TAPCaller Help - Inhaltsverzeichnis
TAPCaller Help – Contents

topics

What is TAPCaller for?

Quick Start

Getting Help

The Main Window

The Tool Bar

The Context Menu

The Menus And Their Items

The File Menu

The Configuration Menu

The Menu Item <Configuration><Settings>

The Menu Item <Configuration><Selection>

The Control Menu

The Help Menu

There is a documentation of TAP, TAPCaller and related issues in following files:

(1) "<view>\Gpf\Doc\tapcaller\tapcaller_userguide.doc" and

(2) "<view>\Gpf\Doc\8415_028.doc"


Quick Start

Before you can start the TAP using TAPCaller some configuration is necessary. Using the menu option "<Configuration><Settings>" the dialog box "Settings" is displayed. There the user has to specify the location of the appropriate TAP executable, the path of the protocol stack to test and the interface which stimulates the protocol stack (see document [TCC] for detailed information about the interface) on the sheets "TAP Options" and "Test tools". Additionally the user has to specify the test cases. The menu option "<Configuration><Selection>" shows a dialog box that can be used for this purpose. If TAPCaller is started from an environment, where certain environment variables are set, some configuration is done by the program. Finally the TAP can be started by clicking the menu options "<Control><Start Tests>" or "<Control><Start selected tests>".


Introduction
What is TAPCaller for?

Test cases and suites are used in order to test the implementation of protocol stacks. The Test Application Process (TAP) is the real test tool. The actions performed by TAP can be described in simple words as follows: It sends primitives to an entity of the PS, waits for an reaction of the PS (i.e. waits for a primitive from the entity under test) and compares the received primitive with the expected one.

TAPCaller is a graphical frontend for executing test cases. It should simplify the call of the TAP test tool. Besides, the user can easily access result files which were produced by the TAP and it is possible to call MSCVIEW .

This documentation is meant for protocol stack testers that use TAPCaller.


The Main Window

The first column contains the test case / suite name. The name of a test case consists of the name of the test document which the test case is produced from (e.g. "MCOMP"), three or four digits and optionally a letter. The name of a suite (e.g. "mcomp.SUI_SYS_INFO4") starts with the name of the test document ("MCOMP") followed by a dot and the actual suite name ("SUI_SYS_INFO4"). The test document name have to be included since suite names are not unique among the various test documents.

The following column shows the current state of the test case. There are four possible entries: "Passed" (test was successful), "Failed" (test was not successful, if a preamble failed the name of this preamble is added to the state), "Invalid" (test case for suite not found) and "Unknown" (default state).

The third column contains the time of the last execution of the test case. There is no entry for test cases, which have not been run yet.

Optionally the user can load titles from the according TDS-file (there exists a *.tds file for each test case). The titles can be seen in the last column of the main window (see <Configuration><Settings> for the needed configuration).


The Tool Bar

The first four buttons of the tool bar are standard Windows buttons. They can be used to clear the main window (1), open an existing archive (with the configuration and the selection of the test cases) produced by TAPCaller during former test sessions (2), save the current configuration (3) and print the results of tests for the current directory containing the test cases (4).

Clicking the following button (5) results in the execution of all test cases, with the next button (6) the user can stop the execution of test cases after the termination of the TAP for the current test case, i.e. the currently running test will be finished before the execution of a row of test cases is cancelled. If the H-button (7) is activated before the execution of test case(s) the TAP does not terminate at the end of a test case. This feature is useful for debugging purposes. Since the user has to close TAP by himself the H-button (7) should be used if only few tests have to be executed. The H-button and the item "Run TAP in background (hidden)" from the "General" sheet of the "Settings" dialog box (<Configuration><Settings>) are mutually exclusive. Therefore the  button is disabled when "Run TAP in background (hidden)" is active.

The scissors button (8) is meant for deleting test cases from the main window.

It is possible to select so-called "final tests" with the following button (9). "Final test" are tests which are not used as preambles or are only used in suites. The <F>-button (10) can be used to select failed tests. If the next button (11) is clicked the titles of the test cases are loaded from the according test definition script (*.tds). The buttons (9) and (11) are enabled when the directory of the tds files is set (in the sheet "View Tools" of the "Settings" dialog box, see <Configuration><Settings> for the needed configuration in this context).

The last button (12) displays copyright information.

The numbers in brackets indicate the position of the buttons from left to right.


The Context Menu

When clicking with right mouse button at a test case a context menu appears. For each test case it contains the items "Delete" which expunges the test case from the main window, "Execute" and "View TDS Flow" (enabled when TDS file directory and TDS Flow Viewer are known, see <Configuration><Settings>). If there are already log files for the currently selected test case the available PCOViewer configurations are added to the context menu. When clicking at them the PCOViewer is started and the log file loaded so that the user can look at the results of the test session.


File Menu
The File Menu

This menu can be used instead of the first four buttons in the tool bar. Additionally there are menu entries for the last saved configuration files. This option is useful for loading configuration files quickly.


Configuration Menu
The Configuration Menu

This menu is important since its members are not in the Tool Bar and the user needs them to run TAP. With the entry "Settings" the user can call the dialog box "Settings" with its sheets "Test Tools", "General" and "View Tools" (see <Configuration><Settings>). The next menu item "Selection" is meant for calling the "Selection" dialog (see <Configuration><Selection>). There the user can search for test case dlls, test document dlls (test document dlls contain all test cases of a test document, test document dlls are produced with the batch file mkallin1.bat located in "<view>\Gpf\Bin") and suites.

When clicking the menu item "Protocol" the identically named dialog box is opened. There the user can enter his name, the title of the test session and the file, which contains the results. These entries are saved to the configuration file. Since this dialog box is not needed for the proper running of TAPCaller this dialog box will not be explained in a separate help box.

