Using Java to extend the rational performance Tester

Introduction: The new version of the ibm®rational® test tool focuses on making it easier for non-programmers to use these tools. This article explores how to write custom code for IBM Rational performance Tester products from a Java Programmer's perspective, and to take advantage of the object-oriented nature of the Java language and implement it based on Eclipse.

The extensible capabilities of ibm®rational® test products based on Eclipse, especially the rational performance Tester and rational functional Tester can use Java™ to write custom code that makes it a A wise choice to develop complex and flexible test procedures.

The Rational functional Tester is a more Java-oriented test tool for Web-or Java-based applications, and test scripts are generated directly in Java and provide direct access to Java objects within the client program. The Rational functional Tester provides an internal model for more convenient extensibility, using the Superhelper class to extend the Helper. The various paradigms that extend the Rational functional Tester can be found in the developerworks®rational® zone.

Because of the differences in performance testing, similar performance extensions do not exist in Rational Tester, contrary to functional testing and execution. For example, Customer object mapping is not a key component of the performance test model. In addition, performance testing is designed to generate as few loads as possible, so omissions results are not produced.

This article discusses two potential areas that provide a powerful extension point for Rational performance Tester: Object scaling through a superclass, and the use of reusable facilities through static methods. The example in this article is a continuous variable between performance tests, using a code-free execution method that can be easily reused by non programmers, and not programmers may record tests or run test scenarios.

The examples in this article use the performance Tester based on the Windows® platform and adopt the default settings. The features discussed here should not differ between different platforms. There is no custom code problem with the Rational functional Tester in this article.

Customizing the Code Environment

Suppose you read this article and are familiar with the Rational performance Tester mechanism to add custom code and look for potential opportunities for improvement. Other information about adding custom code to tests (many other Rational performance Tester related topics) can be found in the article "Using Rational performance Tester V7", released by IBM redbooks®, you Can be found from the IBM redbooks site. Many of the contents of this book also apply to the RPT V8 version.

Common Code Execution

Let's take a quick look at the problems with Java code execution before continuing with further customization. The Rational performance Tester uses the SRC folder in the project by using the default custom code widget, which is in a package named Test. This package is also where Java is dynamically generated from other Rational performance Tester artifacts, such as testing and scheduling.

The examples in this article work with code in a more structured format to isolate common code from dynamically generated code. The basic src folder, a standard Java project naming convention, is still used as a root.