A typical Metro UI application is a set of pages. One is main, and there are several pages where we can go from the main page.

A Metro UI app is unlikely to a traditional app, which often starts from some starting point. A Metro UI app starts for the first time with its main page, but further is may start from wherever page the user left the app.

In our sample, we’ll be using the *Wizard* cmdlets. What are they?

1. the New-UIAWizard cmdlet creates a wizard object, provides it with name and contains a code to start the AUT (application under test), for example. Some initial code.

2. the Add-UIAWizardStep cmdlet creates a step, provides the step with a name, takes a wizard object as an input.

First action we should do on a step is to examine the step. The -SearchCriteria parameter does exactly this task.

After that, we run code for this step. There are two actions we can use, for forward movement and for backward. In out Metro UI app we will be using only forward steps for simplicity sake.

3. the Invoke-UIAWizard cmdlets runs the wizard (in fact, the code we added to the New-UIAWizard cmdlet). It’s usually used for starting the AUT. For purposes of Metro UI testing, we will use this action to show the Start screen and to open the app window.

4. the Step-UIAWizard cmdlet checks the -SearchCriteria (i.e., checks that controls are here and we are on the right page) and runs the step code.

Set-StrictMode -Version Latest

[UIAutomation.Preferences]::Timeout = 10000;
[UIAutomation.Preferences]::EveryCmdletAsTestResult = $true;
[UIAutomation.Preferences]::OnSuccessDelay = 300;

# names of the pages and buttons in the app menu
[string]$constPageMain = 'Home';
[string]$constPageFeaturedDestinations = 'Featured Destinations';
[string]$constPageDestinations = 'Destinations';
[string]$constPageFlights = 'Flights';
[string]$constPageHotels = 'Hotels';
[string]$constPageBestOfWeb = 'Best Of Web';

# names of wizard steps
[string]$constWizardName = 'TravelWizard';
[string]$constWizardStepHome = 'Home';
[string]$constWizardStepDestinations = 'Destinations';
[string]$constWizardStepFlights = 'Flights';
[string]$constWizardStepHotels = 'Hotels';
[string]$constWizardStepBestOfWeb = 'BestOfWeb';

# we need to clear the collection of wizards or delete
# the wizard we are playing with.
# Otherwise, the next run will throw an exception
# 'Wizard already exists'
[UIAutomation.WizardCollection]::Wizards.Clear();

# Creating a new wizard
New-UIAWizard -Name $constWizardName `
 -StartAction {
 # setting the Metro Start screen
 Get-UIADesktop;
 Show-UIAMetroStartScreen;

# clicking on the tile of the AUT
 Get-UIAListItem -Name 'Travel' | `
 Invoke-UIAListItemClick;

# the loading screen (if happened)
 try {
 Get-UIAWindow -Name 'Travel' | `
 Get-UIAProgressBar;
 #sleep -Seconds 5; # the app is loading
 }
 catch {}

