System for recording, editing and playing back web-based transactions using a web browser and HTML

1. A processor-readable computer program product encoded on one or more programmable storage devices, the computer program product executable by one or more processors to perform method steps for configuring a transaction for a user operating a web browser wherein the transaction is used for automated testing of an Internet server system, the one or more processors being distinct from a processor providing the web browser to the user, the computer program product:

transaction configuration instructions configured to direct the one or more processors to generate and transfer Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages without cookies to the web browser and to configure the transaction for automated testing of the Internet server system in response to user inputs to the HTML pages, wherein the HTML pages include a transaction selection page, a transaction record page, a transaction edit page, and a transaction play page;

page transition instructions configured to direct the processor to transition between the pages in response to the user inputs and to constrain the transition between the pages based on transition state rules;

a storage media configured to store the page transition instructions and the transaction configuration instructions; and

proxy instructions configured to direct the processor to capture HTML requests and responses that flow between the web browser and the Internet server system, to extract information from the captured HTML requests and responses for configuring the transaction, to edit the transaction, to store the configured transaction, and to play back the configured transaction in a periodic, automatic manner for, testing the Internet server system and generating transaction test results;

wherein the transaction selection page allows a user to use the web browser to perform at least one of the actions selected from the group consisting of creating a new transaction, selecting an existing transaction, recording new transaction data, and initiating periodic, automatic testing with an existing transaction, the transaction record page allows the user to to use the web browser to initiate a recording of web browser activity to generate the transaction, the transaction edit page allows the user to use the web browser to edit the transaction generated using the transaction record page, and the transaction play page allows the user to use the web browser to view results of an automated test using the transaction generated using the transaction record page and edited using the transaction edit page.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the transaction selection page identifies the transaction, a transaction step, and a Uniform Resource Locator for the transaction step.

3. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the transaction record page identifies the transaction, the transaction step, and the Uniform Resource Locator for the transaction step, and displays the web page of the Uniform Resource Locator.

4. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the transaction edit page identifies the transaction, the transaction steps, the Uniform Resource Locators for each of the transaction steps, and test conditions for each of the Uniform Resource Locators.

5. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the play page identifies the transaction, the transaction steps, and test results for each of the transaction steps.

6. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the transaction is a purchase from the Internet server system.

7. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the transition state rules constrain the transition between the pages to transition from the transaction selection page to a transaction record page in response to a selection page record request, transition from the transaction record page to the transaction edit page in response to a record page stop request, transition from the transaction edit page to the transaction play page in response to an edit page play request, and transition from the transaction play page to the transaction edit page in response to a play page stop request.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the transition state rules constrain the transition between the pages to start at the user login page and transition from the user login page to the transaction selection page in response to an authorized login and transition from the transaction selection page to the transaction edit page in response to a selection page edit request.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the transition state rules constrain the transition between the pages to transition from the transaction selection page to a transaction play page in response to a selection page play request, transition from the transaction edit page to the transaction record page in response to an edit page record request, transition from the transaction edit page to the transaction selection page in response to an edit page stop request, transition from the transaction selection page to the user login page in response to a selection page stop request, and transition from the transaction play page to the transaction selection page in response to the play page stop request and the transition from the transaction selection page to the transaction play page.

10. A method of operating a computer system to configure a transaction for a user operating a web browser wherein the transaction is used for automated testing of an Internet server system, the method comprising:

generating Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages including a user login page, a transaction selection page, a transaction record page, a transaction edit page, and a transaction play page;

transferring the HTML pages to web browser having no component of the computer program product embedded therein without transferring cookies and constraining transitions between the HTML pages that are transferred based on transition state rules;

capturing HTML requests and responses that flow between the web browser and the Internet server system;

configuring the transaction for automated testing of the Internet server system in response to the captured HTML requests and responses;

storing the configured transaction; and

playing back the configured transaction in a periodic, automatic manner for testing the Internet server system and for generating transaction test results;

wherein generating the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages further comprises the following steps performed by a processor functionally distinct from the web browser:

performing at least one of the actions selected from the group consisting of creating a new transaction, selecting an existing transaction, recording new transaction data, and initiating periodic, automatic testing with an existing transaction,

initiating a recording by a proxyof web browser activity to generate the transaction in response to the user input through the web browser to the transaction record page;

editing the transaction generated using the transaction record page in response to the user input through the web browser to the transaction edit page; and

on the transaction play page, displaying results of an automated test using the transaction generated using the transaction record page and edited using the transaction edit page.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the transaction selection page identifies the transaction, a transaction step, and a Uniform Resource Locator for the transaction step.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the transaction record page identifies the transaction, the transaction step, and the Uniform Resource Locator for the transaction step, and displays the web page of the Uniform Resource Locator.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the transaction edit page identifies the transaction, the transaction steps, the Uniform Resource Locators for each of the transaction steps, and test conditions for each of the Uniform Resource Locators.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the play page identifies the transaction, the transaction steps, and test results for each of the transaction steps.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the transaction is a purchase from the Internet server system.

16. The method claim 10 wherein the transition state rules constrain the transition between the pages to transition from the transaction selection page to a transaction record page in response to a selection page record request, transition from the transaction record page to the transaction edit page in response to a record page stop request, transition from the transaction edit page to the transaction play page in response to an edit page play request, and transition from the transaction play page to the transaction edit page in response to a play page stop request.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the transition state rules constrain the transition between the pages to start at the user login page and transition from the user login page to the transaction selection page in response to an authorized login and transition from the transaction selection page to the transaction edit page in response to a selection page edit request.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the transition state rules constrain the transition between the pages to transition from the transaction selection page to a transaction play page in response to a selection page play request, transition from the transaction edit page to the transaction record page in response to an edit page record request, transition from the transaction edit page to the transaction selection page in response to an edit page stop request, transition from the transaction selection page to the user login page in response to a selection page stop request, and transition from the transaction play page to the transaction selection page in response to the play page stop request and the transition from the transaction selection page to the transaction play page.