions.

-- 
brandon s. allbery	[os/2][linux][solaris][japh]	 allbery@kf8nh.apk.net
system administrator	     [WAY too many hats]	   allbery@ece.cmu.edu
electrical and computer engineering					 KF8NH
carnegie mellon university	  ["better check the oblivious first" -ke6sls]