Using Microsoft UI Automation Technology

Applies to TestComplete 14.61, last modified on April 22, 2021
Information in this topic applies to desktop and web applications.

Microsoft .NET Framework v.3.0 and later includes a special UI Automation Framework. One of its purposes is assisting in application testing by providing program access to user interface elements. TestComplete supports the UI Automation technology and can use UI Automation to access properties and methods of windows and controls. The following topics provide more information.

Using Microsoft UI Automation Technology - Overview

Provides information on how TestComplete supports UI Automation technology.

Requirements

Contains information about plugins that provide support for the UI Automation technology.

Using the Microsoft UI Automation technology on Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003 requires that Windows Automation API 3.0 be installed. It can be installed from Windows Update or downloaded from Microsoft’s web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971513

Windows Automation API 3.0 is included in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 by default, so, you do not need to install it manually in these operating systems.

Note that support for Windows XP, Vista and Windows Server 2003 and 2008 has been discontinued. Though TestComplete can run on these operating systems, we do not recommend creating tests on them.

Related Topics of Interest

Project Properties - UI Automation Options

Describes UI Automation project settings that let you specify windows, whose properties and methods the UI Automation Support plugin will expose.

Testing Out-of-Browser Silverlight Applications

Explains how you can test out-of-browser Silverlight applications using the UI Automation technology.

Using Microsoft Active Accessibility

Explains how to use accessibility information provided by the application under test to improve identification of UI elements.

See Also

Object Identification
Working With Application Objects and Controls

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