If your developers are using Infragistic controls and your using Test Manager you will not be able to create action recording. Jeff Levinson advised me that:
“Playback won’t work with the infragistics controls (unless it is a web app because MTM actually works against the DOM in a web app and not against the controls directly). The Infragistics controls won’t be recognized if you try to add them to a UIMap (again – unless this is a web app) because they don’t support the interfaces to allow MTM to interrogate the control.”
You can however play around with the Coded UI tests. A client I recently worked with was able to create CUI test recordings and play them back where Infragistic controls existed. Note this was not using action recordings to create.
If your development team is using Infragistic controls please contact Infragistics requesting they add the interfaces to allow MTM to interrogate their controls. Telerik at this time is the only company that has added support for their controls and MTM.
Testa 
I am seeing people talking about having a test case with up to 50 and even 100 steps. I might be mad but isn’t that a lot of steps in one test case? When I talk to test teams my recommendation is no more then 10 steps per test case.
Make usage of Shared Steps that can be used to navigate through an application. Make usage of other test cases that will get your test case to the right spot in the application. Use the MTM ordered test feature to organize test cases to run in a specific sequence when needed.
I like to tell testers about the KISS principle of design.
Keep it simple and straightforward.
Keep it simple and short.
The KISS principle states that simplicity should be a key goal in design, and that unnecessary complexity should be avoided. This applies to code design as well.
Test Cases you’ve kissed will be easy to understand, maintain and report on.
Testa 
In Test Manager you can copy existing Test Suites into Test Plans but only when they are both in the same Team Project. You can also create a copy of a test case adding it to a different team project but only one at a time in Visual Studio or MTM. So what happens if I have test cases that are in other Team Projects that I want to add to a new Team Project?
Shai Raiten who is a VS ALM MVP & Microsoft Regional Specialist has created a tool for this function.
The tool is a wizard that walks you through the:
| 1 |
Connection to the Team Foundation Server |
| 2 |
Selection of the Source Team Project (where test case to be copied reside) |
| 3 |
Selection of the Target Team Project (where you are coping test cases too) |
| 4 |
Selection of migrating existing test case links, attachments, areas, iterations and even the duplication of existing Shared Steps. |
| 5 |
Addition of a Configuration File that saves the migration results |
| 6 |
Field mapping – the wizard checks that the target test case work item has all the same fields as the source |
| 7 |
If you selected to copy area and/or iteration the wizard checks that the same data exists in the new project, if it does not you shown what is missing and expected to add into the target team project. |
| 8 |
Then you get to select the query from the source team project that contains the test cases you want to copy or it may just be all test cases from the source team project. Either way the test cases from your query are displayed with a checkbox. You are required for each test case displayed to check the one’s you want copied. |
| 9 |
All that is left is to click Start |
If your source test case has:
| Parameter’s they are copied |
| Shared Steps they are duplicated but not the action recordings |
| Parameter data it is all copied |
| Action recording they are not copied |
| History it is not copied, the new tests case will show the date and time the create was done and all the data that was copied. |
If you include the coping of links from your source to your target and the link is another work item from your source team project it does not get copied into the target team project.
If you would like to use this tool email me.
Shai great tool and thanks for providing me a copy.
Testa 
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Tell them Testa send you …
Testers have been asking for multi-step capability in test cases. Shai Raiten has created a tool that enables test case step multi lines. The Test Steps Editor enables editing of actions and expected results to add multi-lines. The tool works with both Shared Steps and Test Cases.
Here is an example of the tool:
You need to know your work item id, enter then click Load, the test case steps displays.
Put your cursor at the end of the line above where you want to add a line.
Alt+Enter adds a line below the selected line.
Click to download the Test Steps Editor.
Thanks to Shai,
Testa
On Oct. 12th Microsoft has published a hot fix for issues that were causing Test Manager to crash and memory leaks that caused data and productivity loss. After downloading the hot fix I noticed that in the Test Case iterations section that are new buttons and bugs fixed. See what I’ve found so far below:
1. You can now delete test case iterations without crashing MTM. And working with data in the iterations seems smoother.
2. You will now have a “Remove parameter” button which allows you to remove a parameter from you iterations and/or test steps.
3. You will also have a “Rename parameter” button which allows you to rename a parameter in your test case iterations and/or shared steps.
4. Last you will have a “Delete parameter” button which allows you to delete a parameter in your test case iterations and/or shared steps. Deletions with this button only removes the @ sign from the parameter in the steps. You can still highlight the parameter in the step and click the delete button on your keyboard, this removes all instances of the parameter in your test case.
Note: shared step parameters display in associated test cases however, you can only Rename, Remove or Delete parameters from within the shared step itself. At the moment you are able to select the shared step parameter and proceed with selecting the test case remove, delete or rename button and proceed again as if executing the button feature right to the end. The action does not actually work!
Note: the issue with deleting a parameter in a shared step and the associated test cases not being updated still exists. This hot fix does not include a fix for this.
Click this link: hot fix KB2387011 to download.
When attempting to paste (using Ctrl-V) data from the clipboard into a parameter within an Iteration you must use the spacebar or manually click into the field that you are populating. If you don't have a cursor blinking even thought the box is highlighted (has focus) using Ctrl-V creates another Iteration instead of pasting the copy data.
This bug has been report to Microsoft and should be address in a future update.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Created a Shared Step that has 37 parameters. We added the Shared Step to a Test Case and loaded the data for one iteration. We then decided to remove two parameters. In the Shared Steps we deleted the two parameters and removed the steps. Saved and Closed. We then opened the Test Case expected the two parameters to be gone, they are not.
We have also had issues with changing the data in the parameters (Test Case)
1 remove the data then click the enter key
2. add the new data then tab out
3. save.
Work a Round's:
1. Deletion of parameter in shared step does not delete parameters in the test case.
There is definitely a bug with refresh here. I will file this issue. To workaround this, insert a dummy step and delete it. You will see that parameters go away. Let me know if this works for you.
2. Deletion of data
I agree, we do not have a good experience of editing data. You will have to hit the enter key to take the test case to dirty state. Only after that the data gets saved.
Testa
Shared steps can have parameters however, before adding iterations of data there are considerations you need to take into account.
If you consider logically how this works, adding a bunch of parameters and data to a Shared Step will have that step repeat running through the data you added. Then once all iterations of the shared step complete your next test case step would run. Make sense.
- What if I want the Shared Step parameters to run with other parameters in my Test Case?
- What if I want to add data to my Test Case Shared Step parameters months later?
The cleanest and most flexible way I believe and have found is to add data (iterations) to my Shared Step parameters from within the Test Case. Remember a Shared Step can be used in any Test Case and therefore needs to be flexible.
Example:
A Shared Step with Parameters > no data (iteration) added.
Shared Step with Parameters (userid & password) inside the Test Case
Above there are three parameters of which two belong to the Shared Step, the other the test case. You can add many parameter iterations to this test case without affecting any other test case that contains the same shared step. (If the UserID and Pswd’s were in the shared step that step would keep opening and login for each iteration before doing the test case step two.)
I have seen cases where testing always uses the same UserID and Pswd for login. In that case having these as parameters set within a Shared Step makes sense. If a new set of credentials is issued you can easily change them in one place, quick and simple.
Note: now this is confusing. I set my parameters in a Shared Step added the Shared Step to a Test Case. In the Test Case the shared step parameters display however they do not show any data.
[I will try a scenario where parameters are set in the Shared Step and in the Test Case to see what happens! - will let you know the outcome]
Comments on this subject are welcome. If you have found a different way to handle a combination of parameters in shared steps and test cases or situations you have come across – lets learn together.
Testa :-)