TestLog 3.0 FAQs

Last updated 16/April/2009

Q. My License key does not seem to work.

Both the User Name and Registration Key must be correctly entered before the software turns itself into the registered version. See this step by step guide for help.

Q. Is there a version of TestLog available for the Mac or Linux?

No.

Q. Can i have version 2 and version 3 installed at the same time?

Yes you can install version 3 to a different directory. Once you have opened a database in version 3 and converted it however you will be unable to open it with the older version.

Q. Does TestLog support a web interface?

Yes, from version 3 there is a web access module of TestLog distributed as a CGI file. It runs through a Windows web server (IIS, Apache) and allows viewing of TestLog databases via a browser, test cases and project test cases can also be edited. There is a separate licence system in place for the web access module and they can purchased from the sales page.

Q. Is there a different licence for the web access module?

Yes there is, a web access licence allows a user to be logged into the web access module, the number of web access licence's you have determines the number of simultaneous logged in users. The TestLog trial download comes with a free single web access licence that allows one user to be logged in at a time.

Q. Are the standalone licence and web access licence interchangeable?

No, they are separate products and a licence key from one cannot be used to register the other.

Q. What are the differences between the web access module and TestLog?

• The web access version needs to be installed on a web server and access through a browser
• Only test cases and project test case can be edited in the web access version
• Only test cases / project test cases and test suites / project test suites can be created in the web version. No other new items (projects, reports, users, configs, filters etc) can be created in the web access version, they must be created using the standalone version
• No items can be deleted using the web access version
• The standalone version is used to administer the access rights and passwords for users of the web access version

Q. Web access returns the error "Unable to create lockfile. Please check write permissions are enabled for the Apache/IIS user for this database." when trying to edit a test case.

This indicates a permissions problem where the web server doesn't have write or create permissions for the database folder. You will need to give the appropriate permissions to the web server user (IIS_WPG/Internet Guest Account for IIS). Also when assigning permissions click on the Advanced button on the security tab to check that there are no inherited permissions preventing writing and file creation.

Q. How do I backup or move my database to another location?

Because TestLog uses a lightweight XML database, backing up the database is an extremely simple process.

1. Locate your database root directory. This will usually be "Program Files\TestLog\<DatabaseName>".
2. Add the entire contents of this directory and all sub directories to a zip file.
3. The zip file now contains your database. You may copy this to tape or floppy disk, or even send it to someone via email.

To restore the database, unzip the backed up database to your TestLog application directory, usually "Program Files\TestLog". You can then load the database in TestLog.

Q. What's the best way to get started quickly?

We recommend that you consult the Getting Started topic of the help file. The 'SampleDB' sample database that is shipped with TestLog should also offer some ideas on setting up your own TestLog database.

Q. Test Cases appear in two places in TestLog and they have different types of edit dialogs. Why is this?

Test cases exist in two 'flavors' in TestLog. This is to facilitate reuse of test cases. Test cases are first created as Generic test cases. This type of test case exists outside any projects and contains no information concerned with the actual execution or results of the test. Generic test cases can then be added to any TestLog project. Once added to a project, the test case becomes a Project test case. The test case now belongs to it's parent project and is updated by testers with the results of the test.

Q. How do I setup TestLog for multiple users

1. Install TestLog on each machine that requires access.
2. Make sure the database is created on a shared / networked hard drive, or move your existing database to a networked drive.
3. Open the database from the networked location on each machine

TestLog includes a record locking feature to prevent multiple users editing the same test cases and other records at the same time. So only one user will be able to edit a particular test case at a time, but different users can work on different test cases at the same time.

To restrict user access based on Windows user groups and security permissions please see this guide.

There is also a web access version available that allows TestLog databases to be accessed via a web server and browser.

Q. I have selected a test suite and I can see the test cases listed below it on the left hand side of TestLog but not all the files are listed on the right hand side. What is happening?

You probably have a filter selected that the missing test cases don't pass. The currently selected filter can be seen under the "Filters" menu and in the drop down menu on the tool bar. To show all the test cases once again select "No Filter" from one of the filter menus and all the test cases in that suite should now be shown.

Q. Is there a way to change the appearance of text and other items in TestLog.

Yes there is, under the "Edit" menu is the "Display Style" option. This allows a template to be selected to change the appearance of the items being viewed. The existing style sheets and templates can be edited or new ones added. For more information on style sheets and templates in TestLog see the section "Display Templates" in the TestLog user manual.

Q. How can I print a list of my test cases or test suite description.

To print a list of test cases or print the actual test suite description, click on a Test Suite folder and then click on the print button. This will bring up a window (see right) from which you can select one of the 3 print options. This allows one test suite to be printed at a time (Test group description) or a list of the test cases (Test list report), as displayed in the list view, to be printed.

To print all the test cases in a suite, there are two options. Create a "Test Case details" report using the Report Wizard and then print that report or choose the "Test case report" option.

Q. I am trying to generate a Progress report and get the error message "There is no time data to generate report. The finish date for the project is the same as or earlier than the start date.", why is this, how do I fix it?

For the Progress report to be generated, the duration of the project needs to be broken into segments. If there isn't any difference between the start and finish dates of the project then you will receive an error message . To fix this, right click on the project and select "Edit", make sure the "Planned Start" or "Actual Start" date is earlier than the "Planned Finish" or "Actual Finish" date.

Q. How many test cases can TestLog handle before performance starts to become unacceptable.

The answer depends on many factors including

• The speed of the server (in particular the hard disk speed)
• The size of each test case
• The operations being performed on the database
• The number of simultaneous users

Notes:

Sort time - time to sort (by test case name) a list of test cases in the test suite
Display time - time to display a list of test case when clicking on a test suite
Web export - time to export the entire project using the web export feature
Program load - time for TestLog to load the database when starting up
Refresh time - time to refresh the view of the database using the refresh all button
Status report - time to generate a status report for the project

Testing was done on a Pentium4 3.2Ghz machine with 512MB of RAM and 120GB disk with the database on the local hard disk and a single user.

Q. Can I link to an external bug tracking tool from TestLog?

Yes, there are two fields in the options that allow you to enter a path for adding and viewing bus in an external tool. For more information please see the page Linking to an External Bug Tracker.

Q. Any Suggestions on how to archive old projects?

One way to archive old projects is to create a new database and then move the old project's folder (and corresponding .tlg file) to the projects folder of the new database. You will need to do this through Window's Explorer. This will keep your working database clear of redundant projects and improve load times.