SCRPTING 02: BRING THEM IN PAIRS

Today we will continue with the scripting series. I will tell you about the second recommended step. It is ‘record twice the same steps so you can get pairs’. The advantage here is that when you get two recordings of the same steps you will have comparisons. That will ensure you can identify everything that changes.

We want to ensure that we can identify the changes because that will ease the detection of correlations. Instead of doing just a try and error. This will give you a LASER targeting on what to correlate.

As well, here you will create a point of return. This return point will be like a video-game checkpoint. Where you will be able to return to, every time you mess up.

Lets see what is the process for the second step.

RECORD THE DATE

On the previous step we learned that you must familiarize yourself with the test case. So, now you two should be intimate. You should know the variations of the steps according to the test case. So we can finally proceed to open the recording tool.

Choose one flow pattern first. There you will choose a set of specific data. Get one of each of the parameters that are in the test case.

Now go on and record the steps like a pro. Go through them like a real user would do it. Do not worry about transaction timers (for now). Neither about other things such as wait times or parameters. Just record it clean at once. Flow through the steps like water.

The only extra thing that you may do is to insert a comment or a marker. You must do this where you think a timer will go later. Maybe where you notice there is a request done to the server. But keep it short, just a little word or a comment.

This will be like tagging the cattle. Just add a quick tag here or there. Don’t do anything complicated. As mentioned just type a word and keep going until the end. Until you get your first clean recording.

That’s it. Save the script and move on. Put on it a name tag Trying to prepare to have another one of the same kind. Maybe call it Perro, or Perro_01. Once you have named it, push that little animal into his pen and move on. We will check this buddy later.

GET A FEMALE TO HAVE PAIRS

You saved the previous script. Now we need a companion for it. We want them in pairs. Just that this time, we will change all of the possible different inputs.

Select a different set of data, wherever the data changes. This is really important. Make sure you select everything that can be typed different according to the test case.

• Parameters
• Credentials
• Dates
• Variable data

Once you have the data selected proceed to record a NEW script. You must make sure it is in a new one. Generate it completely from scratch. Please, you must be careful to not to overwrite the previous one.

In a similar way as we did with the previous one, just record it. Add few tags here and there where you consider important to identify in the code. Once you have recorded it, store it in the same pen as the previous script. Just name it with a similar name. Something like Perra or Perro_02.

Now you have two of the same. The special parts of each of them will be different, just like in males and females. You will have the couple. Now we can produce puppies! (Get puppies sounds better right?)

THE PUPPIES, NOT THE PAPI’S

Now we have two scripts recorded. We may have more than two if we felt kinky or with enough time. But we must have at least two. Not less.

Now we will copy them. Create a copy of each and leave those originals untouched. You created those just to have them safe and play with the copies.

The advantage of doing this is that you will have a checkpoint to return. In case you mess your script you will be protected from recording everything again. I bet you that we have been many times on that situation. The script was looking good a moment ago. You changed something and now you have no idea of what did you change and now nothing works. No matter what you try you cannot fix it! You are doomed to start all over again.

Talking about your animals, is like having puppies from the original perros that you got. As long as you keep the original ones you will have more puppies! Yay!!! Just leave them alone again with some Wine and Barry White music on the back.

COMPARISON AND BACKUP

You will not touch the original files but the copies for the rest of the steps on the post series to come. They are your pristine point of return. You have pairs just to make sure you can compare them with the different data.

Like the proverbial ark you will have a pairs of all the selected animals. That will allow you to populate everything again in the case of a flood. Or any other big catastrophe. Like you erasing a semicolon on the script by accident.

The scripts that you just recorded may be ugly and dirty for now. Especially if you are dealing with a web solution. Those usually have a lot of stuff going on in the back end. Doesn’t that code just looks like Chinese characters a la Matrix style? Thanks to the double recording, you will be able to find the differences later.

NEXT STEPS

We will continue with this series making sure we clean up those puppies. Getting them ready to be analyzed. To find the differences on them so we can proceed. So we can do one of the most difficult parts of scripting. CORRELATION.

But for today I think that is enough. Vamonos!

Besos <3

-Señor Performo
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