Exercising Win9x/NT GUI apps using Perl?

BlaisePascal has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

I'm trying to drive a GUI-based Windows application non-interactively for some product testing. The tool I'm currently using has lots of problems that make it very hard to use. It can send key-strokes, focus on windows, wait for popups, etc, but it can't respond intelligently to unexpected occurences -- like when a search pops up a "nothing found" window instead of a list of selected records.

I would love to do this in Perl, since Perl has lots of advantages over the rather clumsy language and programming interface I'm using now. But I can't seem to find any packages to do it.

CPAN seems to turn up a blank. Win32::OLE is the closest I could find, but a) I'm trying to test the GUI, and b) the program isn't designed for OLE automation.

So I'm turning to the Perlmonks for assistance. Does anyone know of anything that might help?

Comment on Exercising Win9x/NT GUI apps using Perl?

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
(tye)Re: Exercising Win9x/NT GUI apps using Perl? by tye (Sage) on Oct 19, 2000 at 22:17 UTC
See (tye)Re: Win32 control. - tye (but my friends call me "Tye")	[reply]
Re: Exercising Win9x/NT GUI apps using Perl? by chromatic (Archbishop) on Oct 20, 2000 at 00:36 UTC
Perl for System Administrators also recommends Win32::Setupsup, as tye's previous post postulates. Find it at Jenda.Krynicky.cz. Update: I updated the link to Jenda's Perl directory listing, which provides a ppd for the module.	[reply]
RE: Re: Exercising Win9x/NT GUI apps using Perl? by BlaisePascal (Monk) on Oct 20, 2000 at 07:26 UTC
Win32::GuiTest looks promising. I won't be able to test it until tomorrow, at the earliest. Win32::ActAcc looks (initially, at least) like it requires the driven program to be compiled using the Active Accessibility libraries, which I can't guarantee for this application -- and I am fairly confident it isn't. I can't find Win32::Setupsup, either on CPAN or at Jenda.Krynicky.cz Can anyone give a better pointer?	[reply]


Clear questions and runnable code get the best and fastest answer
	PerlMonks