Understanding enigmatic TO and RO property

by | Last Updated On Jul 8, 2014 | Object Identification in QTP, Tips and Tricks in QTP | 36 comments

The Test Object (TO) property and Runtime Object (RO) property must have confused (or might be still confusing) you at some point of time. Here is our attempt to demystify these for you:

  1. Test objects are the QTP (HP) defined classes that are used to represent the objects in your application under test (AUT). The information about these objects is stored in object repository. Runtime objects are the actual AUT objects in your application which a Test object refers to during the test run. The information about these objects can be accessed using Object Spy.
  2. Test objects classes defined by HP for a particular environment type can be seen in Object Identification dialog present under Tools > Object Identification in QTP/UFT.to-vs-ro-property
  3. Test object properties set is created and maintained by QuickTest (HP). Runtime object properties set is created and maintained by the object creator (Microsoft for IE objects, Mozilla Firefox for Firefox objects, the product developer for ActiveX objects, etc.) Test object properties are normally the subset of runtime object properties.
  4. Test object methods are methods that QuickTest recognizes and records when they are performed on an object while you are recording a test, and that QuickTest performs when your test runs. Runtime object methods are the methods of the object in your application as defined by the object creator(the developer!). You can access and perform runtime object methods using the .Object property.
  5. .GetTOProperty can be used to fetch a particular test object property from the object repository. .GetROProperty can be used to fetch a particular run time object property from the AUT at run time.

Here is a demonstration of GetTOproperty and GetROProperty on DemoAUT site. We will add the username object in object repository. Run the two lines of code below and try to retrieve the value of “value” property.to-vs-ro-property-example

msgbox Browser("Welcome: Mercury Tours").Page("Welcome: Mercury Tours").WebEdit("userName").GetTOProperty("value")

Output is blank since there is no property in the object repository with the name value.

msgbox Browser("Welcome: Mercury Tours").Page("Welcome: Mercury Tours").WebEdit("userName").GetROProperty("value")

Output is mercury since QTP has fetched the value of value property at run time from the AUT.

I hope this makes things clear in regards to Test objects, Run Time objects, GetToProperty and GetRoProperty. In case you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments section below.

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36 Comments

  1. TesterVinni on Nov 6, 2015 at 09:27

    I’ve facing another problem now, where I am unable to extract the innertext/outertext from a WebElement. Though I am able to identify & highlight the WebElement using Object Spy, but when I try extracting its value programmatically, its returning empty string & highlight is also not working.
    ‘ — My code
    Browser(“name:=Cards.*”).Page(“title:=Cards.*”).highlight ‘ —> This works
    Browser(“name:=Cards.*”).Page(“title:=Cards.*”).WebElement(“class:=dsk-block”,”html id:=postStatus”).Highlight ‘ —> UFT throws General run error
    Msgbox Browser(“name:=Cards.*”).Page(“title:=Cards.*”).WebElement(“class:=dsk-block”,”html id:=postStatus”).GetROProperty(“outertext”) ‘—> Returns blank
    Msgbox Browser(“name:=Cards.*”).Page(“title:=Cards.*”).WebElement(“class:=dsk-block”,”html id:=postStatus”).GetROProperty(“innertext”) ‘—> Returns blank

    Please let me know, if I am missing something here or you can redirect me to any link for understanding any concept. Will appreciate if you can share any function to retrieve the object values, if you have..

    -Thanks in advance,
    Vinni!

    Reply
  2. Sanjeev on Jul 27, 2015 at 13:38

    Hello Sir,

    How r you doing..?

    There is request of mine that “Smart Identification document’s” language is not easy to understand so please if can modify the document please do it.

    Thanks
    Sanjeev

    Reply
  3. Manish on Jan 16, 2015 at 10:17

    Thanks a lot

    Reply
  4. Anshul Aggarwal on Jan 15, 2013 at 12:34

    Automation Testing and QTP has recently taken my fancy and you are doing a great job through this blog.
    This will help a lot of beginners like me to master the key concepts of QTP.

    Keep up the good work !!

