Method and apparatus for creating reference images for an automated test of software with a graphical user interface

1. A method for updating a test description for an automated computer test, the automated test being configured, when executed, to cause a test computer system to communicate with a system under test comprising one or more computer programs being executed upon a computer device, wherein the test description is configured to be executed by a test program to cause the test computer system to perform an automated computer test by comparing a received image from a GUI of the system under test with one or more reference images to identify an expected image, wherein the method comprises:

a) receiving a user input representative of the selection of at least one pixel of a desired reference image from a GUI of a system under test; and

b) automatically obtaining the desired reference image by:

c) identifying one or more correlations between the at least one selected pixel and one or more adjacent pixels of the GUI of the system under test to determine a group of pixels corresponding to the desired reference image;

d) determining the image boundaries of the desired reference image based the determined group of pixels and/or any identified correlations;

e) capturing the desired reference image delimited by the determined image boundaries; and

f) updating the test description with the captured reference image.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the correlations comprise one or more of: color correlations; positional correlations; temporal correlations; or empirical correlations.

3. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the color correlations comprise correlations between the color registers of two or more pixels.

4. A method according to claim 3 , wherein two or more pixels are determined to be correlated if the difference between the values of the color registers for the pixels falls within a predetermined range.

5. A method according to claim 4 , wherein two or more pixels are determined to be correlated if the values of the color registers for those pixels are the same.

6. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the positional correlations comprise geometric correlations and/or pattern-based correlations between two or more pixels.

7. A method according to claim 6 , wherein geometric correlations may comprise one or more of: pixels forming a straight line, pixels forming a rectangle or square; or pixels forming a circle.

8. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the temporal correlations comprise two or more pixels changing within a pre-defined time period of each other.

9. A method according to claim 8 , wherein the temporal correlations comprise two or more pixels changing substantially simultaneously.

10. A method according to claim 1 , wherein, prior to step c), the method comprises:

generating a model of the GUI of the system under test to identify one or more correlations between pixels of the GUI of the system under test.

11. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the model comprises a direct copy of the GUI of the system under test.

12. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the model comprises a transformation of the GUI of the system under test.

13. A method according to claim 12 , wherein the transformation may comprise one or more of: a dimensional scaling of the GUI of the system under test; a color transform; a mathematical transform; or a reduced form of the GUI of the system under test.

14. A method according to claim 13 , wherein a reduced form of the GUI of the system under test may comprise one or more of: the removal of text or removal of borders.

15. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the step of modelling is carried out on the test computer system.

16. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the step of modelling comprises dynamically modelling the pixels of the GUI of the system under test.

17. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

g) utilising the updated test description in an automated computer test.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions configured when executed to perform a method for updating a test description for an automated computer test, the automated test being configured, when executed, to cause a test computer system to communicate with a system under test comprising one or more computer programs being executed upon a computer device, wherein the test description is configured to be executed by a test program to cause the test computer system to perform an automated computer test by comparing a received image from a GUI of the system under test with one or more reference images to identify an expected image, wherein the method comprises:

a) receiving a user input representative of the selection of at least one pixel of a desired reference image from a GUI of a system under test; and

b) automatically obtaining the desired reference image by:

c) identifying one or more correlations between the at least one selected pixel and one or more adjacent pixels of the GUI of the system under test to determine a group of pixels corresponding to the desired reference image;

d) determining the image boundaries of the desired reference image based the determined group of pixels and/or any identified correlations;

e) capturing the desired reference image delimited by the determined image boundaries; and

f) updating the test description with the captured reference image.

19. A computer system comprising: a processing device, a storage device and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions configured to perform, when executed, a method for updating a test description for an automated computer test, the automated test being configured, when executed, to cause a test computer system to communicate with a system under test comprising one or more computer programs being executed upon a computer device, wherein the test description is configured to be executed by a test program to cause the test computer system to perform an automated computer test by comparing a received image from a GUI of the system under test with one or more reference images to identify an expected image, wherein the method comprises:

a) receiving a user input representative of the selection of at least one pixel of a desired reference image from a GUI of a system under test; and

b) automatically obtaining the desired reference image by:

c) identifying one or more correlations between the at least one selected pixel and one or more adjacent pixels of the GUI of the system under test to determine a group of pixels corresponding to the desired reference image;

d) determining the image boundaries of the desired reference image based the determined group of pixels and/or any identified correlations;

e) capturing the desired reference image delimited by the determined image boundaries; and

f) updating the test description with the captured reference image.