Visual regression testing tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10146753-B2
Application number	US-201615218861-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2016
Priority date	Jul 25, 2016
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for performing visual regression testing for a software application. In one embodiment, a regression testing tool identifies a first collection of web pages from a first version of the application, and captures an image of each identified web page. The regression testing tool identifies, for one or more of the identified web pages, a corresponding web page in a second collection of web pages from a second version of the application, and captures an image of the corresponding web pages. The regression testing tool identifies differences in pixel values for images in the first collection and images in the second collection to determine differences between the image of at least one web page in the first collection and the image of the corresponding web page. The regression testing tool generates an image providing a visualization of the one or more differences.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for performing visual regression testing of an application, comprising:
identifying a first collection of web pages associated with a first version of the application by traversing web links from an initial web page of the first collection;
capturing an image of each web page identified by traversing the web links from the initial web page of the first collection;
identifying, for one or more of the web pages in the first collection, a corresponding web page in a second collection of web pages associated with a second version of the application;
capturing an image of the corresponding web pages in the second collection;
identifying differences in pixel values for images in the first collection and pixel values for images in the second collection to determine one or more differences between the image of at least one web page in the first collection and the image of the corresponding web page in the second collection; and
upon determining that an amount of differences in pixel values for the image of the at least one web page in the first collection and the image of the corresponding web page in the second collection exceeds a defined threshold value, generating an image providing a visualization of the one or more differences.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the image of the at least one web page in the first collection includes content generated from output of a test harness interacting with the first version of the application and wherein the image of the corresponding web page in the second collection includes content generated from output of the test harness interacting with the second version of the application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein generating the image comprises superimposing the image of the corresponding web page in the second collection on the image of the web page in the first collection.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the visualization of the one or more differences displays the one or more differences in color, shading or grayscale.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the second collection of web pages associated with the second version of the application are identified by traversing web links from an initial web page of the second collection.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein the web links from the first collection and second collection are identified by parsing hypertext markup language (HTML) content of one or more web pages in the first collection and second collection for one or more attributes that have a uniform resource locator (URL) as a value.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein each corresponding web page in the second collection is identified by matching a uniform resource locator (URL) for the web page in the second collection to a URL for one of the web pages in the first collection.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first version of the application is a version of an online interactive accounting service exposed to users over a data communications network, and wherein the second version of the application is a version of the online interactive accounting service exposed that has not been exposed to users.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the differences in pixel values for images in the first collection and pixel values for images in the second collection comprises refraining from identifying differences in pixel values for a predetermined region of each image in the first collection and pixel values for the predetermined region of each image in the second collection.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, which when executed on a processor, perform an operation for visual regression testing of an application, the operation comprising:
identifying a first collection of web pages associated with a first version of the application by traversing web links from an initial web page of the first collection;
capturing an image of each web page identified by traversing the web links from the initial web page of the first collection;
identifying, for one or more of the web pages in the first collection, a corresponding web page in a second collection of web pages associated with a second version of the application;
capturing an image of the corresponding web pages in the second collection;
identifying differences in pixel values for images in the first collection and pixel values for images in the second collection to determine one or more differences between the image of at least one web page in the first collection and the image of the corresponding web page in the second collection; and
upon determining that an amount of differences in pixel values for the image of the at least one web page in the first collection and the image of the corresponding web page in the second collection exceeds a defined threshold value, generating an image providing a visualization of the one or more differences.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the image of the at least one web page in the first collection includes content generated from output of a test harness interacting with the first version of the application and wherein the image of the corresponding web page in the second collection includes content generated from output of the test harness interacting with the second version of the application.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the visualization of the one or more differences displays the one or more differences in color, shading or grayscale.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the second collection of web pages associated with the second version of the application are identified by traversing web links from an initial web page of the second collection, and wherein the web links from the first collection and second collection are identified by parsing hypertext markup language (HTML) content of one or more web pages in the first collection and second collection for one or more attributes that have a uniform resource locator (URL) as a value.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein each corresponding web page in the second collection is identified by matching a uniform resource locator (URL) for the web page in the second collection to a URL for one of the web pages in the first collection.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein identifying the differences in pixel values for images in the first collection and pixel values for images in the second collection comprises refraining from identifying differences in pixel values for a predetermined region of each image in the first collection and pixel values for the predetermined region of each image in the second collection.

16. A system, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory containing a program which, when executed on the processor, performs an operation for visual regression testing of an application, the operation comprising:
identifying a first collection of web pages associated with a first version of the application by traversing web links from an initial web page of the first collection;
capturing an image of each web page identified by traversing the web links from the initial web page of the first collection;
identifying, for one or more of the web pages in the first collection, a corresponding web page in a second collection of web p

Assignees

• Intuit Inc

Inventors

• TSAI Carol Chiam-Mei
• Shah Nirja
• Malik Muzaffar H

Classifications

• G06T11/60

  Creating or editing images; Combining images with text · CPC title

• G06T2207/10004

  Still image; Photographic image · CPC title

• G06T1/0007

  Image acquisition · CPC title

• G06T7/90

  Determination of colour characteristics · CPC title

• G06F11/368

  for test version control, e.g. updating test cases to a new software version · CPC title