Improved WPF plugin

In Ranorex 7.0, a new and improved WPF plug-in was introduced. It produces less complex element trees and more logical RanoreXPaths, making your tests more reliable and robust. This is why we recommend you use the improved WPF plug-in for all your new projects. It is the default setting for new solutions.

Your existing projects that use the WPF plug-in from previous Ranorex versions will still work in Ranorex 7.0. Ranorex automatically activates the correct plug-in for you based on whether:

• the solution contains any WPF elements,
• any solution settings are present,
• you performed a fresh installation of Ranorex 7.0 or upgraded from an existing installation.

The following table illustrates this. You can find a more detailed explanation of all the cases further below.

Local settings: User settings and solution settings are stored on the local machine.
Solution settings: Solution settings are stored in a solution.
Legacy plug-in: The WPF plug-in for previous versions of Ranorex.

How to read the table:
You performed a fresh installation of Ranorex 7.0. You are opening an existing solution that contains WPF elements and solution settings: Ranorex will use the existing solution settings and make no changes.

When you create a new solution, the improved plug-in is activated by default.

When you open an existing solution created in a previous version of Ranorex, its repositories are first scanned for WPF elements:

WPF elements are found

• There are solution settings: No changes are made. The existing solution settings apply.
• There are no solution settings: Ranorex automatically generates the solution settings. The legacy WPF plug-in for previous versions is activated with the default settings.

No WPF elements are found

• There are solution settings: The improved WPF plug-in is activated, and all other existing solution settings apply.
• There are no solution settings: The improved WPF plug-in is activated and the current local settings are used.

If you upgraded from an existing installation, Ranorex 7.0 will use two separate local settings files when determining the correct WPF settings for you. The first file is the old local settings file of your previous installation. For Ranorex 6, this file would be called RanorexConfig6.xml. The second file is created when you start Ranorex 7.0 for the first time. It is a copy of the old local-settings file, renamed to RanorexConfig7.xml and configured to use the improved WPF plug-in by default.

When you create a new solution, RanorexConfig7.xml is used and the improved WPF plug-in is activated by default.

When you open an existing solution created in a previous version of Ranorex, its repositories are first scanned for WPF elements:

WPF elements are found

• There are solution settings: No changes are made. The existing solution settings apply.
• There are no solution settings: Ranorex automatically generates the solution settings. The legacy WPF plug-in is activated and its settings from the old local settings file (e.g. RanorexConfig6.xml) are applied to the solution settings.

No WPF elements are found

• There are solution settings: The improved WPF plug-in is activated, and all other existing solution settings apply.
• There are no solution settings: The improved WPF plugin is activated and the current local settings are used.

In the standalone tools, (Ranorex Spy, Ranorex Recorder, etc.), the improved WPF plug-in is active by default. If you are working with a solution that doesn’t use the improved WPF plug-in, you must activate the correct WPF plug-in in the standalone tool you want to use.

Attention
Do not mix repository items created in different WPF-plug-in operation modes. It will lead to conflicts.

Follow these instructions to activate the correct WPF plug-in:

First, find out what WPF settings your solution is using:

1. With a solution open, click on ‘Settings’ in the toolbar.

2. Click on the ‘Plugins’ tab, select Solution Settings at the top, and then scroll down to the WPF section.

3. Find the option ‘WPF Legacy/UIA Interaction’ and note what it is set to.

4. Keep the window open for reference.

Now activate the correct plug-in in the standalone tool you want to use:

1. Open the standalone tool you want to use.

2. Click on ‘Settings’, select Solution Settings at the top, and then scroll down to the WPF section.

3. Find the option ‘WPF Legacy/UIA Interaction’ and select the same option from the drop-down menu as in the window you kept open.

4. Click on OK in the bottom right of the window.

You can also manually select the WPF plug-in you want to be activated for your solution in the solution settings. To do so, follow these steps:

1. With a solution open, click Settings in the toolbar.

2. Click Plugins tab, select Solution Settings at the top, and then scroll down to the WPF section.

3. Find the option WPF Legacy/UIA Interaction and select your desired option from the drop-down menu.

4. The other WPF settings change accordingly. Please refer to the WPF section of the Settings overview in the User Guide for more information on what these settings do.

5. Click OK in the bottom right of the window.