Google Search Automation!!!!!!

Through the years I have been asked many times by novices to automation and QTP about Google/Gmail automation. This short post provides an example of Google search automation using a class (see Below). The class encapsulates opening the Browser (invoking Internet Explorer), navigating to the Google.com page, searching and retrieving the results. The Main Procedure takes care of the analysis and final reporting of the test’s status.

Prerequisites:

· Environment(“OPEN_URL”) – OPEN_URL must be defined as either an internal or external variable

· DataTable(“Query”, dtLocalSheet) – Query must be defined as a DataTable parameter in the local sheet.

01	Dim oGoogleSearch

02	Dim iNumResults

03	Dim sMaxResults

04	Dim iMaxResults

05	Dim oListResults

06	Dim oDicSearches

07

08	'A .Net ArrayList is used to store the results and sort them with ease

09	If Not lcase(typename(oListResults)) = "arraylist" Then

10	Set oListResults = createobject("System.Collections.ArrayList")

11

End If

12

13	'A Dictionary is used to store the search results (key) linked to the search terms (value)

14	If Not lcase(typename(oDicSearches)) = "dictionary" Then

15	Set oDicSearches = createobject("scripting.dictionary")

16

End If

17

18	Set oGoogleSearch = getGoogleSearch()

19

20	sToSearch = DataTable("Query", dtLocalSheet)

21	iNumResults = oGoogleSearch.doSearch(sToSearch)

22

23	oListResults.Add iNumResults

24

25	'If more than one search term share the same number of results, the item associated with the key will concatenate them as a comma separated string.

26	If Not oDicSearches.Exists(iNumResults) then

27	'Unique entry

28	oDicSearches.Add iNumResults, sToSearch

29

Else

30	'Same number of results of a previous search

31	oDicSearches(iNumResults) = oDicSearches(iNumResults) & ", " & sToSearch

32

End If

33

34	'Last iteration (assuming we always run on all rows)

35	If cint(Environment("ActionIteration")) = DataTable.LocalSheet.GetRowCount Then

36	oListResults.sort

37

38	iMaxResults = oListResults.item(oListResults.Count-1)

39	sMaxResults = oDicSearches(iMaxResults)

40

41	Reporter.ReportEvent micDone, "Max search",  sMaxResults & " got " & iMaxResults

42

43	Set oListResults = nothing

44	Set oDicSearches = nothing

45	Set oGoogleSearch = nothing

46

End If

Here below you can see the GoogleSearch class. Some highlights:

·  Upon instantiation, the class_initialize subroutine checks if the browser is open on the Google page. If not, it opens a browser and navigates to the Google page.

·   Upon termination, the class_terminate subroutine closes the browser.

·   All relevant test objects are identified using inline descriptions (aka DP).

01	Class GoogleSearch

02	public oBrowser

03	Public oPage

04	Public oResults

05

06	Public Function doSearch(ByVal sQuery)

07	oPage.WebEdit("name:=q").set sQuery

08	oPage.WebButton("html id:=gbqfba").click

09	oBrowser.Sync

10	Set oResults = oPage.WebElement("html id:=resultStats")

11	If oResults.WaitProperty("visible", 1, 10000) Then

12	doSearch = getNumResults()

13

Else

14	doSearch = 0

15	Reporter.ReportEvent micFail, Typename(Me), "Search did not retrieve results until timeout"

16

End If

17	End Function

18

19	Public Function getNumResults()

20	Dim tmpStr

21

22	tmpStr = oResults.GetROProperty("innertext")

23	tmpStr = split(tmpStr, " ")

24	getNumResults = Cdbl(tmpStr(1)) 'Assumes the number is always in the second entry

25	End Function

26

27	Private Sub Class_Initialize

28	Set oBrowser = Browser("title:=.*Google.*")

29	If Not oBrowser.Exist(0) Then

30	SystemUtil.Run "iexplore.exe", Environment("OPEN_URL")

31	Reporter.Filter = rfEnableErrorsOnly

32	While not oBrowser.Exist(0)

33	wait 0, 50

34

WEnd

35	Reporter.Filter = rfEnableAll

36	Reporter.ReportEvent micDone, TypeName(me), "Opened browser"

37

Else

38	Reporter.ReportEvent micDone, TypeName(Me), "Browser was already open"

39

End If

40

41	Set oPage = oBrowser.Page("title:=.*Google.*")

42

End Sub

43

44	Private Sub Class_Terminate

45	If oBrowser.Exist(0) Then

46	oBrowser.Close

47	Reporter.Filter = rfEnableErrorsOnly

48	While oBrowser.Exist(0)

49	wait 0, 50

50

WEnd

51	Reporter.Filter = rfEnableAll

52	Reporter.ReportEvent micDone, TypeName(Me), "Closed browser"

53

End If

54

End Sub

55

End Class

The following function serves as a “constructor” for our GoogleSearch class (keep in mind that QTP/UFT does not support using the new operator for custom classes inside the test code; one must use it in a function library).

1	Function getGoogleSearch()

2	Set getGoogleSearch = New GoogleSearch

3	End Function

---Sudhakar.Mangi