 # start our tests from the Main page
 Show-UIAMetroMenu;
 Get-UIAWindow -Name 'Travel' | `
 Get-UIAMenuBar -Name 'App Bar' | `
 Get-UIAHyperlink -Name $constPageMain | `
 Invoke-UIAControlClick;
 } | `
 Add-UIAWizardStep -Name $constWizardStepHome `
 -SearchCriteria @{ControlType="Text";Name='Bing Travel'} `
 -StepForwardAction {
 #[System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show("StepHome");
 "<<<<<<<<<< On the Home page >>>>>>>>>>";
 try {
 Get-UIAText -Name 'Bing Travel';
 Close-TMXTestResult -Name "<<<<<<<<<< Navigating to the Home page >>>>>>>>>>" -TestPassed;
 }
 catch {
 Close-TMXTestResult -Name "<<<<<<<<<< Navigating to the Home page >>>>>>>>>>";
 }
 } -PassThru | `
 Add-UIAWizardStep -Name $constWizardStepDestinations `
 -SearchCriteria @{ControlType="Text";Name='Destinations'},@{ControlType="Text";Name='Region'} `
 -StepForwardAction {
 #[System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show("StepDestinations");
 "<<<<<<<<<< On the Destinations page >>>>>>>>>>";
 try {
 Get-UIAText -Name 'Destinations';
 Get-UIAText -Name 'Region';
 Close-TMXTestResult -Name "<<<<<<<<<< Navigating to the Destinations page >>>>>>>>>>" -TestPassed;
 }
 catch {
 Close-TMXTestResult -Name "<<<<<<<<<< Navigating to the Destinations page >>>>>>>>>>";
 }
 } -PassThru | `
 Add-UIAWizardStep -Name $constWizardStepFlights `
 -SearchCriteria @{ControlType="Text";Name='Flights'},@{ControlType="Text";Name='Schedule'} `
 -StepForwardAction {
 #[System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show("StepFlights");
 "<<<<<<<<<< On the Flights page >>>>>>>>>>";
 try {
 Get-UIAText -Name 'Flights';
 Get-UIAText -Name 'Schedule';
 Close-TMXTestResult -Name "<<<<<<<<<< Navigating to the Flights page >>>>>>>>>>" -TestPassed;
 }
 catch {
 Close-TMXTestResult -Name "<<<<<<<<<< Navigating to the Flights page >>>>>>>>>>";
 }
 } -PassThru | `
 Add-UIAWizardStep -Name $constWizardStepHotels `
 -SearchCriteria @{ControlType="Text";Name='Hotels'},@{ControlType="Text";Name='Check-in'} `
 -StepForwardAction {
 #[System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show("StepHotels");
 "<<<<<<<<<< On the Hotels page >>>>>>>>>>";
 try {
 Get-UIAText -Name 'Hotels';
 Get-UIAText -Name 'Check-in';
 Close-TMXTestResult -Name "<<<<<<<<<< Navigating to the Hotels page >>>>>>>>>>" -TestPassed;
 }
 catch {
 Close-TMXTestResult -Name "<<<<<<<<<< Navigating to the Hotels page >>>>>>>>>>";
 }
 } -PassThru | `
 Add-UIAWizardStep -Name $constWizardStepBestOfWeb `
 -SearchCriteria @{ControlType="Text";Name='Travel'},@{ControlType="Text";Name='Explore'},@{ControlType="Text";Name='Plan a Trip'} `
 -StepForwardAction {
 #[System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show("Best Of Web");
 "<<<<<<<<<< On the 'Best Of Web' page >>>>>>>>>>";
 try {
 Get-UIAText -Name 'Travel';
 Get-UIAText -Name 'Explore';
 Get-UIAText -Name 'Plan a Trip';
 Close-TMXTestResult -Name "<<<<<<<<<< Navigating to the 'Best Of Web' page >>>>>>>>>>" -TestPassed;
 }
 catch {
 Close-TMXTestResult -Name "<<<<<<<<<< Navigating to the 'Best Of Web' page >>>>>>>>>>";
 }
 };

# Start the wizard
[UIAutomation.Wizard]$wizard = Invoke-UIAWizard -Name $constWizardName;

# Click on the Destinations button in the app menu
Show-UIAMetroMenu;
Get-UIAWindow -Name 'Travel' | `
 Get-UIAMenuBar -Name 'App Bar' | `
 Get-UIAHyperlink -Name $constPageDestinations | `
 Invoke-UIAControlClick;

# Check that this is the Destinations page and run code (in the future sample)
$wizard | Step-UIAWizard -Name $constWizardStepDestinations

# Click on the Flights button in the app menu
Show-UIAMetroMenu;
Get-UIAWindow -Name 'Travel' | `
 Get-UIAMenuBar -Name 'App Bar' | `
 Get-UIAHyperlink -Name $constPageFlights | `
 Invoke-UIAControlClick;

# Check that this is the Flights page and run code (in the future sample)
$wizard | Step-UIAWizard -Name $constWizardStepFlights;

# Click on the Hotels button in the app menu
Show-UIAMetroMenu;
Get-UIAWindow -Name 'Travel' | `
 Get-UIAMenuBar -Name 'App Bar' | `
 Get-UIAHyperlink -Name $constPageHotels | `
 Invoke-UIAControlClick;

# Check that this is the Hotels page and run code (in the future sample)
$wizard | Step-UIAWizard -Name $constWizardStepHotels;

# Click on the 'Best Of Web' button in the app menu
Show-UIAMetroMenu;
Get-UIAWindow -Name 'Travel' | `
 Get-UIAMenuBar -Name 'App Bar' | `
 Get-UIAHyperlink -Name $constPageBestOfWeb | `
 Invoke-UIAControlClick;

# Check that this is the 'Best Of Web' page and run code (in the future sample)
$wizard | Step-UIAWizard -Name $constWizardStepBestOfWeb;

The dubious piece of code is getting a progress bar on loading the application. Sometimes, it is shown. Sometimes, there is no progress bar.

