Installing Extensions

Applies to TestComplete 15.70, last modified on December 17, 2024

TestComplete is built on an open, COM based architecture, which allows you to write external plugins for it or install plugins from any source.

The TestComplete installation program installs all TestComplete plugins. However, which of them will be active depends on which TestComplete modules (Desktop, Web or Mobile) you have a license for. To learn which plugins are included in a TestComplete module, see About TestComplete Platform, Modules and Add-Ons.

By default, TestComplete installs plugins to the <TestComplete>\Bin\Extensions folder. However, you can place custom and third-party plugins in any other folder.

The Install Extensions dialog shows all the installed plugins. In the dialog, you can temporary disable or enable the plugins and check whether a plugin conflicts with another plugin. (TestComplete automatically disables conflicting plugins.) In the dialog, you can also install third-party plugins.

To enable a plugin

  1. Select File > Install Extensions from the TestComplete main menu. This will open the Install Extensions dialog.

  2. In the dialog, select the check box next to the plugin you want to enable.

    Important:

    • Your license key must support this plugin.

    • When you enable the Optical Character Recognition plugin for the first time, TestComplete will show a confirmation dialog. In the dialog, click the link to read a third-party license agreement. If you agree to the license terms and conditions, click Enable OCR. Otherwise, click Cancel.

  3. Click OK.

To disable a plugin

You can disable a plugin. The plugin will become inactive, but will remain in the TestComplete plugin list in the Install Extensions dialog.

When you disable a plugin, it releases all the memory it occupies. You can disable unnecessary plugins to get more memory resources for your system.

  1. Select File > Install Extensions from TestComplete main menu. This will open the Install Extensions dialog.

  2. In the dialog, uncheck the plugins you want to disable and click OK.

To install a third-party plugin

  1. Open the Install Extensions dialog (to do this, choose File > Install Extensions from TestComplete main menu).

  2. Press Add in the dialog.

  3. In the resulting Open File dialog, select the plugin file and click Open. TestComplete will add the plugin to the plugin list.

  4. TestComplete will check whether the plugin conflicts with any other plugins and whether a newer version of the same plugin is already installed. If any of these checks fails, TestComplete will disable the plugin.

    Note: You can only install plugins created for your current version of TestComplete. You cannot install plugins for earlier or later TestComplete versions. If you try to install a plugin for another version of TestComplete, the “Cannot obtain information about the plugin(s) from the <FileName> file.” error will occur.

  5. To complete the installation, click OK in the Install Extensions dialog.

If you do not need a third-party plugin, you can disable it as described above.

To install and uninstall plugins via command line

You can install and uninstall TestComplete plugins by using the appropriate command-line arguments.

To install a plugin, run TestComplete with the /install:plugin_file_name argument. Specify the fully-qualified name of the plugin file (.pls) to install. For example:

TestComplete.exe /install:"C:\TestComplete Plugins\plugin.pls"

TestComplete will install and enable the plugin.

To uninstall a plugin, run TestComplete with the /uninstall:plugin_file_name argument. Specify the fully-qualified name of the plugin file (.pls) to uninstall. For example:

TestComplete.exe /uninstall:"C:\TestComplete Plugins\plugin.pls"

TestComplete will remove the plugin from the list of installed extensions. It will not delete the specified plugin file from your computer.

Updating Menus and Toolbars

If a plugin adds menu and toolbar items to TestComplete, you may need to make these items visible by hand. You add these items to the TestComplete menus and toolbars the same way you add other menu or toolbar items: by adding the items from the Customize dialog. See Working With TestComplete Toolbars and Menus.

If you disabled a TestComplete plugin and then enabled it, you can quickly update the menus and toolbars with the plugin’s commands by selecting View > Toolbars > Restore Default Toolbar from the TestComplete main menu.

See Also

Install Extensions Dialog
Installing and Uninstalling Script Extensions
About TestComplete Platform, Modules and Add-Ons
TestComplete Command Line

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