Ranorex Forum

Hello,
I have problem regarding object identification on VM. Problem is that on machine where I develop tests I can easily go to Repository .rxrep and highlight repository item which is searched with AutomationID, but on VM when I run tests item cannot be identified.
When I run Ranorex Spy on development machine it also cannot identify item with automationID.
Please see the screenshot .

Environment: Windows 10, Ranorex 7.0.1.(Both, VM and development machine)
What could be the problem?

Thanks in advance,
Tornike

First, you should update to a supported version of Ranorex, currently only 7.1.3 and 7.2.1.

Second, a screenshot is not helpful in this situation. Please post a Ranorex Snapshot of the element in question from both systems (dev and VM).

On the VM, use Spy to find the element using Tracking, instead of trying to put in the xpath from your dev system. Make sure that the xpath is the same for both the VM and your dev system. If they aren't the same, then your issue is either that you aren't testing the same version of the application, or there is some part of the path that is changing based on the system/software. If they ARE the same, then there may be other issues.

Hi krstcs,

krstcs wrote:First, you should update to a supported version of Ranorex, currently only 7.1.3 and 7.2.1.

It is not so easy task to update software on build test and development machines, and before update I need to be sure that all tests are running properly,
So, obviously, I cannot update software after every new version comes for ranorex(and I'm pretty sure that this will not solve the issue I have now).

krstcs wrote:On the VM, use Spy to find the element using Tracking, instead of trying to put in the xpath from your dev system. Make sure that the xpath is the same for both the VM and your dev system. If they aren't the same, then your issue is either that you aren't testing the same version of the application, or there is some part of the path that is changing based on the system/software. If they ARE the same, then there may be other issues.

I think we have misunderstanding here, so I'll explain again.
Situation:
2 machines, both Windows 10, Both with same version of SUT and both with same version of ranorex. One is VM and another is Dev.
When I run ranorex spy on both machines, outcome is same, tracking element gives me a container which doesn't have automationID.
When I run Ranorex studio, Navigate to Items Repository and track element from there it finds same container, but already with automationID.
This is exactly what is indicated in screenshot. that Spy doesn't identify element with automationID and from repository I can identify them with automationID.
Did you have anything like this in your practice?

Hi,

tkikalishvili wrote: It is not so easy task to update software on build test and development machines, and before update I need to be sure that all tests are running properly,
So, obviously, I cannot update software after every new version comes for ranorex(and I'm pretty sure that this will not solve the issue I have now).

This is why you should always test a new Ranorex version locally, before pushing it to production env But generally speaking, you should always update minor versions, because they contain mainly bug fixes. I would be cautious about updating to major versions (like from 6.x to 7.0). Initially, all new major versions contain some bugs So it's always better to wait for x.0.1 or x.0.2 before going to production Your version is really old and there were many bugfixes introduced since then. So it's really necessary that you test your problem with the most recent version.

tkikalishvili wrote: I think we have misunderstanding here, so I'll explain again.
Situation:
2 machines, both Windows 10, Both with same version of SUT and both with same version of ranorex. One is VM and another is Dev.
When I run ranorex spy on both machines, outcome is same, tracking element gives me a container which doesn't have automationID.
When I run Ranorex studio, Navigate to Items Repository and track element from there it finds same container, but already with automationID.
This is exactly what is indicated in screenshot. that Spy doesn't identify element with automationID and from repository I can identify them with automationID.
Did you have anything like this in your practice?

I personally never experienced problem like this. But I can see several reasons why it happens.

1) Make sure that both Ranorex Studio and Spy are started with admin rights.
2) Make sure that standalone spy is 32-bit one. Ranorex Studio is 32bit app, and Spy started from Studio is 32bit as well. There are two versions of standalone Spy (32 and 64bit) and in some cases, they can return somewhat different results.
3) Make sure that Ranorex settings are the same both on standalone and VM machine.

As mentioned, it would be really helpful, if you could create and post a Ranorex snapshot, both from Studio Spy and Standalone spy, so we can analyze both snapshots and eventually suggest a solution. Without, at very least, snapshot, there is not much anyone here can do or suggest.

I think I found problem.

I start ranorex spy from Ranorex studio(by clicking View Spy) button and I started ranorex spy from shortcut, Both are 32 bits and none of them with admin rights.
If you observe screenshot, you will see that some items are missing from Ranorex Spy while they appear in Spy which is run from Ranorex Studio.
Here are snapshots from both environments:

Hi,

Thanks for the snapshots. It's definitely weird. The difference you found is not the only one. There are many more differences in UI structure and attributes in both snapshots. The one created in Spy started from Studio, looks much less detailed. Anyway, I see your app is WPF-based. There were several WPF-related fixes introduced since 7.0.1, so you should really consider to try latest 7.2.1, because the problem you are experiencing may already be fixed.

Hi folks,

AFAIK the external Spy uses the global configuration (located in %appdata%) and the internal Spy uses the configuration within your solution (if a solution is currently opened in Ranorex).

Also if you open a solution in Ranorex and you change some specific settings, those changes are stored in that solution config. These settings are then not stored in the global configuration.

This might be the source of your differences.

Best,
DP

dpFourOFour wrote:(if a solution is currently opened in Ranorex).

Hi dpFourOFour,

Thanks for your answer, but SUT is not included or opened from Ranorex.
I build test projects in ranorex which runs SUT from installation location.

Hi,

Have you checked the Ranorex settings, if they are the same for Studio/solution and Standalone Spy? This is the first thing you should check. And if configs are the same, you should definitely try latest Ranorex 7.2.1.

odklizec wrote:Have you checked the Ranorex settings

I just checked for both and as much as I observed, everything was same. Only difference is that there is one more tab about repositories in Standalone spy.

Ok, I will try to update locally on dev machine and update you as well what was the outcome