A: SeqZap is an automation system specifically developed for automating system testing of embedded systems.
The SeqZap system is not just a scripting executor, but a rich environment helping with many tasks directly and indirectly related to script development, capuring, script debugging, report generation and much more.
SeqZap is developed for Windows .NET 2.0 and is not bound to any specific target system.
With SeqZap you can monitor and control any number of devices and interfaces, like:

• The System Under Test (through some kind of test-interface)
• Measurement devices (data acquisition) (DMM, oscillocsope, RF-tester, frequency counter and more)
• Digital IO, Timer / Counters, Analog IO
• Communication protocols (CAN, ModBus, RS232, USB, MIDI, custom protocols and more)
• Custom devices
• Web Server
• and many more. See the ZapTool page for more information.

A: When using the right tool the right way, you can gain very much by automating test execution and test data generation.
But basically you should automate your test and other tasks to save time and to get much more reliable results.
Generally you automate things that you have to do more than once. When your tests are automated you can run any test and as many tests as you like, whenever you like and as often as you like, just by pressing a button.
When it is easy to perform a test, it will also be done more often, and that is a very important benefit.

A: SeqZap is specifically developed for automating embedded systems testing.
You can use SeqZap in all your projects and for several different automation tasks.
If you are performing all your tests manually, you can save a lot of time by automating. Many tests are even impossible to execute manually.
If you have developed your own test system, you can gain a lot by using SeqZap, instead of maintaining your own specific system.

A: By using SeqZap you do not have to spend lots of time maintaning your own system.
Even if you should have very specific needs, you can still use SeqZap as the broad general platform, and then just create a few small extensions to make SeqZap appear to be a specific system for you.

A: Typically the person who uses SeqZap is one with domain knowledge (knows the product to be tested). It is not necessary to have any software development background. In fact, SeqZap is also very well suited for automating many hardware related tests.
But typically, most users are software developers testing their own work.

A: SeqZap has many unique features but:
SeqZap is a complete interactive test environment with test script editing, test execution, data management and instrument control in an easy to use graphical user interface.

A: Very few general scripting languages are what we call "test oriented". We only have experience with one: TTCN-3. In a test oriented language the verdict have influence on the script flow. Typically when the verdict is FAIL the rest of a script procedure should not be executed. It is important that the script developer can choose how the verdict should be handled in each separate procedure, but also that it is not necessary to manually insert verdict-handling macros in every single line of a test procedure.
Test is also about expectations to the system under test. In SeqZap there are different methods to handle test data and the result when comparing measured value with the expected value. Both are, of course, saved in both the test report and the log file.

A: SeqZap is an automation tool. First you create test scripts and then you can execute them easily and fast as often as you like. Generally each test have to be written manually before they can be executed by SeqZap.
When appropriate it is also possible to use the capture functionality to generate scripts from system events and user actions.
It is also possible to set up a script file to automatically be synchronised with any kind of file containing a test specification (maybe from a model).

A: The typical way is to let SeqZap control and monitor:

• The system under test through some kind of test interface (RS232, USB, GPIB, TCP or other)
• Any real-time simulators
• Standard instruments (PSU, oscilloscope, data acquisition, etc.)
• Communication interfaces
• Test fixture (e.g. the power to the SUT)

Several test scripts can then be created to setup different test scenarios and to check the measurements against the expected results.

A: Yes, indeed. SeqZap is brilliant for semi-automatic tests. SeqZap has a standard step for showing a dialog to the user and ask the user to select one of the options from a list of choices.
We are very open to suggestions for other ways to let the user interact with a running script.

A: Yes! It would help the tester a lot to be driven through a manual test instead of reading a test specification. It can really save a lot of time.
The test report is generated automatically, and if anything can be automated (resetting the SUT, simulate some key presses etc.) making it a semi-automatic test, much more time can be saved.

A: With the right ZapTool it would be possible, although we cannot imagine a reason not to choose a general unit testing framework. There are many very good and free frameworks available. We use one ourselves for testing SeqZap (surprise!).

A: The short answer: Yes. But, we are sure that you would miss some of the features found in the very good production test systems available on the market.

A: Yes, .NET applications. If you are developing an application where you would like a very flexible setup, SeqZap can make it very easy for the user to change the default behaviour and to add new "macros".
It would make it possible to access all the standard tools in SeqZap, making it possible to control anything from your application. Think about it!

A: No. SeqZap is not a general programming environment, but a splendid automation tool.

A: No, it is never necessary to change SeqZap. But it can be necessary to create an extension (plugin). SeqZap comes with a broad range of standard tools, interfaces and protocols, so often SeqZap already supports some of your interfaces, so only the special interfaces needs to be created. Often the custom tool or interface can be based on one or more of the standard tools, making the customization easier and also better.
SeqZap comes with a framework to use when creating extensions, which also makes the task much easier.

A: A test case is a procedure, but a procedure does not have to be a test case.
Test cases are typically associated with a setup procedure and a cleanup procedure (as Partners in SeqZap). Test cases can also have preconditions, where a procedure not being a test case would not.

A: A test suite is a collection of test cases. See the test suite definition.
In unit testing and production testing either all the test cases or only a single test case are typically executed for each test execution. In system testing the execution time and different hardware setup for the different test cases makes it very useful to make several test suites in a test project.

A: One of the standard ZapTools for SeqZap is the Selenium Tool.

A: No. SeqZap is an easy-to learn automation environment. Basically your domain knowledge and ability to use a computer should be enough.
It would be a great help if you can read english. Did you understand that?

A: With four hours of walking through the basic concepts about the environment, you will be up an running. The build-in lessons will get you up and running in no time.
Along the way, when you need to take advantage of the more advanced features, you can just run some more of the build-in lessons and chekc the example files. And if you still need some help, you can always contact Sequanto for support.

A: Yes, it should be. In SeqZap all details about the execution flow will automatically be logged. You will therefore very rarely need to all your own log-statements in your scripts.
Another special thing is that logging in SeqZap is done through a plugin, making it possible to have links in html-logs, for jumping directly to procedures and steps from the browser. That saves time and makes it much easier to compare script and log-file when analyzing test results.

A: SeqZap is constantly being optimized to give the best possible execution performance, but high performance is not one of the major goals for SeqZap. Instead we are focusing on making the best solution for the user, making SeqZap a real time-saver and a very handy tool in the development department.

A: Any software running on a desktop system will be affected more or less by the operating system, drivers and the other running programs.
SeqZap is therefore not a real-time test system. When needing real-time performance in a script, it is necessary to distribute some functionality into an external real-time device. There are many solutions for that. Ask us if you need any advice about this.