Automating Installs

A common scenario in a manual test case is something like this:

1 - Uninstall old version of application
2 - Install new build
3 - [Perform actual test here]

When people are starting out with test automation tools, they often want to automate steps 1 & 2. This makes complete sense, but the approach taken is almost always the wrong one. I've seen many people try to use record & playback tools to open the control panel, click Add/Remove programs, and uninstall.

Now, conceptually, this shouldn't be a big deal, but when you figure that there are differences in the control panel in almost every version of Windows, your recorded script will break quite easily. So instead, a better option is to use command line flags to remove your application.

Almost all the major install building programs allow for the creation of command line parameters. This lets you install your app with a command like "myapp.exe /AcceptLicenseAgreement /InstallToDefaultLocation" They also usually have uninstall commands as well. Installing/uninstalling your app in this fashion makes it a lot easier to get new versions of your programs loaded for use with automated tests.

Talk with your build engineer to get a list of the commands available for your product, and if there aren't any, work with him or her to get some implemented. It will only make your life easier in the long run.