“Coded Test – The quick and easy solution to make test changes directly in the code”

Until LoadRunner Enterprise 2020 SP1, we had the option to change existing performance tests via the design load test module. It allows you to modify every aspect related to the test, from changing the number of groups, number of Vusers, assigning load generators, to assigning new monitors and much more.

But what if you want to make small changes? Perhaps you just need to reduce the number of Vusers or replace the load generator you used in all groups. Why must you open the full solution UI for this specific purpose?

Longtime dream

After talking with several customers—most of them experienced performance engineers—we kept hearing the request to “give me the option to change the structure of my performance test without the massive UI”.

We understood that this request really made sense, and could improve the customer’s experience while working with LoadRunner Enterprise.

Eureka

During the LRE 2020 SP1 release cycle, we decided to invest time on this feature.

We start working on it, and very quickly  deliver the “Coded Test” module to our customers (the feature is still in tech preview mode). The purpose of this post is to share the main capabilities of the Coded Test feature.

Coded Test – overview

When you open the main testing module in LoadRunner Enterprise, you can select any test from the test/script tree on the left. Details of the selected test are displayed in the main pane together with several tabs. One of these tabs is called Coded Test.

The Coded Test tab contains two sections:

• The main panel containing the test in XML format.
• The mini-map panel on the right which enables you to navigate inside the XML. This option can be used to scroll to a specific part of the test on which you want to focus.

To help use this view, we added a number of useful options that enable you to perform operations in the same way as in any other text editor. Pressing the F1 key (or right-clicking on the main panel and selecting the command palette) will show the various operations that are available.

Some of most-commonly used operations are find, find and replace, undo, redo, and fold node(s).

Double-check your changes

Since you’re working directly on the performance test, you need to know that all your changes are valid and that no mistakes crept into your code. To help you to verify your changes, we added the Compare to Original option. Click the Compare to Original button to see the differences between the original and the updated test, and review your changes before you save them.

Save and validate

After verifying your updates, click Save Test. The test is saved on the database, and the validation result is displayed in the lower pane.

The validity of a test is based on the LoadRunner Enterprise validation for the performance test.  Adjust the test as necessary to ensure that it is valid to run.

Useful tip

Since the coded test does not have any validation before saving the test, it is really important that you are knowledgeable on the test structure. Any changes that you make will persist on the database and can affect the existing test.

You can read more about this amazing new capability in the LoadRunner Enterprise Help Center: View or edit a test in XML mode (Coded test).