Solutions to common problems

This topic is an information container where solutions to problems or test challenges are addressed which have not yet been described in detail in the Ranorex documentation, user guide, release notes, or eLearning modules. Usually, this chapter hosts upcoming problems primarily addressed within the forum or through support queries. This chapter is your first address when not finding information about your problem or question before contacting the forum or Ranorex support.

Structure of this chapter

Technology limitation warning

Technology limitation warnings usually have their origin in an incomplete instrumentation. We recommend following the below-listed link before contacting the Ranorex support team.

How does Ranorex identify UI-elements?

Ranorex tracks, identifies and stores UI-elements in a two-step process. Basically, UI-elements are referenced by an inner representation called repository items. Each repository item abstracts the corresponding UI-element with a role and optional capabilities. The position within the GUI is described by a special RanoreXPath specifier which uniquely identifies each UI-element. 

Is it required to use RanoreXPath for test automation?

No. It’s also possible to search for UI-elements or forms using a number of different Find methods to search and/or filter for UI-elements.

Besides this, we provide a fundamental and easy-to-understand introduction to RanoreXPath with lots of syntax examples for you to use, apply and raise your understanding. Once you are familiar with RanoreXPath, you will find it more easily to perform your UI-elements tracking challenges.

Does Ranorex support data-driven testing?

Yes – data-driven testing is an advanced key concept of Ranorex. Ranorex supports data connectors for simple data tables, CSV-files, Excel files and SQL database files.

How can I speed up my Excel-based data connector?

Especially with large files, the performance of Microsoft’s default file format for excel spreadsheets is getting poor. This weakness might also affect your data-driven test execution. For performance improvements we recommend to use the binary file format (xlsb) instead of the default one (xlsx). Simply save your Excel spreadsheet with the extension “xlsb” and assign it to your excel data source.

What to do if items can’t be found during Ranorex test execution?

Is it possible to extend recordings with user-specified code actions?

You can easily extend standard recordings with user specific code actions by converting existing action items or by adding a new user code action item to a recording.

What is the difference between Adapter and Element?

In Ranorex, UI-elements are mapped against an inner representation which is called a repository item. UI-elements are described by roles, capabilities, attributes & values and the RanoreXPath specification. These important topics are addressed in corresponding chapters:

Is it possible to trigger Ranorex tests from an existing test or build environment?

The result of a Ranorex test automation project is always an executable file. The generated *.exe can easily be started from other environments supporting command line execution.

Can I run my tests on machines where I am not allowed to install Ranorex?

Yes, it is possible to run automated tests on runtime machines without Ranorex Installation.

Can I use Ranorex libraries within Visual Studio?

That’s one of the big advantages of using Ranorex. You’re able to use your existing development environment to develop Ranorex based test automation code. Additionally, the code generated by the Ranorex Recorder or Ranorex Repository can easily be integrated into your Visual Studio projects.

What shall I do with unexpected dialogs and popup windows during test automation?

Ranorex provides the dedicated class PopupWatcher to watch for and to handle popup windows. By using this class, not only simply click actions to close popup dialogs can be called. Even more complex scenarios can be handled in custom callback routines being called at the time the popup appears.

Is it possible to test Silverlight applications with Ranorex?

Yes, it is. Simply ensure that your Silverlight application does not run in window-less-mode, i.e. set the Windowless property of the Silverlight HTML object to false. Find more information about window-less mode on the following site: msdn.microsoft.com

Is it possible to automate a webpage without moving the mouse pointer?

Yes, it is. Simply use the PerformClick instead of the normal Click method when working with web adapters like DivTag, Input or Link.

What are the system requirements for developing and running Ranorex tests?

The following link to our online documentation shows what is needed to develop or to simply run Ranorex tests.

Are there known incompatibilities with other software?

In general, there are no known incompatibilities. However, some antivirus or security software blocks certain Ranorex functionality. Consequently, if you experience problems with your automation and are running antivirus or security software, we recommend temporarily switching that software off for a test run.