The last two items of this menu can be used for hiding the Tool Bar and the Status Bar.


Control Menu
The Control Menu

In the Control Menu there are items for executing test cases ("Start selected tests" and "Start Test" which means execute all test cases in the main window), stopping the execution after the termination of the currently running test case ("Stop test"), selecting test cases from the main window ("Select all tests", "Select final tests"), loading the titles of the test cases in the main window ("Load test titles") from the corresponding test definition script (*.tds) and calling MSCVIEW ("View Message Flow") for the currently selected test case. MSCVIEW is a tool used to display the expected structure of the flow of messages/primitives. For the last two menu entries there is some configuration needed (see <Configuration><Settings> for further information).

NOTE: Starting a Test Case

When the user starts a test case which was already executed before he/she is asked whether all existing test results of the selected test cases should be deleted.

(1)	By clicking <Yes> ALL test results of the selected test cases are deleted.

(1)	If the user chooses <No> the current test case is skipped and the test results are left unchanged. The same dialog box will appear when the next already tested case is to be executed.

(1)	The execution of the selected test cases can be avoided by clicking <Cancel>. No test case will be executed.


Help Menu
The Help Menu

With the items in this menu the user can access the "TAPCaller Help", get an index of all TAPCaller Help Topics and view version information.


Configuration Selection
The Menu Item <Configuration><Selection> - Selection of Test Cases

Using the menu "<Configuration><Selection>" the user can access the selection dialog. There he/she marks the test cases he/she wants to run.

There are two sources of test cases at the moment: normal test case dlls and test document dlls, which contain all test cases of a test document. In order to help the user selecting executable test cases TAPCaller distinguishes two kinds of dlls: test case dlls (dlls which match a certain name pattern) and other dlls which are possibly test document dlls. Test case dlls can be selected by clicking the check boxes at the left edge of the list box. Other dlls cannot be selected, but the "Details" button is enabled for these dlls. Clicking it results in listing all exported functions, which matches the name pattern of test cases. The user can select these functions like normal test case dlls. If TAPCaller finds a dll with the same name as a function from a test document dll in the same directory, this function cannot be selected, since TAP searches for a DLL first and opens a test document dll when it does not find a test case dll.

Additionally, suites as a possibility of combining test cases with certain commands (for repetition, random choice, …) are now available. The last two entries of the above example are suite files. The suite files contain several internal suites, which are used in other suites, and external suites, which are executable by TAP from the command line or via  TAPCaller. As for test document dlls the "Details" button is enabled when a suite file is chosen. After clicking this button the external suites are added to the selection dialog and can be chosen.

In order to help the user distinguishing the several file types the second column of the list box contains the supposed kind of the file (e.g. "test case dll"). If a test document dll is opened the name of the test document is added to the test case functions (e.g. "MCOMP020 	from MCOMP").

<Configuration><Selection> is member of the Configuration Menu


Configuration Settings
The Menu Item <Configuration><Settings>

The dialog box "Settings" is divided into three sheets: "TAP Options", "Test Tools" and "View Tools".

"TAP Options"

Before you can start the TAP you have to enter the location of the TAP executable. Besides, the user is able to specify the interface which stimulates the PS (see document [TCC] for detailed information about the interface) for a proper execution of TAP. Depending on the kind of interface the user can specify different parameters, e.g. the comport number for a USART interface or the name of the host for a socket interface.

The rest of the flags can be used to configure the test session. Running TAP in background is advantageous if there are many test cases to be executed. In this case it is possible for the user to continue his/her work with no windows turning up and immediately disappearing as it is the normal way of TAP execution. If the user runs TAP in background the H-button of the Tool Bar will be disabled.

"Test Tools"

The sheet is used to configure the PS and PCO.

The user can start the protocol stack to test at the beginning of the execution of TAP or he/she can run the PS in the background. TAPCaller tries to start the PS executable specified in the last edit box if the check box "Enabled" is set. Otherwise TAPCaller expects that the PS is already running.

The upper part of this sheet is for the configuration of PCO. The first edit box shows the directory of PCO executables. This directory should be equal to the directory of the TAP executable for proper communication between the two processes. Therefore, TAPCaller assists the user: Whenever he or she wants to change the TAP directory he or she is asked whether the directory for PCO executables should be changed, too (it is recommended to click always "Yes"). The next edit box shows the location of the user's PCOViewers configuration files. In the list below the user can choose between the available files and a "Standard Viewer". This standard viewer starts the PCOViewer without parameter, i.e. by default the last configuration is used by the PCOViewer. For each selected PCOViewer configuration TAPCaller starts a PCOViewer with the corresponding file at the beginning of test cases.

If "Log with PCO while testing" is set, TAPCaller makes PCO create a log file of the test session for each test case. These log files can be viewed using the context menu in the main window.

"View Tools"

In this dialog box the user is able to configure options needed for viewing test results and debugging. The first edit box ("Debug Text Viewer") specifies a text file viewer, which is started when the user wants to have a look at the results of a test case (default: notepad).

In the next edit box the user can enter the location of the TDS Flow Viewer "MSCView". The latest MSCView executable is in "<view>\Gpf\Bin\". MSCVIEW is a tool used to display the expected structure of the flow of messages/primitives.

The last edit box is used to specify the location of the test definition scripts (*.tds). The user cannot load titles, find the final tests or start MSCView unless he/she has entered this location.

<Configuration><Settings> is member of the Configuration Menu


How To Get Help

The user gets context dependent help by pressing <F1>. Additionally, there are <Help>-buttons in some dialog boxes and the <?>-menu in the main window.