Preparing CEF-Based Applications for Testing

TestComplete can automatically expose elements in CEF-based applications. To enable this, add your application to the Tested Applications collection and launch it in Simple run mode while one of the following conditions is met:

• The application’s executable imports the libcef.dll library.

— or —

• The libcef.dll library and the application’s executable are located in the same folder.

— or —

• The application has the injectCefHook command-line argument (in any letter case and with any prefix).
  

This is the recommended way to work with CEF-based applications.

Another way to enable CEF applications for testing is to compile the application with the TestComplete tcCEFHook library. You need to do this, for example, if you start your application outside of TestComplete, or run it in RunAs, Debug, or Profile run mode.

The tcCEFHook library path is:

• For 32-bit CEF-based applications: <TestComplete>\Bin\Extensions\tcCEFHook.dll

• For 64-bit CEF-based applications: <TestComplete>\x64\Bin\Extensions\tcCEFHook.dll

You can copy the tcCEFHook library to your application’s folder, or open it from the original location.

Change your application’s code as follows:

1. Insert instructions that load the tcCEFHook library before the cef_initialize() function that initializes CEF.

   C++

   Delphi

   C# CefSharp

   Java

   C++

     ...
     // Load the TestComplete automation library
     HMODULE tcHook = LoadLibraryW(L"tcCEFHook.dll");
     ...
     // Initialize CEF
     CefInitialize(settings, app);
   

   Delphi

     ...
     // Load the TestComplete automation library
     TCDLLHandle := LoadLibrary(PChar('tcCEFHook.dll'));
     ...
     // Initialize CEF
     TChromium.Create(Parent);
   

   C# CefSharp

     ...
     using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
     ...
     // Import LoadLibrary and FreeLibrary methods from kernel32.dll
     [DllImport("kernel32.dll", CallingConvention = CallingConvention.Winapi)]
     static extern IntPtr LoadLibrary(string lpFileName);
     [DllImport("kernel32.dll", CallingConvention = CallingConvention.Winapi)]
     static extern bool FreeLibrary(IntPtr hModule);
     ...
     // Load the TestComplete automation library
     IntPtr tcModulePtr = LoadLibrary("tcCEFHook.dll");
     ...
     // Initialize CEF
     CEF.Initialize(cefSettings);
   

   Java

     ...
     // Load the TestComplete automation library
     System.load("tcCEFHook.dll");
     ...
     // Initialize CEF
     c = new Chromium(composite1, SWT.NONE, "google.com");
   

2. Add code that unloads the tcCEFHook library after the cef_shutdown() function that shuts down CEF.

   C++

   Delphi

   C# CefSharp

   Java

   C++

     ...
     // Shut down CEF
     CefShutdown();
     // Release the TestComplete automation library
     if (tcHook)
       FreeLibrary(tcHook);
     ...
   

   Delphi

   procedure TFormMain.FormClose(Sender: TObject; var Action: TCloseAction);
   begin
     //Release the TestComplete automation library
     if TCDLLHandle>=32 then
       FreeLibrary(TCDLLHandle);
   end;

   C# CefSharp

     ...
     // Shut down CEF
     if (CEF.IsInitialized)
       CEF.Shutdown();
     // Release the TestComplete automation library
     if (tcModulePtr != IntPtr.Zero)
       FreeLibrary(tcModulePtr);
     ...
   

   Java

     // Library is automatically released by garbage collector
   

Note: The exact names of wrapper functions that correspond to CEF’s cef_initialize() and cef_shutdown() functions may vary depending on the programming language and framework used. For example:

• C and C++ – CefInitialize() and CefShutdown()
• Java – CefApp.getInstance() and CefApp.dispose()
• CefSharp – CEF.Initialize() and CEF.Shutdown()
• and so on.