    -Anshul

    Reply
  5. Anonymous on Sep 1, 2011 at 19:46

    hi ankur,

    this is excellent article with dis i get familiarize regdng Objects.

    Thanks

    Reply
  6. chiluvuri on Jun 28, 2011 at 14:12

    Good article!
    Keep up the good work.

    Reply
  7. Vidya Bharambe on Mar 23, 2011 at 00:39

    Hi Ankur,
    I have stucked at a web application script. I have something of the form Browser–>Page–>WebTable–>WebTable–>WebTable–>WebElement. This WebElement is not recorded (i dont know why)n so i had to get all the children of the web page one by one till i find my interested one. There are number of WebElement which i am suppose to identify by its innertext alone. There exist a WebElement which has a description of innertext as “Accounting”, unfortunately i have a web link named “Accounting”. Now the only way to differentiate between these 2 childrens of the page is their class name viz: WebElement and WebLink. But nothing is working for me to get the class name. Kindly reply this one too 🙂

    Reply
  8. chirkoot on Sep 23, 2010 at 01:44

    Hi Ankur,

    Can you give an example to explain it more? I understand the object in application at run time is RO and object that in that used in test is TO. So for same WinEdit Object in Test (TO) may have different property value at runtime (RO). Is this what the main difference?

    I’m confused that in what context these exist.

    Thanks
    Vineet

    Reply
  9. Anonymous on Feb 26, 2010 at 10:13

    This is a really good blog i ever seen, U r work is greatly appreciable ankur…
    Thanks alot for ur articles….

    Reply
  10. suma on Sep 3, 2009 at 23:01

    Hi Ankur,

    Article is good and the site is really helpful.

    Giving example in these cases would help more.

    Thank u

    Reply
  11. santhok singh on Jul 6, 2009 at 16:32

    hi Ankur,
    Could you please share actual/sample files and scripts involved in Keyword Driven Framework?

    Please send me the scripts and files on s.santhok@gmail.com..

    The Keyword Driven framework consists of the basic components given below
    1. Control File
    2. Test Case File
    3. Startup Script
    4. Driver Script
    5. Utility Script

    please the files would be of great help to me

    thanku

    Reply
  12. Krishan on May 4, 2009 at 18:24

    Hi All,

    I have started the recording of web application. Can anybody guides me for effective recording. I have little bit knowledge in QTP.

    Regards,
    Krishan Malik

    Reply
  13. Anonymous on Apr 17, 2009 at 12:18

    Please help me by sending the sample files for the below components. and how to use these files in QTP 8.0 and have initial stage

    1. Control File
    2. Test Case File
    3. Startup Script
    4. Driver Script
    5. Utility Script

    Thanks in advance

    It would be great if u forward some of the examples to my Email id nandhakumarpalani@yahoo.com

    Reply
  14. Anonymous on Mar 26, 2009 at 20:49

    hi ankur
    i am a beginner in qtp.i have a problem, when i replay my test qtp flashes meassage that object does not recognised.can u plz giv some tips how to configure objects

    Reply
  15. Niranjan on Feb 25, 2009 at 12:59

    Issues in parsing WSDLs using Web Service Addin

    Hi Ankur,
    Posting in this forum after a long time. I am currently working on QTP 9.2 with Web Services Addin 9.2.

    I have encountered an issue of parsing few WSDLs (not all) from a specific Server. I feel something wrong with my Installation. It is working fine in few of the PCs, though configurations of all PCs are same.

    We use Concurrent Licensees.

    In the new PCs, I am installing QTP and Web Service Addin, I am unable to parse few WSDLs using Web Service Testing Wizard. Few of them are becoming successful in this method too. Other machines, I do not have any problem in parsing WSDLs.

    For the cases, where it fails, I get UnSupportedType XML Warehouse.

    For instance, while parsing
    a) WSDL in new PCs, I get:

    ‘ AccountService Web service object steps
    Set AccountCreate = WebService(“AccountService”).AccountCreate(XMLWarehouse(“UnsupportedType”))
    WebService(“AccountService”).Check CheckPoint(“AccountCreate”)

    But in other PCs, while parsing the same WSDL, It is becoming successful.

