PropertyTable

PropertyTable

Introduction

PropertyTable is an ANT task that calls its nested elements multiple times. With each call the nested elements have access to a set of properties. Here is an example:

Assume you have a table like

a    b    c
11   12   13
21   22   23

<echo message="${a} ${b} ${c}"/>

<propertytable ...>
     <echo message="${a} ${b} ${c}"/>
</propertytable>

echo
 11 12 13
echo
 21 22 23

Much of the benefit comes from the numerous ways to create the above table.

Tables can be of different formats. Currently the Excel format and the Directory format (a directory containing *.properties files) are implemented. Other formats are easy to add (DataBase, CSV, TSL, Fit/Fitness, HTML, XML, ...).

Tables can be filtered. Currently implemented Filters are FirstEquals, AllEquals, All, Empty, and Group. More Filters are easy to add (Regex, LowerThan, Expression, ...).

Tables can be "stretched" in width and length by combination with other tables. The JOIN describes how the values in one table column connect to the values in some other table/column fairly much like the primarykeys/foreignkeys in a relational table - but easier.

Usage Scenarios

The PropertyTable was developed for the use with Canoo WebTest but does not depend on it in any respect. You can use it with any ANT task, e.g. with dbUnit to populate your database with test data.

PropertyTable allows to eliminate a lot of duplication from your test data, thus making your test data base smaller and easier to keep up to date.

PropertyTable allows easy definition of your current TestSuite. You can easily switch between running all (or selected) combinations of test data or just a small subset. This used to be achieved by generating the suites as files. You don't need these generators and their files anymore.

If this introduction caught your attention you may want to read

• Installation
• Examples
• Documentation
• Developer Notes