Hello Friends, I am a QTP Automation Test Engineer with a good amount of experience in different versions of QTP. I would like to share all my knowledge with you all. I found this tool very interesting.

So are you ready!!! Let’s start with in and outs of QTP, I mean when it came into existence, what all types of testing it supports etc.

QTP stands for Quick Test Professional; QTP is a paid and icon based tool which is mainly used for functional and regression testing, this tool is capable of automating both the types of applications (Window based and Web based). QTP supports almost all of the available environments which are there in the market.

This software has been introduced by Mercury Interactive in month of May, 1998, which was initially known as Astra Quicktest. After 8 years (in 2007) with a lot of version releases QTP had been acquired by Hewllett Packard (HP).

Version History:

Let’s talk in more detail about the version history of QTP:

Name Year New Features
Astra Quicktest May 1998
Astra Quicktest 3.0 Feb 2000 This version of QTP requires IE 4.0 or higher version to run the scripts.
Astra Quicktest 5.0 (Astra Quicktest Professional 5.5) Feb 2001 This version of QTP was launched with ability to test multimedia elements like Real Audio/Video and Macromedia Flash etc.After sometime with few enhancements one more version of QTP had been launched and named as Astra QuickTest Professional 5.5. This version was having ability to test websites to ensure they meet the requirements of section 508, an amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
QuickTest Professional 6.5 Sep 2003 This version was launched with below listed new features:

  • QuickTest Automation Object Model
  • Recovery Scenario Mechanism
  • XML Output Value
  • XML Schema Validation
  • Analog Recording Mode
QuickTest Professional 8.0 Late 2004 This version was launched with below listed new features:

  • Unicode Support
  • Keyword View
  • Business Process Testing
  • Action/Test Parameters
QuickTest Professional 8.2 Early 2005 This version was launched with below listed new features:

  • Feature of Auto-Documentation
  • Step Generator option
  • Enhanced Expert View
QuickTest Professional 9.0 April 2006 This was the time when Mercury started working on another popular product WinRunner.This version was launched with below listed new features:

  • Object Repository Manager
  • Object Repository Merge Tool
  • Multiple Object Repositories per Action or Component
  • XML Object Repository Format
  • Function Library Editor
  • Missing Actions and Resources Handballing
QuickTest Professional 9.1/9.2 Feb 2007 During launching this version of QTP, HP has fully acquired Mercury Interactive (MI) which they started in late 2006.This version was launched with below listed new features:

  • Mercury Screen Recorder
  • Dynamic Management of Object Repositories
QuickTest Professional 9.5 Jan 2008 This version was launched with below listed new features:

  • Bitmap checkpoint
  • WebAddin Extensibility
QuickTest Professional 10 Jan 2009 With this version QTP started providing 30 days trial instead of 14 days trial offered in the earlier versions.This version was launched with below listed new features:

  • Centrally Manage and Share Testing Assets, Dependencies, and Versions in Quality Center 10.00
  • Perform Single-User Local System Monitoring While Running Your Tests
  • Improve Portability by Saving Copies of Tests Together with Their Resource Files
  • Call Actions Dynamically During the Test Run
  • Develop Your Own Bitmap Checkpoint Comparison Algorithm
  • Centrally Manage Your Work Items and ToDo Tasks in the To Do Pane
  • Improve Test Results Analysis with New Reporting Functionality
  • Test Standard and Custom Delphi Objects Using the Delphi Add-in and Delphi Add-in Extensibility
QuickTest Professional 11 Sep 2010 This version was launched with below listed new features:

  • XPath and CSS based object identification
  • Enhanced Results Viewer
  • Easy Regular Expressions
  • Visual Relation Identifier
  • Load Function Libraries at Run Time
  • Test Your GUI and UI-Less Applications in one Test
  • Recording on Firefox browser
  • QTP 11 is capable of receiving Java or .NET log framework messages from your application which can be embedded in the run results
  • Embed/Run JavaScript in web pages
  • Integration with Quality Center
  • QTP 11 now supports Web 2.0 Toolkit Applications out-of-the-box similar to any other add-ins.
Unified Functional Testing 11.50 Dec 2012 The combination of QuickTest Pro(QTP) + Service Test(ST) is now integrated into Unified Functional Testing(UFT).This version was launched with below listed new features:

