Running and Viewing a Web Test
After you have recorded a Web test, it is a good practice to run it and verify that it works correctly. When you are sure that the recorded test can be successfully run, you can customize the test by adding validation rules, extraction rules, data binding, and so forth.
Note
As you run a Web application, the application can send dynamic data in query string parameter values and form post parameter values. After you finish recording a Web test, you can detect whether such dynamic parameters exist, and then choose to promote some or all of them, as described in How to: Record a Web Test.
To verify a Web test, use the following process:
Run your Web test and examine the feedback in the two panes of the Web Test Viewer. The top pane shows an overview of the status of individual requests, in addition to information about individual requests, transactions, and included Web tests. The bottom pane provides more detail on the requests and the responses to those requests.
Identify any problem requests by using the top pane of the Web Test Viewer. You can expand any nodes to see dependent requests. Requests that failed are identified by one symbol, and requests that passed are identified by a different symbol. This makes it easy to find failing requests. Page redirects are displayed under the request that initiated them, and are indicated by a unique icon.
Perform a quick visual inspection of the request using the Web Browser tab in the bottom pane.
Use the Request, Response, and Details panes to examine any problems with URLs, return codes, page redirects, and dependent requests.
Problems that commonly cause requests to fail include the following:
URLs called through JavaScript
ActiveX controls
Applets
These problems arise because the recorder can only record requests coming from the Web browser. If you experience any one or more of these problems, you can manually add the necessary requests to the recorded Web test. For more information, see About JavaScript and ActiveX Controls in Web Tests.
Determining what requests must be added can be a complex task. Consider the following suggestions for troubleshooting these problems:
Using a network analysis tool such as Microsoft Network Monitor (Netmon)
Examining the Web logs for the application
Reviewing the source code of the application
For more information, see How to: Run a Web Test.
The Web Test Viewer
The Web Test Viewer is the primary tool for running Web tests. You can use the Web Test Viewer to verify that a Web test is working correctly, and to debug it.
By using the two panes in the Web Test Viewer window, you can see the details of each request in your Web test and the resulting response to those requests. In the top pane, a tree view grid displays nested dependent requests under the top level request. Page redirects are also displayed in the tree view grid.
Note
To change a Web test, use the Web Test Editor. For more information, see How to: Edit an Existing Web Test.
The top pane of the Web Test Viewer displays four columns:
Column |
Description |
|---|---|
Request |
Displays the HTTP request that you recorded in your test. The icon next to the request indicates whether the request passed or failed after it was completed. |
HTTP Status |
Indicates the status of the request during the test run. All requests start as Not yet submitted; the status is updated as the test runs. At the end of the test, the status of the request is typically OK. |
Total Time |
The time listed under Total Time represents the following:
|
Request Time |
Displays the total time of the response from the Web server after the completion of an individual request. This time excludes the time used by dependent requests. |
Bytes |
Displays the size of the response to the request after completion. |
The bottom pane of the Web Test Viewer contains the following five tabbed pages:
Page |
Description |
|---|---|
Web Browser |
Displays the rendered page returned from the current HTTP request. |
Request |
Displays the contents of the current HTTP request, in two views, graphical and raw data. You can switch between the two views by selecting or clearing the Show raw data check box. The raw-data view shows the bytes that were sent to the server, displayed in header and body sections. The graphical view shows a more readable representation of the request, organized as a tree view that has the nodes Headers, Cookies, QueryString Parameters, and Form Post Parameters. |
Response |
Displays the HTTP response received as a reply to the current HTTP request. |
Context |
Displays the collection of contexts for a Web test. The context collection is a set of name and value pairs that contains important information persisted during a Web test. |
Details |
Displays specific details about the currently displayed Web page, including any validation and extraction rules you have applied and their results. |