Again and again, it’s not going to end. People ask me ‘why Metro UI testing doesn’t work from PowerShell ISE?’

PowerShell ISE and powershell.exe are Microsoft’s tools, they have no relation to Metro UI testing. Technically, Microsoft guys can build ISE and powershell.exe to make them uiAccess’ible. However, don’t wait this: why should they build a host for my cmdlets? To help compete with their Coded UI? I sooner believe that they will write their own UI cmdlets in v3 or v4 (as they usually answer to PowerGUI features, for example), than they do something specific for 3rd party cmdlets.

The other side of coin is that I’m not going to write one more code editor with debugging capabilities. I’d like to, but this is a time-consuming task. Not to say that an editor of appropriate quality is not so easy to write up.

That’s a dilemma: we can run PowerShell over Metro UI, but we can’t work deeply with variables and output.

0.8.0 Preview 2 solves this partly. Now, output is partially supported. The list of what is supported:

• string output (code: “string”)
• string output for objects (code: (Get-UIAWindow 0n calc*).Current | Out-String)

Write- cmdlets are not supported in this version. Possibly, they will be supported later.

Here is a sample:

[UIAutomation.Preferences]::EveryCmdletAsTestResult=$true
[UIAutomation.Preferences]::OnSuccessDelay = 0;

Start-Process calc
Get-UIAWindow -n calc* | Get-UIAButton -n 1 | Invoke-UIAButtonClick;
(Get-UIAButton -n add | Invoke-UIAButtonClick).Current.AutomationId;
(Get-UIAButton -n 1 | Invoke-UIAButtonClick).Current | Out-String;
Get-UIAWindow -n calc* | Get-UIAButton | Set-UIAFocus | Set-UIAControlKeys -Text "1{+}1{=}"
'Get-UIAWindow -n calc* | Out-String; ->'
Get-UIAWindow -n calc* | Out-String;
'(Get-UIAWindow -n calc*).Current | Out-String;'
(Get-UIAWindow -n calc*).Current | Out-String;

"now test should fail"
Get-UIAWindow -n "non-existing window" -Seconds 2
Get-UIAWindow -n calc* | Get-UIAButton -n 10 | Invoke-UIAButtonClick;

Output is shown as light-blue lines. It returns:

• the button 1 (Invoke-UIAButtonClick returns)
• the automation id of the button Add (again, the same cmdlet returns)
• AutomationElementInfo (i.e., .Current). This is the button 1 again.
• further, after an empty string, there are string lines to help you compare what means to put an AutomationElement and an AutomationElementInfo to the Out-String cmdlet.

It’s not proper way to debug your scripts, though it’s the only way for now.

Controls belong to a big hierarchy. What may be the reason to highlight only two levels of controls if, in practice, there might be ten or twenty levels in the hierarchy?

The pictures show what the double-highlighting is. The inner square is over the control of interest, whereas the circumscribing one is over its parent.

However, things suddenly change when you put the cursor over WPF applications, its (WPF’s) derivatives and HTML:

This is a rather typical case: we are seeing a button or a link and, at the same time, the topmost control is a text.

The same story in Metro UI applications:

Here it is seen even better:

and here too:

The name of the button is not ‘Permissions’ as we could think, the name is ‘Back’.

At the end, there is a brilliant example:

There are TWO things on top of the button! This is the out-of-the-box Mail application.

Even though with some bugs and ugly-looking (it never was our intent to write GUI tools besides modules:)), UIARunner is published. As far as I know, this is the first GUI wrapper for PowerShell that looks like a software testing tool. 🙂

This preliminary version supports:

• running one script at a time
• using the UIARunner.ps1 file (in the application’s folder) as a configuration file
• generating test report on the fly (in the GUI)
• generating test report on the fly as a CSV file (both GUI and command-line versions produce such output)
• unattended runs
• the GUI version also shows how many test results are passed, failed and the velocity in newly introduced measures called ‘test results per second’ (trps)
• of course, it supports basic sorting in the grid.

Known issues are numerous (again, this project lacks of professional GUI programmers :)):

• bad multithreading
• poor informing about what happened at the PowerShell level
• and many, many lesser bugs.

Anyway, this version is worth experimenting with. Each package includes several simple scripts to try the runner. Scripts work similarly to other PowerShell hosts, note, however, that you need to use try/catch blocks to avoid terminating errors.