  • HP UFT Insight
  • Multiple script Debugging
  • PDF Checkpoints
  • Support Open Source CI Systems
  • Mobile Testing Support
Unified Functional Testing 11.51 Feb 2013
  • This patch has various bug fixes and minor enhancements. It has an added support for Windows 8 and IE 10.
  • Mozilla Firefox version 19 is now supported with a patch UFT_00037.EXE
Unified Functional Testing 11.52 June 2013
  • This patch has various bug fixes and minor enhancements. With this patch, UFT now fully supports .xlsx format.
  • HP is keeping pace with Firefox. It has added support for Firefox 21 in this pack.
  • A new method was added for Insight objects: ClickSpecial.
  • New versions are supported for SAP CRM, WDA, SAP Portal.
  • New support for numerous SAP Web Dynpro ABAP controls.
Unified Functional Testing 11.53 Dec 2013
  • This Service Pack addresses quality and performance issues found in the 11.50 Major releases and its previous service packs, SP 1 & SP 2.
  • This service pack is a mandatory update for all UFT 11.50/11.51/11.52 and Service Test 11.50/11.51/11.52 users.
Unified Functional Testing 12 July 2014 The major new features introduced in UFT 12 were:

  • Better, Faster installer
  • Better ALM authentication
  • Auto Upload of run results to ALM
  • Introducing support to test Safari browser on a remote Mac (in technology preview mode)
  • Support for more technologies

 

 Following are the list of Add-ins supported by QTP/UFT:

  • Active X
  • Delphi
  • Java
  • .Net
  • Oracle
  • People Soft
  • Power Builder
  • SAP
  • Siebel
  • Stingray
  • Terminal Emulator
  • Visual Basic
  • Visual Age
  • Web
  • Web Services

License:

QTP/UFT comes with following 2 types of licenses:

(1)    Seat license or Node locked: Fixed for one system (machine), we can use from that system only.

(2)    Concurrent license or floating license: This license, we can use for different-2 systems but one at a time.

Languages Supported By QTP/UFT:

You can work on all the applications which are written in any technology or language like Java, .net, SAP, Active X but you can automate them or i must say write the scripts in only one language that is VB Script. The main positive point of this language is, it is very easy to learn.

A person who wants to write scripts in QTP is not required to have coding experience; only logical thinking will work and believe me you yourself will not come to know that you have started writing big scripts in VB scripting. So if you have coding phobia then forget that and start exploring QTP/UFT with me.

Browser Support:

QTP scripts can be run on IE(6,7,8,9,10,11), Firefox(3.0 to 24.0), Chrome (till v35) and beta version of safari, Yes you will require to install appropriate service packs to make the scripts compatible with few browsers but that you will come to know when we will go into the execution part of our QTP/UFT article series.

OS Support:

Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 (with a patch). UFT 12 supports Safari on Mac OS.

As of August 2014, UFT does not support Linux OS. An Enhancement Request (ER) is open for review on HP but there is no time line mentioned.

System requirement for the current version of UFT:

IF you want to work on any software then you have to meet its minimum system requirements, and if you meet more than that, then it is better for the working speed of your software, it will perform in a faster way.

Likewise QTP does also have minimum system requirement, and we recommend you to have them fix before trying to install QTP/UFT. Following are the requirements:

  • Computer/Processor: Pentium IV or higher microprocessor (minimum 1 GHz)
  • Operating System: Windows XP Service Pack 3, Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1
  • Memory: If you are working with only 3 add-ins then you can go this 1 GB.  [And if you want to use more add-ins then you have to increase your memory.]
  • Colour Settings: High Colour (16 bit)
  • Graphics Card: Graphics card with 64 MB video memory
  • Free Hard Disk Space: 1 GB of free disk space for application files and folders. [You should also have an additional 120 MB of free disk space on the system.]

How expensive the QTP is???

The main point about the license of the QTP is these are sold to organizations and not to individuals. License cost is also depends on your location, for example in US, a seat license is starts from $8000 (USD) and the cost increases with the number of add-ins you buy.

Certifications and their value:

HP has introduced an entry level certification for QTP called HP0-M47. The exam is conducted by Pearson VUE in collaboration with HP. Then next level certificate is also there. These certifications are recognized across world, it is advisable to take QTP certification if you want to outperform the crowd.

Where to use QTP???

Let’s take an example of Gmail registration form, let’s say you want to check this form with different-2 values. The test case will remain same but you have to execute that test case for different-2 set of data. To do this repetitive task more efficiently and accurately we take help of QTP, where we can automate our test case and run it multiple times with different set of data’s.

On a broader level following are the few main points which we try to achieve using automation with QTP:

  • Regression Testing
  • Finding certain classes of defects
  • Increasing the consistency & accuracy of testing efforts
  • Increase Test Coverage
  • Reduce Test Cycle Time
  • Improve Efficiency and Effectiveness
  • Save Time and Money
  • Repeatability
  • Unattended Test Execution

This was all about QTP. Just stay tuned for our next articles on experiment with the working of QTP.

But from this article if you feel anything needs explanation from us, please leave a comment we will surly try to clear your doubts.

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