A typical test performs many comparisons. For instance, if a test simulates user actions for exporting application data to a file, you will need to check whether the file contains valid data. To perform this check, you will compare the resulting file with a baseline copy. This is only one example of a comparison that you may need to perform. Real-life tests include hundreds if not thousands of comparisons. Every form of testing (regression, unit, functional, and so on) needs a validated reference during automation.

With TestComplete you can easily add comparison commands (or checkpoints) to your tests. You can create checkpoints both during test recording and at design time. TestComplete offers checkpoints for comparing different types of data: images, files, object text and properties, XML documents, database tables, etc. TestComplete includes the Stores project item that is used to store baseline data for these checkpoints. This project item is a container for images, files, and other elements that are stored along with the project for comparison purposes. The only exception is checkpoints that verify object properties: the baseline data for them is specified in tests.

For more information on creating checkpoints and verification code, see About Checkpoints.

Checkpoints and Stores

See Also