Features Added to ReadyAPI 2.3

Applies to ReadyAPI 3.56, last modified on November 21, 2024

This topic describes the changes made to ReadyAPI 2.3.

In Version 2.3

Overall Improvements

Better Collaboration and Teamwork

  • Support for Git branches. Now, you can switch branches directly from within the ReadyAPI user interface:

    The Switch Branch command

  • Better support for source controls. The Pretty print project files and Normalize line-break settings are enabled by default (you can find them in the Preferences > WSDL and Preferences > UI dialog boxes). This will make your project files friendlier to version control systems and software products that compare files and merge changes.

    Note, however, that the options have effect only if you install ReadyAPI anew. If you have the product on your computer, the newer version will use the legacy setting file in which these settings were disabled. In this case, we would recommend that you enable these settings yourself.

New Supported Technologies and Features

  • SOCKS proxy support. ReadyAPI now supports SOCKS 5 proxy servers. That is, you can run tests if your local network is behind these proxies. To do this, you simply select a SOCKS proxy version in the ReadyAPI Preferences dialog. Earlier, you had to set up SSH tunneling for this.

  • Support for Windows Certificate Store. ReadyAPI now can use SSL client certificates from the private Windows Certificate Store. You can configure it in the SSL tab of the ReadyAPI Preferences dialog box.

  • Tags for test suites. You can now assign tags to test suites and use them to quickly filter and select test suites for the run. You work with these tags in the project editor. Earlier versions of the product supported tags for test cases only.

  • Support for custom security properties of JDBC connections. The JDBC Connection Properties dialog, which you use to connect to data sources, includes new options for entering custom security properties that some JDBC connections require. Earlier versions did not offer this functionality.

Licensing Improvements

  • Newer version of the License Server. ReadyAPI now uses a newer version of Protection! License Server – version 4.9.0.

  • Floating license for LDAP users. You can make a floating license available to users in an LDAP directory. To learn how to do it, see Work With LDAP Servers. Note that this feature is available only if you use Protection! License Server version 4.9.0. Update it if you use earlier versions.

Better User Experience

  • Faster start for novice users:

    • We redesigned Start pages, recorded new videos and updated some tutorials in the documentation to make the start for new users even easier and faster than before.

    • SoapUI offers a quick tour to help new users learn the product faster.

    • New in-product notifications will help trial users contact SmartBear product experts for assistance.

  • Improved script editor:

    • Now, you can easily change the font size in the script editor by rotating the mouse wheel while holding the Ctrl key down.

    • If needed, you can easily enable the dark color scheme for script editors. To do this, right-click within the editor and select the desired color scheme from the Change Color Scheme menu:

      Testing API with ReadyAPI: Dark color scheme for script editor

      Click the image to enlarge it.

  • Better logging. For script errors, the Error Log now provides information about location of the failed script (test step name, virtual service name, and so on). This helps you better understand the cause of an issue and find the problematic script faster.

  • Clearer assertions view. The Assertions page has an updated look which makes it easier to see the assertion result and the error message (in case an assertion failed).

    Updated Assertions view

  • Dashboard improvements. The Dashboard tiles can show data which is relevant to the last 7- and 30-day intervals.

  • Improved REST Discovery. The REST Discovery window now shows recorded transactions in a list unlike earlier versions that displayed tree-like structures. You can also select recorded requests and responses and examine their bodies and headers.

    REST Discovery dialog

    Click the image to enlarge it.

  • We have reorganized items in the main File menu to make frequently-used items more visible.

  • We standardized test status names to PASS or FAIL across different ReadyAPI panels, editors, and dialogs.

More

  • Performance and scalability improvements. ReadyAPI now loads Swagger and OpenAPI definitions faster. This is especially noticeable for large definition files.

    Also, ReadyAPI displays large JSON response contents much faster than earlier versions did.

  • Security improvements. We have updated some third-party libraries used internally to fix possible security issues.

  • Updated JSONPath library. ReadyAPI now uses JayWay JSONPath 2.4.0. The product now supports latest improvements that this library introduces, allowing you to create more complex JSONPath expressions and use comprehensive filters to extract values from JSON responses. See JSONPath Reference to learn more about the JSONPath syntax.

  • Quick search in Preferences dialog. The Preferences dialog has a new search box that helps you quickly find a setting by part of its name:

    Search in the Preferences dialog

  • New project property. ReadyAPI projects now have a new property – Save Properties Between Test Runs. It controls how ReadyAPI stores property values of the project, its test suites, test cases, test steps, environments and other items between test runs. If the property is true (default), ReadyAPI stores property values between test runs. That is, if your test changes some property, subsequent test runs use the new property value. If the property is false, the changes made to properties are lost after a test run is over. So, subsequent tests will use original property values.

  • Changes in script methods. We updated a Java library that we use internally to work with data in the JSON format. The JSON type declared in it has been replaced with JsonNode. This caused changes to the methods listed below. You may need to change the script code if you use these methods in your Groovy scripts in ReadyAPI.

    Method List

  • JMS Request test steps and JMS virtual services do not require HermesJMS anymore as JMS support is built in ReadyAPI now. So, the HermesJMS installer is no longer bundled with the ReadyAPI installation package. If you use HermesJMS in your tests or virtual services, you have to install it manually.

  • We renamed the ReadyAPI Jenkins plugin to the ServiceV Jenkins plugin to make it clearer that it works with virtual APIs only.

