Checkpoints in QTP

Types of Checkpoints
checkpoint is a verification point that compares a current value for a specified property with the expected value for that property. This enables you to identify whether your Web site or application is functioning correctly.
QuickTest Professional Checkpoint Types

Checkpoint Type
Description
Standard Checkpoint
Checks values of an object’s properties
Image Checkpoint
Checks the property values of an image
Table Checkpoint
Checks information in a table
Page checkpoint
Checks the characteristics of a Web page
Text / Text Area Checkpoint
Checks that a text string is displayed in the appropriate place in a Web page or application window
Bitmap Checkpoint
Checks an area of a Web page or application after capturing it as a bitmap
Database Checkpoint
Checks the contents of databases accessed by an application or Web site
Accessibility Checkpoint
Identifies areas of a Web site to check for Section 508 compliancy
XML Checkpoint
Checks the data content of XML documents

Creating a Standard Checkpoint

Click the Insert Checkpoint toolbar button or choose Insert > Checkpoint > Standard Checkpoint.
Click the object you want to check. The Select an Object dialog box opens.
Select the item you want to check from the displayed object tree.
Click OK. The Checkpoint Properties dialog box opens.
Specify the settings for the checkpoint.
Click OK to close the dialog box.
Creating a Text Checkpoint
Display the page, window, or screen containing the text you want to check.
Choose Insert > Checkpoint > Text Checkpoint, or click the arrow next to the Insert Checkpoint button and Choose Text Checkpoint.
The QuickTest window is minimized and the mouse pointer turns into a pointing hand.
Click the text string for which you want to create the checkpoint. If the area you defined is associated with more than one object, the Object Selection–Text Checkpoint
Properties dialog box opens. Select the required object
The Text Checkpoint Properties dialog box opens.
Specify the checkpoint settings.
Click OK to close the dialog box.

Use regular expressions

Regular expressions enable QuickTest to identify objects and text strings with varying values.

You can use regular expressions when:
Defining the property values of an object
Parameterize a step
Creating checkpoints with varying values
For example, if a window titlebar's name changes according to a file name, you can use a regular expression to identify a window whose titlebar has the specified product name, followed by a hyphen, and then any other text.
A regular expression is a string that specifies a complex search phrase. By using special characters such as a period (.), asterisk (*), caret (^), and brackets ([ ]), you can define the conditions of a search. When one of these special characters is preceded by a backslash (\), QuickTest searches for the literal character.
To define a constant property value as a regular expression:
Open the Object Properties dialog box for the object either form test tree or from Active Screen or from Object Repository
In the Property column, select the property you want to set as a regular expression.
In the Edit value section, click Constant.
Click the Edit Constant Value Options button. The Constant Value Options dialog box pens.
Select the Regular Expression check box.
In the Value box, enter the regular expression syntax for the string.
Click OK to close the Constant Value Options dialog box.
Click OK to save and close the Object Properties
To parameterize a property value using regular expressions:
Covered in Data Driving a Test
To define a regular expression in an object checkpoint:
Display the page, window, or screen containing the text you want to check.
Choose Insert > Checkpoint > Text Checkpoint, or click the arrow next to the Insert Checkpoint button and choose Text Checkpoint.
Click the text string for which you want to create the checkpoint.
Select the object for which you are creating the checkpoint. The Text Checkpoint Properties dialog box opens.
In the Edit value section, click Constant.
Click the Edit Constant Value Options button. The Constant Value Options dialog box opens.
Select the Regular Expression check box.
In the Value box, enter the regular expression syntax for the string.
Click OK to close the Constant Value Options dialog box.
Click OK to save and close Text Checkpoint Properties dialog box.

Common options to create regular expressions.

.
Matching Any Single Character
[xy]
Matching Any Single Character in a List
[^xy]
Matching Any Single Character Not in a List
[x-y]
Matching Any Single Character within a Range
*
Matching Zero or More Specific Characters
+
Matching One or More Specific Characters
?
Matching Zero or One Specific Character
( )
Grouping Regular Expressions
|
Matching One of Several Regular Expressions
^
Matching the Beginning of a Line
$
Matching the End of a Line
\w
Matching Any AlphaNumeric Character Including the Underscore
\W
Matching Any Non-AlphaNumeric Character

You can combine regular expression operators in a single expression to achieve the exact search criteria you need.