    ‘ AccountService Web service object steps
    Set AccountCreate = WebService(“AccountService”).AccountCreate (XMLWarehouse(“AccountCreateInputMessage”))
    WebService(“AccountService”).Check CheckPoint(“AccountCreate “)

    b) ) WSDL works fine in both the PCs. Likewise; many other WSDLs work fine in both the PCs.

    Just wondering, if you/anyone has overcome this type of scenarios?

    Reply
  16. Anonymous on Jan 30, 2009 at 00:58

    Hi Ankur, I am new to this blog. One question for you. My Dev people use third party tools like syncfusion and devexpress and QTP are not able to identify the objects in the application. the existing qtp scripts used the x,z position to identify the objects. Do you have a better idea? this is driving me crazy everytime I run QTP scripts, I need to modify the position. re-record some objects…

    Reply
  17. KISHORE on Jan 23, 2009 at 17:44

    very much useful article
    keep up the momentum going

    Reply
  18. seema on Dec 23, 2008 at 15:43

    Hi Ankur,

    Can u suggest through QTP can we recognize that mail was shooting or not on submission of button?

    Reply
  19. Chanikya on Nov 24, 2008 at 19:30

    Hi Ankur,

    I have one question here.
    Can u please tell me, Hw to retrive the column names of the excel sheet into QTP?

    Reply
  20. Anonymous on Aug 19, 2008 at 23:41

    Hello Ankur,
    can u plz tell me how to compare results in QTP ……..
    As activation code/numeric value is generated i need to compare it with my DB ………….
    or suppose i need to save the last activation code in my excel sheet …..so that i can manually compare it with the DB

    Reply
  21. Chandra on Aug 11, 2008 at 14:13

    Hi Ankur

    How to record & ply back on remote system. Is it work as similar as normal system?

    Poorna.

    Reply
  22. quicky on Jul 8, 2008 at 19:48

    Sandeep,

    Thanks, you made the whole explanation easier.

    Swetha.

    Reply
  23. meet on Jun 10, 2008 at 17:35

    Does The QTP script recorded on Windos XP run properly on Vista Ultimate(vice a versa) else what changes needs to made to work it properly

    Reply
  24. meet on Jun 10, 2008 at 17:32

    Is it possible to record the right click events with new QTP 9.5 or with some descriptive programming.

    Reply
  25. Anonymous on May 12, 2008 at 17:20

    Great Article….Good work Ankur, your articles really helping new comers to gain thorough knowledge about QTP…
    Keep it up…

    Reply
  26. sandy on Mar 28, 2008 at 15:31

    Test Object: Property of a object at the time of recording and programming.
    Run object: Property of a object found when QTP Execute script on web objects.
    Sandeep Panda

    Reply
  27. Anonymous on Mar 19, 2008 at 13:55

    Hi Ankur

    Good Stuff, but it will be great help to the readers if you provide examples on To and Ro properties

    Thanks

    Reply
  28. Anonymous on Feb 13, 2008 at 16:37

    Excellent article ankur………i havn’t seen this information in any of the stuff i have gone through about QTP…….excellent one ….keep it up……..

    Reply
  29. Anonymous on Nov 15, 2007 at 02:41

    Hi Ankur,
    Had a question. Can I post a HTTP request to my application using QTP ?

    Thanks

    Reply
  30. Anonymous on Nov 12, 2007 at 22:17

    Ankur You are doing excellant work, it is really helpful for newcommers and persons who are already working in QTP.

    Reply
  31. Anonymous on Oct 28, 2007 at 21:12

    Ankur you are doing good job. Its really helpful. Keep posting new solutions.

    Reply
  32. Manohar naidu on Sep 9, 2007 at 23:52

    Really Great Work Ankur, Keep it up . u r helping lot of people with this info

    Reply
  33. Anonymous on Jul 6, 2007 at 17:09

    Great Work Done…!!!!!

    Shantha

    Reply
  34. Anonymous on Jun 11, 2007 at 13:20

    This really nice Ankur!!!

    Reply
  35. Deepika Sharma on Apr 18, 2007 at 10:17

    Excellent article!
    Keep up the good work.

    Reply

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