Before you can execute tests, you must make them a part of a collection. Then you can execute the tests in batch mode or interactively as part of the collections. A collection is a "snapshot" of the specified test descriptions and their related files at the time the collection is created, Therefore, you must re-create the collection if you change a test description, group, or their contents.
1 – cre_coll
To create a collection, perform the following steps: 1. Pull down the Maintenance menu. 2. Choose the Create menu item and the Collection... submenu item. The Collection dialog box enables you to place tests and groups of tests into a collection. It also enables you to specify options, such as collection prologue and epilogue files and collection variables.
2 – recre_coll
To re-create a collection, perform the following steps: 1. Pull down the Maintenance menu. 2. Choose the Recreate... menu item. If you change a test description or the contents of a group after including it in a collection, you must re-create the collection to include the changes. CAUTION Before recreating a collection, be sure that the prologue and epilogue files associated with the collection and template, prologue, and epilogue files associated with the tests in the collection exist in their proper directories. If DTM cannot find the template, prologue, or epilogue files specified in the original CREATE TEST_DESCRIPTION command, the original collection is deleted but a new collection is not created.
3 – del_colls
To delete a collection, perform the following steps: 1. Pull down the Maintenance menu. 2. Choose the Delete menu item and the Collection... submenu item.
4 – exec_tests
When you execute a test collection, DTM sets up the test environment and executes all the tests in the collection. Each test in a collection generates a separate result file, which contains the output generated by the template file. DTM automatically compares the result file to a test's benchmark file and logs any discrepancies in a difference file. After DTM compares the collection, you can view test results using DTM's Review and Display functions. To execute an existing collection, perform the following steps: 1. Create a Collection view. 2. Click on (highlight) the collection you want to execute. 3. Pull down the Testing menu. 4. Choose the Submit... or Run... menu item. The Submit... menu item enables you to execute the selected collection in batch mode; the Run... menu item enables you to execute the collection interactively.
5 – test_steps
DTM performs the following steps when it executes tests within a collection: 1. Defines the DTM$COLLECTION_NAME variable as the collection name 2. Defines any global variables with values as assigned when the collection was created 3. Executes the collection prologue file, if any perform the 4. Calls a generic command file in the DTM library to following tasks for each test: a. Defines local variables b. Defines the DTM$TEST_NAME variable as the test name for the current test c. Executes the test prologue, if any d. Executes the test template e. Defines the DTM$RESULT variable as the test result name of the current test f. Executes the test epilogue, if any g. Executes any user-defined filters h. Executes filters provided by DTM i. Undefines local variables j. Undefines the DTM$RESULT variable 5. Compares the result file with the benchmark file 6. Executes the collection epilogue file, if any
6 – stop_coll
To terminate a collection running interactively, click on the Delete Task button in the Task dialog box. To terminate a collection executing in batch mode, perform the following steps: 1. Pull down the Testing menu. 2. Choose the Stop... menu item.