Setup for desktop app testing (Windows Apps Only)
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This article contains instructions on how to set up desktop app testing for Windows desktop applications from testRigor cloud servers.
First and foremost, it’s important to have access to a desktop computer with the application you want to test already installed. Most users prefer a virtual machine (VM) from an external provider because it is always on; however, it is also possible to use a local Windows computer. The following step work for either one, but keep in mind that a local Windows computer must be accessible via a reliable internet connection.
1. Enable Remote Desktop (RDP) for Windows.
Enable Remote Desktop in Windows settings. To do this, head to Windows Settings -> System -> Remote Desktop and switch Enable Remote Desktop to On.
2. Create Suite in testRigor
Once Remote Desktop is enabled on the Windows device being used for testing your application, it’s important to set up the connection with testRigor by providing the IPv4 address. To do this, click the Windows (or Start) > Settings > Network & Internet > Hardware Properties. The computer’s IPv4 address should be visible there. Copy that address and go to https://app.testrigor.com/home (you’ll have to log in if you have not already done so). Below New Test Suite, select Windows Remote Desktop from the Type of Testing dropdown, paste the copied IPv4 address into the Address field in the New Test Suite and provide the necessary credentials for testRigor to access the device.
If the computer is behind a VPN or firewall, access will need to be granted via tunneling. See documentation here.
3. Setup Microsoft Windows Application Driver (recommended).
Configure secure access from the testRigor servers to the local Microsoft Windows Application Driver (WinAppDriver). You can do this with a firewall (ask support for a list of testRigor server addresses) or by tunneling. To set up tunneling, contact the testRigor’s support team. They will allocate a separate port number and help you set up the tunnel.
Download the latest stable release of Windows Application Driver installer (now this is WindowsApplicationDriver_1.2.1.msi) from the official homepage https://github.com/microsoft/WinAppDriver/releases/ and install it (administrator rights will be required).
Enable Developer Mode in Windows settings. To do this, head to Windows Settings -> Update & Security -> For Developers and enable Developer mode.
Run WinAppDriver.exe from the installation directory (e.g., C:\Program Files\Windows Application Driver\).If you want to change the listening address/port (http://127.0.0.1:4723 by default), you will need administrator rights to run it.
Specify a URL of the running WinAppDriver in the testRigor test suite settings. To do this, head to Settings -> Remote Desktop -> Windows Application Driver URL. For a configured tunneling it will look like http://tunnel.testrigor.com:XXXX, where XXXX is the port number from the tunneling configuration for the WinAppDriver.
4. Prevent accidental shutdown with Alt+F4 (recommended).
If a test sends Alt+F4 while no application window is focused, Windows treats it as a request to shut down the remote machine. On most accounts this only opens the Shut Down Windows dialog, which does no harm as long as the test does not interact with it. However, if the Windows account that testRigor uses lacks certain permissions, no dialog is shown and the machine shuts down or restarts immediately, without any confirmation. The running test then fails. To prevent this, disable the shutdown commands for the account that testRigor uses to sign in to the remote machine.
Do this on the remote Windows machine (the one that testRigor connects to), not on your local computer. The setting applies per user, so it must be made while signed in as the same account that testRigor is going to use for testing.
Open Command Prompt on the remote machine and run:
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoClose /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /fThen sign out of Windows and sign back in so the change takes effect.
Alternatively, if you have administrator rights, open gpedit.msc and go to User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Start Menu and Taskbar. Set Remove and prevent access to the Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate commands to Enabled, then run gpupdate /target:user /force.
After this, Alt+F4 still closes the active application window, but pressing it without an active window no longer shuts down or restarts the machine. Note that Shut down, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate also disappear from the Start menu for this account.
To undo the change, run:
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoClose /fIf you used Group Policy, set the policy back to Not Configured.
