About Object Browser

Applies to TestComplete 14.71, last modified on April 22, 2021

The Object Browser shows running applications, the hierarchy of objects in applications, and object properties and methods. To open the Object Browser, click its tab or select View > Object Browser from the main menu.

Object Browser Panel

Click the image to enlarge it.

Information on the Panel

To learn more about … See these topics …
Data displayed in the object hierarchy Exploring Object Hierarchy
Types of objects you can see while exploring the object hierarchy Types of Displayed Objects
Viewing object properties and methods Exploring Object Properties and Methods in the Object Browser
Storing object properties Storing Object Properties From Object Browser
Properties, Methods, Fields and Events pages of the Object Browser Object Browser Pages
Creating object snapshots for exploring the object hierarchy later on Creating Snapshots in Object Browser
Basic and Advanced view modes Basic and Advanced View Modes
Panel’s settings Object Browser Settings
Panel’s context menu Object Browser Context Menu
Panel’s toolbar Object Browser Toolbar

If needed, you can move the Object Browser to another place within the TestComplete window, or make it a separate window. For more information, see Docking.

Working With the Object Browser

Adding Processes to TestedApps (Windows Applications Only)

Right-click the process (or any of its child objects) in the object tree and select Add Process to TestedApps from the context menu.

Filtering Processes in Object Hierarchy (Windows Applications Only)

To filter processes displayed in the Object Browser, you can do the following:

  • Use the Object Browser toolbar commands to specify which processes should be displayed or hidden in the hierarchy. For more information on this, see Object Browser Toolbar

  • Click the Display Process Filter Window button on the Object Browser toolbar and in the ensuing Process Filter dialog specify which processes should be displayed in the Object Browser.
Terminating Processes (Windows Applications Only)

Right-click the process (or any of its child objects) in the object tree and select Terminate Process from the context menu.

Note: Abnormal termination may corrupt data of the terminated application.
Adding Objects to the Name Mapping Repository

To add an object from the Object Browser to the Name Mapping repository:

  • Right-click the object in the Object Browser and select Map Object from the context menu.

  • In the ensuing Object Name Mapping dialog specify the name mapping info for the given object.

To view the set of properties used for name mapping of the selected object, click the button shown next to the MappedName property of the needed mapped object.

In the ensuing Name Mapping Item Information dialog, you can view the set of properties used for mapping as well as their values.

To find the corresponding object in the Name Mapping repository, do one of the following:

  • Right-click the object and select Show Object in Name Mapping Editor from the object’s context menu.

  • Click the ellipsis button in the MappedName property value cell for that object.

For more information, see Jump to Mapped Objects From Object Browser.

Viewing Object Screenshots

Select an object in the tree – its image will appear on the right side of the Object Browser.

— or —

Right-click the object and select View Object from the context menu. This opens the screenshot in the Image Viewer, from where you can save the image to a file or to your project’s Regions store.

Notes:

  • The Object Browser does not show iOS and Android object images automatically for performance reasons. Use the View Object command to capture their images.

  • WPF object images may be captured incorrectly if the object is overlapped by another object.

Viewing Objects on Screen

Right-click the object in the object hierarchy and select Highlight on Screen from the context menu. TestComplete will show a flashing red frame around the object on the screen.

In tests, you can highlight objects in desktop and web applications using the Sys.HighlightObject method.

Note: Before highlighting objects on web pages, set the browser zoom to 100%. For instructions, see Preparing Web Browsers.
Viewing UI Layout in GUI Explorer

Select a window in the object tree and click the GUI Explorer button on the Object Browser’s toolbar. To learn how to use GUI Explorer, see Exploring an Application's Graphical User Interface.

Saving Object Properties to Stores

You can save object properties for the Stores collection for later use in checkpoints. To do this:

  • Right-click the object and select Store from the context menu.

  • In the Store Object Properties dialog that opens, select the properties to save to Stores.

Creating Application Snapshots

You can create application snapshots to view the object hierarchy and properties when the application is not running. To do this:

  • Select the object in the hierarchy and click Save Object Snapshot on the Save\Load Snapshots toolbar.

  • In the Save Object Snapshot dialog that opens, specify the snapshot file name and select object properties and methods to save.

To load a snapshot:

  • Click Load Object Snapshot on the Save\Load Snapshots toolbar.

  • Select the snapshot file you to load.

For more information on using snapshots, see Creating Snapshots in Object Browser.

Searching for Object Properties and Methods

To find a certain property, method, field or event displayed in the Object Browser, type an element of the sought-for member name in the Quick Search edit box.

The Object Browser will filter out the members according to the text you type.

To remove the filter, erase the typed text or press the button.

See Also

Exploring Applications
Object Browser Pages
About Object Spy
Access to Properties
Object Properties, Fields and Methods That Are Unavailable to TestComplete

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