Is it possible for QTestLib to display the GUI it is testing as it runs?

Question

The use case is, I have a Qt app, and I would like to automate user-style testing of it; that is, I'd like to use keyClicks(), mouseClick(), and so on, but I would like for the Qt application window to actually be displayed while this is happening.

The issue I'm having right now is that using QTestLib involves using the QTEST_MAIN macro instead of defining main myself, so I never get an opportunity to show() the widgets being tested. So, another way to word this question is, is there a way to use QTestLib on an application that is using its main function?

I know Squish and probably Testability Driver are capable of this, but if it is possible to get this functionality without using extra tools, then that would be ideal.

Answer 1

Figured out how to do this. Makes Squish totally unnecessary, but it requires source code access.

In your test class, store a pointer to the QApplication and any widgets you want to test. For ease of use, store a pointer to your application's QMainWindow. Then, either instantiate your test class with pointers to the widgets you plan on testing, or use window->findChild() to grab any element you need. Keep in mind that you will need to call app->processEvents() after everything. Call it after showing the widget so that all of the child widgets appear. Call it after interacting with a widget so that the interaction is actually processed on the GUI. If you need things to be slow enough to watch, use QTest::qSleep().