Troubleshooting functional tests in Mozilla Firefox browsers
If you encounter problems while testing in Mozilla Firefox browsers, the following workarounds might help resolve them.
It is not possible to record on a Firefox browser
- The browser was not properly enabled. To ensure that the browser is properly enabled, in Firefox, click Tools > Add-ons > Extensions, and verify that the Test UI Firefox Enabler is present and enabled.
- The Mozilla Firefox browser is associated with JRE 1.6. Ensure that your test environment has JRE 1.7, which is enabled and associated with the Firefox browser. On your Windows™ computer, this option can be controlled from Control Panel > Java (Choose Java™ 1.7) > Advanced > Default Java for Browsers> Mozilla Family.
- JavaScript™ is not enabled on your browser. Navigate to Firefox > Options > Content and select the Enable JavaScript box.
- The web page that you are trying to run is available on the local file system. Host the web page on a web server and then try recording. In Firefox, pages that are loaded from local file systems can be tested.
- The browser was started with a blank home page that is without a home URL. Always specify a home URL for the browser.
- The Firefox enabler extension that is installed is not the correct extension for your browser version. If you uninstall a newer version of Firefox and install an earlier version, the extension that supports testing on Firefox is not compatible with the earlier version. To ensure that you have the correct extension when you are changing versions, disable Firefox from the Enablement Wizard, and then re-enable it. Re-enabling Firefox installs the proper extension for your browser version.
- The port number that is specified in the Firefox enabler extension options is not the same as the specified the port number specified in Test UI Webserver Configuration preferences. To verify the port number in Test UI, select Window > Preferences > Functional Test > Webserver Configuration.
- For Firefox version 18 and above, when a document is loaded, the Test UI Firefox Enabler loads an applet that enables communication with Test UI. In some instances, you see an initializing screen indefinitely. This issue is most likely because the applet cannot be validated without an internet connection. To address this issue, online validation must be disabled. To disable online validation, open the Java Control Panel. In the Advanced tab, under Perform certificate revocation checks on" select the Do not check (not recommended) option. Click Apply save the changes and then click Ok to restart the browser. Test UI uses applets that are signed with secure certificates in order to comply with Java™ security features. When prompted by the browser, accept to run applet permanently to ensure Test UI functions properly. Also, ensure that the proper delays are in place for playback.
While recording on Mozilla Firefox browsers, some dialogs are recordable while others are not
- Dialogs that are supported by Frameworks. Example: Dojo dialog.
- Native or XUL dialogs
- Recording on JavaScript™ alert boxes is not supported.
Unable to test applications in Linux® with Test UI on Mozilla Firefox browsers
Test UI supports testing applications on Linux® with Firefox through Mozilla Firefox ESR version 17 and later releases of 17.
Unable to use Ajax related APIs on an Ajax application that is running on Mozilla Firefox browsers
- waitForAjaxCompleteRequests
- waitForAjaxPendingRequests
- setAjaxTrace
- getAjaxPendingRequests
- getAjaxCompletedRequests
To introduce delays, use the sleep API. For more information, see AJAX support.
Unable to test embedded PDF files in Firefox browsers
In Test UI 9.1, embedded PDF files in Firefox 18 and above are supported only when the PDF file is present in the browser along with other HTML controls. For example, the Recorder and Player will not recognize the PDF controls correctly if the file was opened by right-clicking the document and selecting Open with > Firefox.
Unable to launch the Verification Point Comparator from execution logs generated through Engineering Test Management
In the playback log, the ComparatorApplet,which is responsible for launching the Verification Points Comparator is hosted on a local server started by Test UI or one of its client processes. In the absence of this server, the comparator does not launch. To address this issue, ensure that Test UI is running on the computer where playback logs from Engineering Test Management are being viewed.
Unable to launch the Verification Point Comparator from playback logs on Linux® installations
On Linux® installations, the Verification Point Comparator cannot be opened through the playback logs. Instead, open the comparator from the project's logs folder (<projectname>_logs).
Unable to play a script that was recorded on a stand-alone PDF document in Firefox on an embedded PDF document
In Firefox version 19 and above, the plugin pdf.js is used to render PDF documents. This plugin renders PDF documents as HTML pages, thus Test UI records the controls as HTML. For a script recorded on a stand-alone PDF document to be compatible on an embedded PDF document in Firefox, you can disable the pdf.js plugin by typing about:config in the address. When prompted, click the I'll be careful, I promise!! button. Search for the pdfjs.disabled flag and right-click then select Toggle to change the value from false to true. Restart Firefox to apply the changes.
Unable to playback scripts on listbox controls when Firefox is maximized
During playback on Firefox, Test UI sometimes fails to click listbox controls when the browser is maximized. In order to correct this, you can adjust the zoom level of the browser or run the playback with the browser window not maximized.