  • The Reporting item on the main toolbar that opens the Reporting Templates window has been removed. To work with report templates, select Project > Reporting from the ReadyAPI main menu.

  • Recording low-level TCP traffic. ReadyAPI can now record outgoing and incoming TCP packages transmitted through physical and virtual network adapters of your computer.

    To start recording, switch to Projects, and select Tools > Traffic Capture from the main menu. You can then view the recorded traffic, filter it by endpoints used in your projects, and export the recorded data to a file. See Capturing Low-Level Traffic for complete information.

  • We have also fixed a number of bugs reported by our customers.

  • A number of libraries used in ReadyAPI 2.2.0 have been updated.

SoapUI

  • Support for AWS signature ver. 4 authentication. When you send requests to the Amazon Web Services, you can now sign them with AWS signature version 4.

  • Quick Tour. Take a quick tour to follow an interactive guideline instruction to learn about some basic features of functional tests.

  • More flexible tests. You can now use property expansions in the Delay test step to set the configurable pause duration. Earlier, the pause duration was hard-coded.

    You can also use property expansions in properties of the Contains assertion to specify the sought-for value. Earlier, the assertion used a hard-coded value only.

    In both cases, you can either type a property expansion expression, or use a new Get Data command to select a property in the subsequent dialog visually.

    Web service testing with ReadyAPI: Get Data command

    Click the image to enlarge it.

    We also added the Get Data command to the Headers panel of the request editor:

    Web service testing with ReadyAPI: Get Data command in the Headers panel

  • Improved Get Data dialog:

    • You can now add custom properties to your test steps, test cases, test suites or project directly from within the dialog.

    • You can select a property in the dialog by a double click. Earlier, you had to click the Add button.

    • Also, you can resize the dialog box or columns in it to see the test item names. ReadyAPI stores your settings, so when you open the dialog next time, you will not have to configure it again.

    Web service testing with ReadyAPI: Get Data dialog

    Click the image to enlarge it.

  • Friendlier UI for users with red-green color blindness: SoapUI includes a special UI mode for users with deuteranopia (red-green color blindness). In this mode, progress bars use other colors which help these users get the current state of a test easier.

  • New FTP test step. Use the new FTP test step to automate file uploads to remote FTP servers from within your tests.

  • Grid data source improvements:

    • New setting to skip property expansions in Grid data source. The Grid data source has a new setting called Recognize grid content as plain text. If it is enabled, the test engine skips property expansions it finds in the grid cells, and treats these expressions as plain text. In existing projects, this setting is enabled by default.

    • Automatic update of property names in property expansions. Cells of the Grid data source can contain property expansion that refer to a custom property of a project, test case, test suite or some test step. In version 2.3, if you change the name of the original property, ReadyAPI will automatically update the property name in the property expansion expressions in the grid cells.

  • Groovy script debugger is disabled by default. Groovy debugger reduces the ReadyAPI performance, so now it is disabled by default on Windows and Linux platforms. When you start debugging, you will be prompted to enable the debugger when you click on the Groovy test step panel.

    If you run ReadyAPI from a command line, the Groovy debugger is disabled by default on all the platforms. To enable it, add the groovy argument to the command line.

    If you use the Groovy debugger on a regular basis, you can make the debugger enabled by default.

  • Sorting variables during debugging. Now, you can sort variables by their names on the Debug Info page of the Groovy step editor.

  • New option for Data Source Loop test steps. The DataSource Loop test step has a new setting – Discard PASS Results within Loop – that controls what data the test runner stores to the Transaction Log during the test run. If the setting is disabled, the runner stores the request and response contents for simulated requests. If it is enabled, the test runner does not store the contents of successfully executed test steps, which helps you save memory. You can disable the setting while you are creating or debugging your test case to see all the results, and disable the setting for regular test runs to reduce memory consumption. The effect of this option is especially noticeable if you use data sources with lots of test data.

  • SoapUI now keeps all test results by default, including successful ones. In earlier versions, a test case’s Discard Successful Results option was enabled by default. It commanded the test runner to remove results of successful test steps from memory to reduce the overall memory consumption. In version 2.3.0, this option is disabled by default, so the test runner stores results of successful test steps in memory, which is helpful for creating and debugging test cases as you can see all request and response data. You can enable this option later, when running your test case on a regular basis, to save memory.

  • Improved reporting:

    • The Complete error log setting is enabled by default now, so your test reports will contain detailed information on errors by default. Note that this change has effect only if you install the product on your computer anew. If you already have some ReadyAPI version installed, the option will not change its state, because ReadyAPI will use an existing settings file.

    • Project reports now display the number of failed test suites.

LoadUI

  • Encrypted communication with cloud agents. Now, LoadUI uses an encrypted connection to exchange data with LoadUI Agents running on cloud machines.

  • Improved testing experience. After a test run is over, LoadUI now displays a message box offering you to examine errors, create a report, or view test run statistics.

  • Improved transaction log:

    • In logging options, you can now choose to log only failed test steps:

      Load testing with ReadyAPI: Logging failed requests

      Also, LoadUI now contains a preset configuration that logs all failed requests. To use it, click Configure Transaction Log to capture failures on the Log page:

      Load testing with ReadyAPI: Configure Transaction Log to capture failures

      Click the image to enlarge it.

    • The Transaction Log now displays information on all requests in the test cases. In earlier versions of the product, Transaction Log contained information only on the last request.

  • LoadUI now consumes less memory during load test execution.

See Also

Version History

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