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AUTOMATED END-TO-END TEST FRAMEWORK

FIX Commander introduces a more robust form of automation – automation of the interface. Instead of automating a user’s actions, FIX Commander automates the effects of those actions on the system the GUI interacts with. FIX Commander automates the fundamental action, not the GUI representation of it, and therefore produces test cases that can last longer.

FIX Commander uses “Players” to automate the interactions of the GUI applications with the components of the System under test. This has the same effect on the system, but is independent of the GUI itself, and therefore impervious to changes in the GUI. While GUIs change frequently, underlying systems that the GUIs interact with typically change much less frequently, and are often backwards compatible. Furthermore, a GUI is not necessary to run or design the tests, and a workstation’s desktop is not taken over by testing.

Finally, FIX Commander also allows easy adjustment of inputs and outputs, allowing more reuse of each test case, and subsequently more cost effectiveness for each test case.

FIX Commander Components
Player - A Player represents a communication component which interacts with the application to be tested A Player can send instructions to the application to perform actions and receive notifications of the events occurring at the application. Each player is configured to represent a specific component’s properties. Players can be stored in player repositories, allowing multiple users and test plans to easily share the same players. The configuration parameters for each application are stored in a file. FIX Commander uses this file to connect to various applications.

Test Step - A test step is an action done by a player, including the parameters and functions required for the player to perform the action.

Test Case - A test case is a set of related test steps, and represents an execution flow through the system under test.

Test Suite - A test suite is a group of test cases, typically covering an area of functionality in a system, with each test case testing a facet of this area.

Test Plan - A Test Plan is a group of test suites, and represents a full set of tests to run on a system.

FIX Commander Architecture
FIX Commander uses a modular approach to test automation. FIX Commander creates small independent scripts that represent modules, sections, and functions of the application-under-test. Each module is independent and separate from other modules. These modules are then used in hierarchical fashion to construct larger scripts. All the ‘actions’ of the application-under-test are listed for its player in FIX Commander.

A ‘Test Step’ is created for each action which will encapsulate all the parameters and functions required for the player to perform the action. The input data for the modules is stored in data files. A test case tests a specific execution flow through the system. A test case is composed by creating a chain of test steps. A test step is a discrete action taken by a player. Test Steps are combined to form a ‘Test case’, test cases are combined to form Test Suites, and Test Suites are combined to form a ‘Test Plan’. Each step in a test case uses the data from the previous step to perform its action, allowing users to create complex test flows easily. Each step also stores the player’s state, allowing for baselines and comparisons of runs.

Benefits of FIX Commander

  • Scalability: With FIX Commander’s modular black-box approach, the functionality available within each module can be readily expanded and a new module can be added without affecting any other part of the system.
  • Multi-protocol support: FIX Commander can support multiple protocols. It can learn how the various
    applications in your trading system communicate with each other and replicate it.
  • GUI independent: FIX Commander does not use any remote GUI controls, it directly sends messages
    to the application-under-test. So, the test cases do not need to be modified every time the User
    Interface changes.
  • Application-independent: FIX Commander communicates with the applications through a API/socket. Hence, it can test any application irrespective of the platform.
  • Batch run: Test cases can be scheduled to run in batches.
  • Selective test run: A test case/set of test cases can be run by enabling or disabling it.
  • Result analysis: Results of a test run can be directly compared with an existing baseline or can be
    stored for future comparison. You can choose the fields to be excluded from the comparison, for
    example time stamp.
  • Data Maintenance: The input data is stored in a separate file. This file can be called while performing an ‘action’ on the application.


How to Get Started
Click here to request a demo, email info@aegisoft.com, or call +1.212.268.3100.