Explain Object Repositories in QTP 9 (QuickTest Professional)

QTP (QuickTest Professional) lets you create tests and business components by recording operations as you perform them in your application.
Test - A compilation of steps organized into one or more actions, which we can use to verify that our application performs as expected. A test is composed of actions (3 kinds of actions are there in QTP Non-reusable action, Reusable action and External action).

Test object Model is a set of object types or Classes that QuickTest uses to represents the objects in our application.
A test object class comprises of a list of properties that can individually (uniquely) identify objects of that class and a set of appropriate methods that QuickTest can record for it

A checkpoint enables you to identify whether the Web site or application under test is functioning correctly or not by comparing a current value for a particular property with the expected value for that property.

After we add a checkpoint, QuickTest adds a checkpoint to the current row in the Keyword View and adds a Check CheckPoint statement in the Expert View.

By default, the checkpoint name receives the name of the test object on which the checkpoint is being performed. We can change the name of the checkpoint if needed.

The default mode of recording is the Normal recording mode. There are other

recording modes also like Analog Recording or Low Level Recording. Normal mode is the default and takes full advantage of the QuickTest test object model, as it recognizes the objects in the application regardless of their location on the screen. Analog Recording : Exact mouse and keyboard operations are recorded in relation to either the screen or the application window. In this QTP also records and tracks every movement of the mouse for example, recording a signature produced by dragging the mouse. Analog Recording steps are not editable from within QuickTest.

By replacing fixed values with parameters QuickTest enables you to enlarge the scope of a basic test. It is known as parameterization, greatly increases the power and flexibility of a test. A parameter is a variable that is assigned a value from an external data source or generator. Values in steps and checkpoints and also the values of action parameters can be parameterize. Parameters let us check how the application performs the same operations with multiple sets of data.

In QTP (QuickTest Professional) we first of all record a test, then run a test and then analyze the results, but before running the test we can also enhance it with checkpoints and parameters. First of all let's talk a little about keyword view in QTP and then we will talk about recording in QTP and then we will move on to other things. After recording all the operations, QuickTest displays them as steps in the Keyword View, and generates them in a script (in an Expert View).

Actions break up the test into logical sections/units such as specific activities that we perform in our application. When we create a new test, it contains a call to one action. By breaking up the tests into calls to multiple actions, we can design more modular and well organized and professional tests. An action has its own test script, containing all of the steps recorded in that action, and all objects in its local object repository. An action is stored with the test in which you created it.