Conference clt::dtm

2059.0. "Automating DTM Tests/Menu Driven" by NEWVAX::CCOLEMAN () Tue Apr 08 1997 20:21

I didn't see anything posted previously in this notesfile in regards
to this topic, so I am posting this note.

We our currently testing a mail product (MCI MAIL) for our customer
using DTM. The customer would like to have these tests run in a
"lights out" situation. Basically, they would like it to be menu
driven, to select a test to be run, and the ONLY results are whether
the test was successful or unsuccessful, and to print out where it
went wrong. Is there any way that you can do this within DTM
without using REVIEW, SHOW/DIFF. The tests would run in batch mode,
and when finished, send an e-mail stating that the test ran, and
results. If there are differences, it would post ONLY differences.

Additionally problems we've encountered in the SHO/DIFF is that
the headlines change on a daily basis, so even though the test
hasn't failed, the comparison between the benchmark and what was
run says that it was unsuccessful. Is there a way to filter out
this information out?

Excuse me if I'm not very clear on this, but I just learned DTM
about 2 months ago (on the fly) and I'm still struggling!

Cheryl Coleman

    
    You can do ANYTHING you want in a test prologue file.  If you run an
    image, (or DCL), the results of the test are in DTM$RESULT.
    
    If you have a string that you know is never the same, you run a
    'filter' that transforms this into something that will be the same. 
    DTM's built in filters do just that.  4/9/97 becomes mm/dd/yy.
    
    Declaring your own filter is the hook that allows you to do this.
    
    As far as the other 'lights out' stuff - that's a layer that you will
    have to build on top of DTM.  None of that automation is built into
    DTM.
    
    I have done similar things by a SHOW COLLECTION/FULL to a file and then
    parsing the file to report terse results.  As far as where a failed
    test failed and what's wrong - that's a little bigger than a breadbox.

    
    oops,  that should have been an epilogue file not the prologue.
    
    The prologue can and should be used to setup the test.  This insulates
    one test from another.  If you don't do this running the 15th test in a
    collection will incur the results of what the first 14 tests did.